Four-star Hauser hoping to make decision before senior season
Four-star forward Joey Hauser had a rough start to his junior season this year. An ankle injury sidelined him for the first half of the season, but he returned to action in January and his presence was felt immediately. He averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game and has his team set to play for a state championship this weekend.
The usual suspects in Big Ten country have been courting the 2018 prospect. Marquette, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Virginia and Wisconsin are the most consistently talking to him, while he’s also heard from the Duke Blue Devils periodically.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Hauser updates where he stands with the schools recruiting him.
“Some of the schools that have offered me don’t really talk about my brother being at Marquette a ton, but there have been some that have said, ‘Your brother is at Marquette so we’re not going to recruit you’. That’s just how it is.”
“I’ve been talking to Purdue a little bit. They offered me a while back, but they haven’t been talking to me a whole lot.”
“I’ve been talking to Duke here and there. They set the bar for everybody else. That’s like every kid’s dream school, so that’d be awesome if they were to show more interest or offer. They watched me a little last summer and talked to me in the fall, but I haven’t heard from them recently.”
“Notre Dame has been on me a lot lately. I actually found out recently they are the only team to be in the Elite Eight the past two seasons. That’s cool because you always want to win. It’s a good program. It’s in the ACC, so their program is becoming one of the top programs.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
In the immediate future, Hauser is most focused on finishing up his junior season a high note. Once that comes to an end, he’ll be back with Iowa Barnstormers for the travel season on the adidas circuit. No visits are currently set up right now but could happen at any point. He hopes to play out the travel season and then come to a decision sometime before his senior season starts.
RIVALS' REACTION
A Duke offer could certainly shake up his recruitment as it tends to do with most top basketball prospects. However, at the moment, it doesn’t appear that the Blue Devils are close to extending an offer. Iowa, Michigan State, Marquette, Virginia and Wisconsin have put in the most work with Hauser and will likely have a seat at the table when he makes a final decision.