On Tuesday night, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced the names of 242 players who have filed as early entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Michigan State forward Joey Hauser and guard Jaden Akins were expected names to be found on the list, however, there was also a surprise entrant: point guard A.J. Hoggard.
On April 21, Akins publicly declared his intentions to enter the draft but maintain his college eligibility by posting a statement on Instagram. Conversely, Hoggard did not release a statement or make any public declaration prior to the release of the NBA's list with his name on it. He did later post a message to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.
Players who have applied for early entry may withdraw their names from consideration from the draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, June 12. However, to play college basketball in 2023-2024, the deadline is sooner. Under NCAA rules, in order to retain college basketball eligibility, college players who have entered the 2023 NBA Draft must withdraw by Wednesday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
In the closing of Akin's statement regarding his entry into the draft, he explicitly stated he would retain his college eligibility during the process. A Michigan State spokesperson has confirmed with Spartans Illustrated that Hoggard will also maintain his eligibility, which means he either signed with an NCAA-certified agent or is not hiring an agent at all. Hoggard also later stated that he will maintain his eligibility in the Instagram message that was released after this article was originally published.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA has granted players who participated in the 2020-2021 season an additional season of eligibility, therefore Hoggard has college eligibility for up to two more years, if he desires.
Following the 2022-2023 season, Hoggard was named third-team All-Big Ten by conference media, while earning honorable mention by the coaches. The junior point guard led the Spartans in assists (5.9 per game) while finishing second in the Big Ten and ninth in the NCAA in total assists (201). He also finished 19th in the Big Ten in total points scored (437), and finished the year with a career-high average of 12.9 points per game. This past season he produced significant improvements in both his 3-point shooting percentage (32.9%) and free-throw percentage (80.4%).
In 96 career games with the Spartans, including 49 starts, Hoggard has averaged 7.8 points, 4.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. He has shot 41.2% overall from the field, 27.6% from deep range and 73.1% from the free-throw line.
While the conventional thinking is Hoggard will enter the NBA Draft process to seek information regarding his prospects from NBA team officials before returning to school, nothing is certain at this point.
Though Michigan State has an abundance of ball handling lead guards such as Tyson Walker, Tre Holloman, incoming freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. and potentially Akins, it would be detrimental to the high aspirations of the Spartans to lose the starting upperclassman point guard if Hoggard does decide to remain in the draft.
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