The Michigan State men's basketball team will return both senior point guard A.J. Hoggard and junior guard Jaden Akins for this coming season, a program spokesperson confirms to Spartans Illustrated.
Hoggard and Akins will withdraw their names from the 2023 NBA Draft and come back to school for the 2023-2024 campaign.
The deadline to withdraw and maintain college eligibility was today, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
Akins declared for the NBA Draft on April 21, he announced on Instagram. However, he maintained his college eligibility, which gave him the opportunity to get feedback from the draft process while keeping the door open for a return to MSU. And now, he will indeed return to the Spartans for his junior year.
A stress reaction injury in Akins' left foot before the season caused him to miss preseason practice time, and showed up again during the 2022-2023 season, which forced him to miss four games. However, the 6-foot-4-inch guard from Farmington, Michigan ultimately had a strong year.
Akins played in 30 games (with 25 starts) this past season, and averaged 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He shot 41.8% from 3-point range, 42% overall from the field and 70.6% from the free-throw line.
Not only was Akins one of the Spartans' best shooters during the 2022-2023 campaign, but he also was one of the best defenders on the team, typically getting the assignment of guarding the other team's best offensive player.
In 66 career games, with 26 starts, Akins has averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game, while playing 20.5 minutes per game. He has shot 41.2% overall from the floor, 41.0% from 3-point range and 66.1% from the free-throw line.
Akins has improved year-by-year and many believe that he is one breakout year away from getting some serious NBA looks. Akins proved to be a knockdown shooter, but with some improvements off-the-bounce and finishing around the rim, its easy to see why some NBA people see a future for Akins.
Hoggard quietly filed his name as an early entry candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft ahead of the deadline and showed up on the list released by the league on April 25.
Hoggard maintained his college eligibility and took his name out of consideration ahead of the withdrawal deadline, allowing him to return to the Spartans for the upcoming season.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound point guard from Coatesville, Pennsylvania averaged 12.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game (all career-highs), and garnered third-team All-Big Ten honors for the 2022-2023 season.
He ranked second in the Big Ten with 201 total assists, third in the conference in assists per game (5.9) and fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio per game (2.3).
Hoggard, a strong downhill scorer who can also create for teammates, had a great junior year, improving in many areas, including a 17.4% increase in free-throw percentage and an 11% increase in 3-point shooting.
In 96 career games with the Spartans, including 49 starts, Hoggard has averaged 7.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He has shot 41.2% overall from the field, 27.6% from 3-point range and 73.1% from the free-throw line during that span.
With Hoggard coming back to Michigan State for his senior season, fans will see the return of one of the best back-courts in the Big Ten. Tyson Walker decided to return for a fifth and final year of college eligibility in 2023-2024, and will form a dynamic duo with Hoggard.
With the return of Akins, Hoggard, Walker, fifth-year senior forward Malik Hall and others, along with the incoming 2023 recruiting class that ranks sixth in the nation, Michigan State will have high expectations in 2023-2024.
