Coatesville native A.J. Hoggard recently entered the starting lineup as a freshman point guard for the Michigan State basketball team, and his promising performance in an 84-77 victory over Nebraska has his Hall of Fame coach thinking it’s a harbinger of great things to come, writes Kyle Austin for MLive.com.

The 6-foot-3 Hoggard, who attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor and Huntington Prep School in West Virginia, tallied four points, three rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and just one turnover in 24 minutes against the Cornhuskers.

His passing provided a much-needed spark to an offense that had grown rather stagnant after Michigan State’s 0-3 start to Big Ten play.

“I think the bright spot is you can see he has a feel for the game and a flair for it; he can get in the paint and make some plays,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said of Hoggard. “All in all, I was very pleased with how he played.”

The coach was especially complimentary of Hoggard’s play, considering he had been slowed by a preseason injury in Michigan State’s first few games.

“I thought he did a hell of a job, to be honest,” Izzo said.

Read more about A.J. Hoggard at MLive.com here.