AJ Hoggard has had a roller-coaster of a Michigan State basketball career but he could opt to return for a fifth season.
Senior night is on the horizon as Michigan State will take on Northwestern in its final home game of the season on Wednesday. That means it will be the final game we get to see some players play at the Breslin Center. For guys like Malik Hall and Tyson Walker, we know this will for sure be their last game in East Lansing. But a couple of other seniors (AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko) have a big decision to make.
Both Hoggard and Sissoko are in their fourth year at MSU and will be celebrated on Wednesday night. However, they both could return for a fifth season thanks to the extra COVID year. Tom Izzo recently shared that he won’t be spilling the beans on their decision, but Hoggard may have just indirectly announced it himself.
Will AJ Hoggard be back next year?
With senior night on Wednesday, the MSU basketball social media pages have been releasing posts thanking the Michigan State seniors. These posts don’t indicate to us if Hoggard or Sissoko will be back next year, but the former’s response to his post might have given it away.
I don’t know what you think, but this seems like something someone would say if they won’t be coming back. “Thank you guys for embracing an east coast kid.” I’d expect AJ to say something similar to this in response to MSU basketball’s post, but this to me gives his decision away.
To be fair, this by no means is a final decision from Hoggard. We won’t find that out until after the season ends. But this very well could be an indication that Wednesday will be his last game at the Breslin Center.
Hoggard has had an up and down career, and I’m sure some people probably think it’s best if he moves on. But regardless of your opinion on Hoggard, he still deserves to be celebrated for what he’s brought to the program. He has had many great moments at Michigan State and has made a lot of memories we all will cherish. If this is his last game, I hope he has a monster performance in a win over Northwestern.