BIO: DJ Hogg was born in Columbus, Ohio (USA) where he attended 102.

NBL EXPERIENCE

DJ Hogg made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 26 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game.

DJ Hogg signed a one-year contract with the Cairns Taipans in June 2022, joining the team after coach Adam Forde’s first season at the helm. Although the previous season hadn’t brought much on-court success, it laid a strong foundation that led to one of Cairns’ most successful seasons in NBL23. The club retained key players like leading scorer Tahjere McCall, Majok Deng, Bul Kuol, Mirko Djeric, and the league’s Most Improved Player, Keanu Pinder.

Major departures included Kouat Noi, who moved to Sydney, and Nathan Jawai, who, despite wanting to play another season, was not re-signed by the team or any other NBL squad. Coach Forde rebuilt the roster by signing promising big man Sam Waardenburg (three-year deal), who was highly sought after by most NBL teams but chose Cairns after being offered a starting role. Fellow college graduates Lat Mayen (Nebraska) and Jonah Antonio (Czech League) signed multi-year deals, and Ben Ayre was elevated to the main roster after a memorable stint as an injury replacement player the previous season.

The Taipans secured forward DJ Hogg as their second import for the 2022/23 season, reuniting him with former teammate Tahjere McCall. Hogg and McCall had previously played together with the Lakeland Magic, where they won the G League Championship in 2021. Shannon Scott was later signed as the team’s third import, replacing both Scott Machado and Stephen Zimmerman.

Featuring the youngest roster in the league, Cairns surprised everyone with upset wins at the start of the season. Predicted by most to finish at the bottom of the ladder, the Taipans opened the season by defeating grand finalists Tasmania (106-84), South East Melbourne (85-76), and the reigning champions Sydney (83-78), starting with a 5-1 record—their only loss being to Perth (76-105).

Other notable games included defeating Melbourne United twice. In the first encounter, Cairns outscored Melbourne 11-1 in the final four minutes to secure an 81-77 win, propelling them into second place on the ladder. Coach Forde called Pinder (26 points and 10 rebounds) the best center in the league after the game. The second was a 25-point victory where the Taipans led by as much as 40 points in the final quarter. Bul Kuol added 18 points, DJ Hogg contributed 17, and Ben Ayre scored 16 off the bench.

In a nail-biting 103-106 loss to the Sydney Kings, former Taipan Kouat Noi nailed an epic buzzer-beating three-pointer. Hogg, who appeared to have forced overtime with a game-tying three before Noi’s shot, finished the game with a career-high 27 points and 5 rebounds.

Against Illawarra, Cairns battled back to secure a 102-101 victory over the Hawks in a double-overtime thriller. An early three-point barrage had propelled Illawarra to a 16-point lead in the second term until the Taipans amped up the pressure, taking the lead early in the third quarter. In a back-and-forth final stanza, Tyler Harvey nailed a triple to tie things up with 11 seconds to go before a DJ Hogg miss sent the game to overtime. Hogg took control in overtime, scoring 9 of Cairns’ 15 points across the two extra periods. Two missed free throws from Keanu Pinder left the door open for a Peyton Siva heave that rimmed out at the buzzer, giving Cairns the victory. Hogg and Tahjere McCall both finished with 23 points. Pinder secured another double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

A common trait for the Taipans this season was snapping opposition win streaks. This included ending Brisbane’s three-game win streak in November (90-82), with Hogg playing a major role by contributing 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a dominant frontcourt display. Cairns also halted the Kings’ record 17-game road winning streak (94-88) in an overtime thriller where Hogg was instrumental, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the final term, including back-to-back triples to send the game to overtime. Pinder also recorded a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds, including 8 points in overtime to seal the win. He became the first Taipan to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a home game in Cairns since Martin Cattalini in 2007. Tahjere McCall added 18 points off the bench, as the Taipans outscored Sydney 39-23 after three-quarter time.

Despite losing star Keanu Pinder to an ankle injury in December, the Taipans went on a five-game winning streak. Many in the media expected the team to drop down the ladder without Pinder, but instead, they secured wins over the Adelaide 36ers (86-83), Illawarra (96-89), Brisbane (107-81), South East Melbourne (94-85), a second win over Illawarra (89-84), and New Zealand (85-83), with Bul Kuol, DJ Hogg, and Tahjere McCall all scoring 18 points apiece.

During the final month of the season, Cairns lost Pinder again, this time to an eye injury, which resulted in him being unable to play any postseason games. Cairns and New Zealand battled for second place across the final fortnight, finishing the season by defeating Perth (84-71). The win momentarily saw Cairns jump to second place before New Zealand responded with wins over Brisbane and Illawarra, resulting in both teams finishing with an equal record (18-10). Due to the Breakers having a higher percentage, Cairns dropped to third place and had to go through the NBL’s inaugural play-in tournament to reach the semifinals. Facing Perth with Pinder still sidelined, a historic effort from DJ Hogg—scoring 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, the most points ever by a Taipan in a playoff game—delivered a 91-78 victory and the chance to face Sydney as the fourth seed in the semifinals.

