Tom Izzo shares belief in AJ Hoggard after continued dedication to improvement

Tom Izzo is an old-school, no-nonsense kind of college basketball coach. And the way that he runs his system at Michigan State has yielded some quality NBA-level talent while capturing a few national championships in the process. On his current Spartans roster, a few notable pieces could jump to the next level. One of those candidates is guard AJ Hoggard. After Michigan State’s victory over Maryland on Tuesday, Izzo praised Hoggard on his continued dedication to improvement after he helped ice the game late for the Spartans.

“I don’t know if he asked for it; we’re just trying to get the ball in. But I’ll put it this way. A year ago, if I had him in the game, he would have taken it out. And that’s the difference. Now he’s a guy I want to have the ball, and he’s earned that. And that’s what people don’t understand; you earn the right. It’s not given to you. You earn it by shooting a bazillion free throws, which he has,” said Izzo.

“So a lot of life lessons to be learned in this screwed up world we’re in right now. So, why do I want him to have the ball? Because every night before a game, we shoot free throws for 15 minutes. The kids gotta shoot about 100 of them. We chart every single one every single time before a game. I don’t think he’s been below 90 one time.

Hoggard did not have an elite night when it came to scoring the ball. Still, his late trip to the free throw line helped ice the game for Michigan State. The junior guard went on to finish the game with eight points, eight assists, and ten rebounds, displaying his ability to be effective in different spots of the game from all over the court.

With the win on Tuesday, Michigan State climbs to 15-9 on the season and four games out of first place in the Big Ten conference. This season Izzo and his Spartans find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. However, they still have an opportunity to make some noise in the conference tournament and the men’s championship tournament in March. But first, they must vanquish their rival Ohio State on Sunday. That game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. CT tip-off and can be seen on CBS.