DIMONDALE - Kyle Ahrens arrived at the Moneyball Pro-Am Thursday night for the first time this summer and picked up his jersey at the check-in table.
The Michigan State redshirt junior wing was greeted by his summer league teammates, who promptly offered advice for the upcoming game at Aim High Sports in Dimondale. The gist of it was don't let Michigan State forward Nick Ward get the ball or you won't have a chance to shoot.
Ahrens laughed along but filling up a box score in July was not his primary focus. After missing all of last season with a foot injury, he is fully healthy and eager just to play again.
"The adrenaline was running through me, I was excited," Ahrens said after the game. "It just feels good to be out here."
Although he has been fully cleared since the end of last season and has been working out with the Spartans, Thursday night was different. It wasn't riding an exercise bike or lifting. It wasn't an open gym. There were two teams, a scoreboard, referees, and spectators watching.
"It feels good just to sweat like this," Ahrens said. "You realize how much you miss this when you're out."
A Jones fracture - a break in the fifth metatarsal in Ahrens' right foot - kept him out last season. Michigan State announced in November he was out indefinitely after aggravating the injury and in January updated his status to sidelined for the whole season.
"It was long, it was hard," Ahrens said. "Going into practice knowing you're not going to be able to practice, it hits you a little more."
Instead of being a backup to Miles Bridges, Ahrens spent his time on the bench last season as the Spartans won a Big Ten regular season title before being upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the second season-ending injury of his career, following a broken leg suffered his junior year at Versailles High School in Ohio. The latest experience taught him not to take the game granted and also increased his basketball IQ.
"You learn a different perspective," said Ahrens, who averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 34 games (four starts) as a sophomore during the 2016-17 season. "You learn from a coach's perspective instead of a player and you actually pick up a lot of new information when you're just sitting there and learning, and it drives you more, it motivates you more for that next season. That's why I'm ready, I'm ready to go."
Ahrens had a bounce in his step from the opening tip Thursday night. On his first touch, he buried a pull-up 3-pointer. He came down the lane for a one-handed slam and hit from mid-range and deep. When the night was over, he had scored 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting and made half of his six attempts from beyond the arc.
"I've got my hops back, I feel great," Ahrens said. "I'm happy."
Ahrens now boasts a 38.5-inch vertical leap - his highest since it was an inch better when he first arrived at Michigan State. He also slimmed down to 206 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame. That's about 12 pounds fewer than he carried around last year.
"I'm taking care of my body a lot better, I can already tell," he said. "My weight's down, I'm thinner, I'm leaner, I'm eating right. I just feel a lot better."
With Bridges gone for the NBA, Ahrens is in the mix to earn minutes at the wing spot. The group includes senior Matt McQuaid and freshmen Gabe Brown and Aaron Henry. After taking a redshirt last year, Ahrens has two seasons of eligibility left and believes he can impact the game in a variety of ways this season.
"Just reading the ball, going and attacking the rim, hitting shots when I'm open, being solid on D," he said. "I see myself doing a lot."