Akins, Hoggard returning to MSU basketball

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Spartan basketball faithful breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday as Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard indicated their return to East Lansing.

Akins, who will be a junior for the 2023-24 season, and Hoggard, who will be a senior, made the announcements in separate tweets on their respective Twitter accounts just hours before the deadline for players to retain eligibility and return to their college teams.

“Unfinished business let’s do it,” Hoggard tweeted along with two green heart emojis.

Akins had tweeted an even more simple message: “East Lansing” with a pin emoji.

You know what we talked abt 🤞🏽 https://t.co/92HKxyqGM4
— wop (@ajhoggard3) May 31, 2023

Just last month, both 6-foot-4 players had made their intentions to go through the pre-draft process for the NBA known.

Hoggard started 33 of 34 games with career highs in points (12.9), rebounds (3.7), and minutes (30.6) on average. Akins averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He missed part of the preseason for the 2022-23 season after undergoing foot surgery in September.

The return of Akins and Hoggard adds to the excitement for Spartans fans heading into the 2023-24 season. In April, point guard Tyson Walker and forward Malik Hall announced they will return for their fifth season of eligibility.

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