Photo by: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Spartans Earn Preseason Recognition from The Almanac
9/20/2023 3:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team was ranked No. 4 in the country in the 2023-24 preseason poll from The Almanac, and a pair of players earned recognition ahead of the season.
Graduate guard Tyson Walker was ranked No. 10 in a ranking by The Almanac of the nation's Top 100 players and he was named a preseason Third Team All-American.
Senior guard A.J. Hoggard was rated No. 42 in the country in the Top 100 by The Almanac.
The Spartans return four starters and 11 letterwinners, while welcoming a recruiting class rated among the top in the country, to this year's team.
Michigan State finished the 2022-23 season with a 23-11 record and fourth in the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th-straight season, the longest streak in the Big Ten and the third-longest in NCAA history and the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Walker, who was a Second Team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the coaches and the media in 2022-23, was one of 10 players selected to the United States Basketball Writers Association District 5 team and was a Second Team District 7 selection by the NABC.
The 6-1 guard led the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, which ranked 11th in the Big Ten, adding 2.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Walker also ranked 11th in the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.9 percent of his shots from the field. He was second on the team in 3-pointers made (59) and led the team in steals (35, 1.1 per game), which ranked 15th in the Big Ten.
In Big Ten Conference games, Walker led the Spartans with 15.4 points per game, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 48.7 percent from 3-point land. He was 10th in scoring and field goal percentage.
Hoggard was an All-Big Ten Third Team selection by the media and an honorable mention selection by the league's coaches last year. He finished third on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game and led the team with 5.9 assists while adding 3.7 rebounds. Hoggard was third in the Big Ten in assists per game and ranked No. 6 in the country in assist rate per Kenpom.com
The Spartans also bring back graduate forward Malik Hall and junior guard Jaden Akins. Hall, who missed 11 games with an injury, averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 23 games, while Akins finished the season fourth on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per game, while adding 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
MSU also welcomes a recruiting class that was rated No. 7 in the country by 247 Sports and includes forwards Xavier Booker and Coen Carr, as well as guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Gehrig Normand.
Graduate guard Tyson Walker was ranked No. 10 in a ranking by The Almanac of the nation's Top 100 players and he was named a preseason Third Team All-American.
Senior guard A.J. Hoggard was rated No. 42 in the country in the Top 100 by The Almanac.
The Spartans return four starters and 11 letterwinners, while welcoming a recruiting class rated among the top in the country, to this year's team.
Michigan State finished the 2022-23 season with a 23-11 record and fourth in the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th-straight season, the longest streak in the Big Ten and the third-longest in NCAA history and the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Walker, who was a Second Team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the coaches and the media in 2022-23, was one of 10 players selected to the United States Basketball Writers Association District 5 team and was a Second Team District 7 selection by the NABC.
The 6-1 guard led the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game, which ranked 11th in the Big Ten, adding 2.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Walker also ranked 11th in the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 45.9 percent of his shots from the field. He was second on the team in 3-pointers made (59) and led the team in steals (35, 1.1 per game), which ranked 15th in the Big Ten.
In Big Ten Conference games, Walker led the Spartans with 15.4 points per game, shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 48.7 percent from 3-point land. He was 10th in scoring and field goal percentage.
Hoggard was an All-Big Ten Third Team selection by the media and an honorable mention selection by the league's coaches last year. He finished third on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game and led the team with 5.9 assists while adding 3.7 rebounds. Hoggard was third in the Big Ten in assists per game and ranked No. 6 in the country in assist rate per Kenpom.com
The Spartans also bring back graduate forward Malik Hall and junior guard Jaden Akins. Hall, who missed 11 games with an injury, averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 23 games, while Akins finished the season fourth on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per game, while adding 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
MSU also welcomes a recruiting class that was rated No. 7 in the country by 247 Sports and includes forwards Xavier Booker and Coen Carr, as well as guards Jeremy Fears Jr. and Gehrig Normand.
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