Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Hoggard a starter at Michigan State
Already a starter as a freshman, Coatesville native Hoggard aims to be next in long line of star Michigan State point guards
“In AJ, he brings the toughness that I think (our) program has stood for.” — Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, on freshman point guard, and Coatesville native, AJ Hoggard
The list of Michigan State point guards is a who’s who of college basketball greats. It starts with, perhaps, the greatest of all time in Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but also includes All-American’s like Cassius Winston, Mateen Cleaves and Scott Skiles, and many others like former Philadelphia 76er Eric Snow.
The newest member of that exclusive club is Coatesville native AJ Hoggard. He is a true freshman point guard and was named a starter earlier this month by legendary Spartan head coach Tom Izzo.
“He is a funny kid,” Izzo said. “He is fun to be around. The players love him, the coaches like him a lot.”
Even though Hoggard didn’t attend Coatesville High School, he fits in seamlessly alongside the long list of gritty hoops players to come from the only city in Chester County. A partial list has to start with former NBA star Rip Hamilton, and others like John Allen and fellow college freshman Jhamir Brickus (at La Salle), to name a few.
“In AJ, he brings the toughness that I think (our) program has stood for,” Izzo said.
For additional proof, this is what Hamilton said about Hoggard after he signed to play at Michigan State in 2019: “AJ is tough. He’s a big point guard that can really pass the ball. He has that ‘it’ factor when it comes to competing that most kids his age don’t have. Izzo is the perfect coach for him.”
Hoggard was already on the national radar as a 5-foot-5 pass-first guard in middle school. He went on to be a first-team All-Catholic League selection as a freshman and sophomore at Archbishop Carroll.
In early December of 2017, Hoggard orchestrated a 70-55 holiday tournament victory over Coatesville at West Chester’s Hollinger Field House, and then carpooled back home along with the Red Raiders’ star guard, and friend, Brickus.
“I didn’t want to lose to my city, so I know they didn’t want to lose to me either,” Hoggard said afterwards. “So I knew they were coming a little harder tonight.”
He averaged 15.6 points per game as a sophomore and then transferred to national power Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, upping the ante on the level of competition. And despite nursing a nagging ankle injury, Hoggard averaged 17.7 points and 5.1 assists as a senior, and blossomed into a 4-star recruit.
He receiving dozens of scholarship offers and signed with Michigan State at a ceremony held at New Life Christian Fellowship in Coatesville on Nov. 6, 2019. It was less than a month after making a recruiting visit to East Lansing, Michigan, along with his parents Anthony and Dionne, and his sister Aaliyah.
He apparently received some mentoring from Hamilton along the way.
“Rip Hamilton kind of mentored him a little bit in Coatesville,” Izzo confirmed.
While analyzing Hoggard’s game, Izzo lauded his versatility, but also pointed out at he needed to improve the consistency of his long-range shooting and his conditioning.
“His dad is a lively guy that exudes energy,” Izzo added. “If the kid ends up at all like him, then we’ve got ourselves a gem.”
In addition to preparing for his first college season in the midst of a pandemic, Hoggard also had to power though a knee injury and surgery early last November that sidelined him for a couple weeks.
When asked what he learned, Hoggard said: “You can’t get too high or too low — you have to be level-headed.”
In the first six games of his college career, the 20-year-old Hoggard played sparingly, averaging just seven minutes per game. He did, however, score 10 points off the bench in mid-December against Oakland.
“I think the best thing about AJ is he hasn’t even scratched the surface,” Izzo said. “He is getting in better shape — that’s going to help him. He does some things instinctively. I think he could be a very good defender before he’s done.”
Izzo inserted Hoggard into the starting lineup on Jan. 2 at Nebraska and he’s been there ever since. He is averaging 3.3 points, 5.0 assists and 25 minutes per game in 2021, and most notably for a point guard, his assist-to-turnover ratio is currently 5-to-1.
“I learned that the pace is different from high school,” he said. “I learned that each and every night you are going to see a good team, so you have to bring it. Those were the things I learned that have helped me mature.”
Hoggard is also finding out that playing the point for Izzo — a coach that is already in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — is quite demanding.
“Playing point guard here is a little different than the traditional point guard spot anywhere else,” he explained. “It takes a lot of responsibility getting guys in spots.
I’m kind of still learning, but I feel I’ve picked it up faster than some.
“It’s just the way we do things here. Running on the break all of the time, getting into sets, being vocal — kind of like leading the team on the court from (Izzo’s) standpoint because he is not out there with us.”
In a quarter century at the helm, Izzo’s guided the Spartans to a National Title (2000), eight Final Fours and 10 Big Ten titles. But at no time over the last several weeks has Hoggard shown any signs of being overwhelmed after essentially being handed the keys to Izzo’s offense.
“When your teammates feel comfortable in you, you have no choice but to feel comfortable with yourself,” Hoggard said. “The guys gave me words of encouragement, helping me get ready for playing those minutes because I hadn’t in game’s prior.
“The team’s helped me a lot to keep level-headed, keep focused and ready to go.”
That doesn’t, however, mean that Izzo isn’t going to continue to relentlessly push Hoggard to new, and at times uncomfortable, heights.
“He is kind of quiet and he is kind of, what I call a little nonchalant,” Izzo said. “And that is not what I am used to at that position. That’s not the way it is going to be, but I have to be understanding too, that it is going to take a little time. He has the one thing that I think is a lot like (former Spartan and current Chicago Bull) Denzel (Valentine) in that he has a feel — a flare for the game.
“We are going to have to keep working at it, and (AJ) knows that. He wants to keep working at it … and it will get better.”