NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Veteran guard A.J. Hoggard has joined Vanderbilt men’s basketball for the 2024-25 season head coach Mark Byington announced on Wednesday.
A 6-foot-4 graduate guard, Hoggard spent the previous four seasons at Michigan State where he helped the Spartans reach the NCAA Tournament each year. Hoggard was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24 and a third team pick in 2022-23. He is one of just five Spartans with at least 600 career assists and one of seven Michigan State players with 1,000 points and 500 assists to their credit.
“AJ is a very talented guard but more important for our team is his experience and ability to change a game,” said Byington. “He is shifty and has the ability to get by his own defender and make a play for himself or his teammates. My favorite thing about him is his toughness and that he plays with an edge.”
In each of his final two seasons at Michigan State, Hoggard averaged better than 10.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. He is one of just three Spartans to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 300 rebounds for their career in the past 30 years alongside Denzel Valentine and Cassius Winston.
As a senior in 2023-24, Hoggard averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 assists per game. He ranked 29th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio and 31st in assists per game. He also racked up a career-high 50 steals last season to rank 10th in the Big Ten.
In his junior season of 2022-23, Hoggard posted career bests with 12.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. He was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Region team in the East Region for his performance leading the Spartans to a Sweet 16 appearance. Hoggard scored 25 points with six assists in the Sweet 16 game vs. Kansas State and averaged 16.3 points and 5.0 assists over the three-game tourney run.
Hoggard shoots 41 percent from the field for his career and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc. He is a 74.7 percent shooter at the free throw line, including hitting at over 78.5 percent each of the last two seasons.
As a sophomore in 2021-22, Hoggard led the NCAA in assist percentage at 46.1. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten in career assist percentage at 37.4 (since 2009-10). Hoggard has notched six double-doubles in his career, all coming via points and assists.
Hoggard has played in 131 games over his four-year career with 83 starts. He will be a graduate student at Vanderbilt and has one season of eligibility remaining.
