Hauser brothers reunite as U.Va. hosts Michigan State
Marquette transfers settle into their new digs and new team roles
At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in March, college basketball players scrambled to find unique ways to break a sweat while gyms were closed, but that wasn’t a problem at the Hauser household in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
The pickup games brothers Joey and Sam Hauser played as kids — before they went off to Marquette together, and before Joey transferred to Michigan State and Sam transferred to Virginia — resumed as if they hadn’t missed a beat.
On Wednesday night, they’ll see each other again when No. 4 Michigan State (5-0) plays at No. 18 U.Va. in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. It’ll be the first time they’ve been on a court together in a game and haven’t been on the same team.
“It’s pretty rare to have a household with two high-major Division I basketball players in it, so I think having each other was perfect and it gave us kind of a step up maybe over others that didn’t have that opportunity,” Sam Hauser said.
“So, we definitely pushed each other and we both put in a lot of work and I think we both got a lot better.”
Sam Hauser, a 6-foot-8 redshirt senior forward, is leading U.Va. (3-1) with 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 58.5% from the floor, including 43.8% on 3-pointers.
He misfired Nov. 27 on a 3-pointer with one second left in U.Va.’s 61-60 upset loss to San Francisco, but he displayed his clutch shooting ability Friday in the Cavaliers’ 71-64 overtime win against Kent State, connecting on a
3-pointer with 42 seconds left in overtime to give U.Va. a 5-point lead.
“The 3 he made was huge, and we needed that,” said U.Va. coach Tony Bennett, whose program is looking for its first win against Michigan State in the teams’ sixth meeting, including two memorable matchups during Bennett’s tenure. U.Va. lost 61-59 in 2014 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in Madison Square Garden and fell 60-54 in the second round of the 2015 NCAA tournament. “He has that ability. ... You have to allow him to get those shots and take them with confidence.”
Joey Hauser, a 6-9 redshirt junior forward, is pacing Michigan State in both scoring (14 ppg) and rebounding (10 rpg). He has three double-doubles thus far while averaging just 23 minutes per game.
Michigan State has a talented supporting cast around Joey Hauser, featuring guard Rocket Watts (13.6 ppg and 4.2 assists per game) and forward Aaron Henry (11.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, team high 5.2 apg and two blocks per game).
Michigan State already has a signature win — 75-69 at then-No. 6 Duke on Dec. 1 in a game in which Watts had 20 points and Joey Hauser had 11 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out. But U.Va. is still looking to hit its stride. Pandemic-induced capacity restrictions have ensured U.Va. won’t be able to generate an emotional edge from a home crowd in John Paul Jones Arena.
“You have to find it,” Bennett said. “You can’t compete and play if there isn’t a hardness or an intensity, not just at the start. You can’t rely on a crowd. It’s got to be as continuous when you get down.”