Michigan State point guard A.J. Hoggard continues growth in Michigan win

East Lansing, Mich. – Several Spartans stepped up in Michigan State’s 59-53 win over rival Michigan on Saturday, but the team’s leading scorer and distributor – A.J. Hoggard – grew in more ways than one. 

The third-year point guard from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, scored 15 points and added six assists, four rebounds and two steals in just over 31 minutes played for the Spartans. But the stat that stood out the most to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was Hoggard’s one turnover – the seventh consecutive game in which Hoggard has logged two or less. 

“He’s not turning the ball over, he’s making good decisions, he’s running the team,” Izzo said. “You know, I thought a couple times early there, I thought we weren’t in the sets we needed to be in. (He) still has to get more vocal. But he’s definitely made a lot of progress and I’m proud of him, but I’m happy for him because he wants to be a player and he’s making himself a player. That’s what the process and development are all about.”

Hoggard recorded three or more turnovers in Michigan State’s first eight games of the season, but since the Spartans’ 70-52 road loss to Notre Dame on Nov. 30, Hoggard has played noticeably more controlled. He’s making better decisions with the ball and looking to pass more, especially in transition. 

“I think he’s been doing a great job, honestly,” Michigan State senior forward Malik Hall said of Hoggard. “Just even being a leader, I’ve seen strides from him just throughout this year and throughout my time being out there. He’s been doing a lot better job running this team. It’s definitely something that’s not easy here. We’ve had a lot of great point guards. Coach obviously knows exactly how he wants it. But I think he’s made a lot of big strides as far as running this team and just being under control and things like that.”

Hoggard went through a bit of a learning curve at the start of the season. He was removed from the starting lineup in Michigan State’s 70-63 home loss to Northwestern earlier this season, but responded well with 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two turnovers in that game.

One game later, Hoggard scored a career-high 23 points to lead Michigan State to a 67-58 win over Penn State on the road. Izzo was looking for a response like that after a stretch of games where Hoggard’s body language and demeanor were not up to par with what Izzo expects from an upperclassman point guard. 

“I really think it’s a little bit of trust,” Izzo said. “I had Mateen (Cleaves) sitting next to me, and every once in a while I said something to him. There comes a point in time in everybody’s life where you have to figure it out. You know, we had some head-knocking sessions, which I’ve had (with) a lot of players, even better than A.J. I just said, ‘You have to trust us.’ I think he’s played a lot more under control.

“It’s not just that he’s playing better, but he’s handled things a lot better. I’m really proud of him.”

As Hoggard continues to gain trust in the staff’s coaching, Izzo has put more faith in him to make the decisions necessary to help his team win games. 

“Their relationship changed,” Michigan State senior guard Tyson Walker said. “They’re able to have conversations now during the game. Instead of just being back-and-forth, they’re able to have conversations. Coach just has trust in him now to do the right thing.”

In this game, Hoggard played within himself and, at times, took command of an offense that needed to slow down and refocus early. Michigan State made only two of its first 10 shot attempts. Some bad misses could have been the result of the heightened nerves and emotions of a rivalry game. 

But Hoggard eventually took control of the game and made the right shots and passes when needed, especially in the second half. 

Hoggard opened the scoring after halftime with a second-chance three-pointer after Walker missed one initially. That extended the Michigan State lead to 30-18, :24 seconds into the half. 

Hoggard then hit a free-throw line jumper off the dribble with 11:04 to play, giving Michigan State a 40-28 lead. Later, Hoggard broke a scoring drought of just over two minutes by picking up a loose ball and nailing a two-point jumper. That made it 42-28 Michigan State with 8:59 to play. 

Hoggard’s jump shot was not one of his strong suits through his first two seasons in East Lansing. But he’s continued to work at it, and, in this game, flashed the ability to confidently knock down a pull-up jumper and hit a timely three. 

Izzo was also complimentary of Hoggard’s defense throughout the game. Hoggard has always had a knack for stepping up and getting after the opposing team’s best perimeter player on defense. This time, it was Michigan freshman wing Jett Howard.

“I was really proud of A.J.,” Izzo said. “The job he did guarding Jett Howard – I think Jett Howard is a really, really, really good player. A really good player. I thought A.J. did a good job.”

Howard scored 10 points, but shot 3-of-8 (37 percent) from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range. 

Michigan coach Juwan Howard, Jett’s father, was complimentary of Hoggard after the game. 

“A year is a big difference for any ball player,” Howard said. “The A.J. that I’m familiar with, the kid is a worker. He’s all about the growth mindset and improving every year. You can just see his growth from last year to this year, his confidence level. The relationship between him and his coach is strong. He’s also a guy who’s going to be the primary decision-maker, has the ball in his hands pretty much 80 percent of the time, so that confidence level will definitely give you the comfort level that you need. But he’s also a smart guard and he’s competitive. At the end of the shot clock, knowing that he’s going to be the guy that’s going to have the ball in his hands, trying to break his man down and make a play, and he’s been very successful doing it.”