Taipans win, Wildcats out ????

DJ Hogg steals the show with a phenomenal 32-point outing, lifting the Taipans to a crucial win.

Check out the @HungryJacksAU highlights ???? pic.twitter.com/HXL6C1UpsU

— NBL (@NBL) February 12, 2023

Tahjere McCall suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the Taipans’ Seeding Qualifier against Tasmania and was absent from Game One of the playoff series against Sydney. Without McCall, Xavier Cooks (27 points and 14 rebounds) powered the Kings to a 95-87 win in the opening game. A drama-filled Game Two saw Kings’ coach Chase Buford ejected. Emotions ran high after Kouat Noi and Sam Waardenburg both went down after hits to the head, Cooks suffered another ankle injury, and Tim Soares was charged with striking. Amidst the chaos, DJ Hogg (25 points and 8 rebounds) and Tahjere McCall (20 points and 7 assists) caught fire, leading Cairns to a 93-82 victory and forcing a do-or-die Game Three.

In the deciding game, Dejan Vasiljevic, who had been almost a non-factor in the first two games, delivered when it mattered most for the Kings, landing three crucial three-pointers on his way to 15 points and 5 rebounds to lead Sydney in scoring. Cooks shook off his rolled ankle from Game Two with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Kings locked down the Taipans on defense, holding them to their lowest team score of the season. Sydney defeated Cairns 79-64 to advance to the Championship Series. Ben Ayre finished as the top scorer for the Taipans with 20 points (4-8 from downtown) and 4 assists.

DJ Hogg averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, leading the Taipans in scoring. Alongside Keanu Pinder (16.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals), he was named to the All-NBL Second Team. Pinder made history by winning the Most Improved Player award, becoming the first player ever to win the award twice. Rookie Sam Waardenburg (11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) collected the league’s Next Generation Award, which replaced the Rookie of the Year award that season.

SYDNEY KINGS
2023/24
The Sydney Kings began their campaign by making DJ Hogg their first import signing for the season. Signed to a two-year deal (second year mutual option), he joined a Kings squad looking to make history by winning their third title in three consecutive seasons.

“DJ is a remarkably talented young man, and the prototypical player and character we want as a part of our club – he was a priority signing for us,” Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said after adding Hogg to the roster.

“Shooting is a premium in this league and an area that we identified as needing improvement in the off-season – DJ addresses that being one of the best perimeter shooters in the league. Couple this with his playmaking and ability to play multiple positions, we have an elite offensive threat. DJ killed us in nearly every matchup last season – I know our coaching staff had nightmares thinking about how we were to guard him during that finals series.”

Sydney underwent a significant rebuild prior to NBL24 after losing several key pieces to NBA opportunities. Reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks and DJ Vasiljevic both headed to Washington, and coach Chase Buford was released to pursue NBA opportunities, eventually joining Milwaukee. Imports Derrick Walton Jr., Justin Simon, and Tim Soares all went overseas, leaving Jordan Hunter as the only returning starter from the championship squad.

Former league MVP Jaylen Adams returned after a season in Europe and joined new imports DJ Hogg (via Cairns), Denzel Valentine, and former NBA talent and Australian Boomer Jonah Bolden, who returned to basketball after a four-year absence. G-League championship coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was brought in as Buford’s replacement. Despite the considerable roster turnover, the Kings entered the season as championship favorites.

After ten games, Sydney sat in second position (7-3), having lost only to the Tasmania JackJumpers (twice) and the Cairns Taipans. This was achieved while marquee player DJ Hogg (who missed the first half of the season) and Jaylin Galloway were injured on the sidelines.

From Round 8 onwards, the Kings struggled, giving up 100 points on nine occasions and finishing as one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

Much of the team’s success this season came from the pick-and-roll offense of Adams (19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Hunter (10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks). Jonah Bolden (8.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) had some great games but spent most of the season working himself back into basketball form. In contrast, Denzel Valentine (12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) and DJ Hogg (14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks) didn’t deliver as expected at both ends.

Sydney finished the season in fifth place and failed to make the postseason after losing to New Zealand during the play-in qualifiers. However, breakout seasons from rookie Alex Toohey (8 points and 4.0 rebounds), Kouat Noi (10 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists)—who came close to winning the league’s Best Sixth Man award—and Jaylin Galloway (10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals) were highlights, showcasing the individual talent and potential within the team.

DJ Hogg’s best performance of the season came in a game where the Kings clinched a postseason berth by recording the biggest winning margin in franchise history, and of any team in the 40-minute era. Hogg top-scored with 25 points and seven rebounds off the bench, as the Kings destroyed a depleted South East Melbourne (122-67). He also notched up 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in a loss to Perth (105-114).

DJ Hogg played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 49 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.