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Player Profile – AJ Hoggard

At 6’3” 220 lbs, Hoggard is a right handed, physical, point guard/combo guard whose constant presence in the paint is attributable to his deft handle with the ball, ability to keep defenders on his hip, and quick first step that belies his stocky appearance.

Photo Edit Courtesy of @MichiganSedits

2018-2019 Prep Circuit Stats

G/GSMPGFG/FGAPPGAPG/TOVRPG2FG%3FG%FT%SPG/BPG/Total
16/UNKUNK4.6/8.517.45.1/2.53.462.5%
(60/96)
34.1%
14/41
85.7%
(36/42)
2.1/0.1
30 STL/2 BLK
*Stats from huntingtonprep.com, 2019-2020 stats were incomplete

Player Overview

Hailing from Huntington Prep Academy (notable alumni include Miles Bridges and Andrew Wiggins), AJ Hoggard was originally part of a three man, two guard class that was supposed to include Flint Beecher’s Jalen Terry. With Terry’s decommitment from Michigan State, Hoggard enters the mix as the lone ball-handling addition to a 2020 roster in desperate need of additional guard play.

At 6’3” 220 lbs, Hoggard is a right handed, physical, combo guard whose constant presence in the paint is attributable to his deft handle with the ball, ability to keep defenders on his hip, and quick first step that belies his stocky appearance. Once there, Hoggard is capable of finishing with either hand from a variety of different angles, using his strength to finish through contact or his finesse to score with his floater game. He has extremely good body control at the rim, with under-the-radar athleticism (once again a misjudgment due to his sturdy frame) which should lead him to frequent the free throw line consistently.

Hoggard is a natural playmaker with great court vision, a solid rebounder for his position and has the potential to be another in a long line of MSU PG greats.

Potential Year One Impact

If Josh Langford clears medicals and returns to even 75% of his form, Hoggard, who could have stepped in to play some of those shooting guard minutes (or even more likely would have played additional minutes at the PG spot as the season continued so Watts could play his natural position at SG), will likely only play backup point guard minutes. With Foster Loyer’s struggles at the lead guard spot last year, Hoggard is the only natural PG on the roster for the 2020-21 season.

While expectations are that Rocket Watts will fill the role as the primary PG this next season, Hoggard will be utilized to not only give Watts bench relief, but also to play alongside him, providing a complementary ball-handling tandem. This will allow Watts to focus entirely on being the primary scoring option on the wing and provide Hoggard with a safety net as he acclimates to the next level.

Offensively, Hoggard projects to be an instant impact guy. More than capable of handling/facilitating/scoring at the B1G level from the moment he steps onto campus, the depth of his role is really dependent on his defensive growth (as is the case for most freshman under Tom Izzo). While he has extremely quick hands (evidenced by his steal numbers), too often at the prep level he spent time reaching instead of moving his feet.

At this point in his career he projects more comfortably to guard shooting guards/combo guards (ie bigger, slower perimeter players) than point guards, but due to his size and strength, has more defensive upside long term than Cassius Winston. If Hoggard is able to make strides defensively to show that he is not a liability at the college level, he should reasonably play 10-15 MPG next season, and closer to 15-20 MPG if Langford does not clear medicals or Henry was to remain in the draft.

Player Profile – AJ Hoggard

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