Michigan State senior Joey Hauser hints at possible return to East Lansing
Michigan State senior Joey Hauser has not yet made a decision about his future in collegiate basketball, but the native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin hinted at a possible return in an interview with local news station WSAW.
Hauser was asked if he has consulted with his brother, Sam Hauser of the Boston Celtics, about his decision regarding returning to college or pursuing a professional career.
“I talked to him a little bit, just to get his opinion on it because it matters a lot to me," Joey said. "He’s been in kind of similar situations, and he said that he thinks the best option for me would be to just play college basketball for another year.”
Hauser was then asked about any discussions he's had with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.
“We haven’t gotten too serious about it yet," Hauser said. "I think Coach and I both know...the season is still kind of being processed, and kind of just gearing down a little bit from all that hype and those exciting games. But now, I think it’s time that we can talk a little bit about it. I’ve been in contact with him, I’m at home right now, but I’ll be back up there soon.”
Sam Hauser spent three seasons at Marquette University before transferring to Virginia for his final year of eligibility in college. He then went undrafted, but signed with the Celtics on a two-way contract, splitting time with their G-League affiliate, the Maine Celtics.
Sam's two-way contract was converted into a standard NBA contract in February of this year.
Joey, similarly, spent a season at Marquette before transferring to Michigan State in 2019. Hauser has had an up and down experience in his two seasons in East Lansing, but began to play some of his best basketball in a Spartan uniform down the stretch in the 2021-22 season.
His return to East Lansing could give Izzo a needed veteran and shooter in Michigan State's frontcourt.
In 2021-22, Hauser improved significantly from the previous season in both three-point shooting percentage — from 34 percent to 40.8 percent — and in free throw shooting — 72.1 percent to 86.2 percent.
Hauser's scoring averaged dropped from 9.7 points per game to 7.3 as he took on a reduced role on the offensive end of the floor, and his overall shooting percentage slide from 47.5 to 44.6 percent. In the month of March, Hauser averaged eight points per game on 46.8 percent shooting overall and 41.6 percent from three-point territory.
We will continue to monitor Hauser's status as the offseason continues.
