Michigan State's Gabe Brown embraces Moneyball atmosphere with joy, mostly

DIMONDALE — Of all the Michigan State men's basketball players competing at the Moneyball Pro-Am at Aim High, Gabe Brown seems like he's the happiest to be out there.

In between jawing with teammates and opponents, Brown is as quick to crack a smile as he is to drive through the lane, with a very minimal chance of a defender stopping him from getting to the hoop.

The caveat here is that the amount of defense being played at Moneyball is questionable at best, but it's also hard not to be impressed with what Brown has done.

"He's extremely athletic," his MSU teammate Nick Ward said. "(He) needs to use his athleticism more, but (he's a) hell of a player. He's going to have a high ceiling."

Brown's pretty lanky — there are only 185 pounds on his 6-foot-8 frame — and it shows, in part because he wears shorter shorts than most of the players on the court, one of many personality traits Brown displays with flair.

He'll have to put on a few pounds once the grind of the college basketball season gets underway, but the seeds for deft outside shooting and a natural ability to drive to the hoop are there.

DeWitt native and Grand Valley State freshman Luke Hyde, Brown's Moneyball teammate, knows him better than most. They were AAU teammates their freshman and sophomore years of high school. He's quick to praise Brown's game and work ethic.

"I've never met someone that works so hard and has been so committed to something," Hyde said. "You know his attitude, he's so fun to watch. He's a funny dude, I love him. But his work ethic gets him places, and it obviously has."

GRAHAM COUCH:Colin Jones' size and sizzle make him a Moneyball favorite, but it's no joke to him

MORE:Michigan State's Kyle Ahrens shows his athleticism in return from foot injury

In five contests, Brown is averaging 30.2 points per game, but his shooting has been up and down. On July 10, Brown was 8 of 27 shooting and missed all nine of his 3-point shots. 

Over the last two games, Brown has made 10 of 27 attempts from downtown. Brown knows he needs to work on his consistency, although he did make more than 50% of his shots (18 of 35) Tuesday.

"I'm just working on the things I'm working on in practice, rebounding and getting to the basket more," Brown said. "I feel like I'm getting better and better. I still need to attack more to the basket, but I'm going to get used to it."

Perhaps Brown's most infamous Moneyball moment came on July 10, when he got into an on-court tussle with Joshua Langford. After words were exchanged on one end of the court, the two got tangled up on the other end. Langford then shoved Brown.

In a Moneyball rarity, Langford was ejected.

"It was just brotherly love. That's how it is in basketball. We all get mad at each other," Brown said. "I was surprised they threw him out of the game. That should never happen. There were 50 seconds left on the clock, what you got to throw him out the game for?" 

Brown reiterated there are no hard feelings between them.

"I really don't think about it, but, when he was out here, he was trying to make me tougher," Brown said. "He was trying to get me better."

With the departure of Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr., the opportunity to earn playing time for Michigan State is there for someone with Brown's skill set.

"We're like a family," Brown said. "I can't wait to play with them. We've just got to keep on working as a team, get tougher and do the little things in order to win."

Follow digital sports reporter Phil Friend on Twitter @Phil_Friend.