The AJ Hoggard era of Michigan State basketball is officially over

An up-and-down era of Michigan State basketball officially came to an end on Friday.

After spending four years in East Lansing, senior point guard AJ Hoggard entered the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility.

The news isn't a complete shock as Tom Izzo went on a radio show earlier this month, stating that Hoggard could come back for another season but it wouldn't be at Michigan State.

Was there more behind the scenes that caused this breakup? Possibly, but it just felt like both sides needed a fresh start. It's not bad news for either side, though, but more of a bittersweet breakup. Hoggard wore out his welcome this past season with inconsistent play and failing to meet expectations for a preseason top-five team. He struggled to play to his potential.

It felt like both sides needed to move on for the last half of the season and that's exactly what we're seeing as Michigan State has three young solid point guards who can take the reins: Tre Holloman, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Jase Richardson.

Hoggard declared for the NBA draft recently with the intention of returning to college for his final season and some thought that he could come back to Michigan State.

Izzo shot down those thoughts with his Tim Staudt radio show appearance.

Hoggard had a really solid junior season, averaging 12.9 points and 5.9 assists per game and reached 1,000 career points at Michigan State. Unfortunately, his senior season fell way short of expectations. But fans shouldn't remember him just for that. They should remember the good times, too, like the 2023 NCAA Tournament run where he nearly single-handedly led Michigan State to the Elite Eight with a win over Kansas State.

This is the end of an era.