They have played just 11 college games together so far, yet Sam and Joey Hauser are already a well-oiled machine. That may come as a surprise for observers outside the Marquette basketball program, but considering their long basketball history together, it certainly comes as no surprise to the Brothers Hauser.
“We played a lot as kids. Pretty much ever since we could walk we had a basketball in our hands,” said Sam Hauser, the 6-8 junior and elder statesman of the duo. “We were always playing one-on-one in basketball, football, baseball, video games, ping pong. Pretty much any game that was competitive we were going against each other.”
Prior to reuniting at Marquette, the Hausers paired together for a very, VERY grateful Stevens Point Area High School program that resulted in insane levels of success.
Sam was part of two Wisconsin state title teams, going undefeated in his senior season, and was named the Gatorade Wisconsin boys basketball Player of the Year in his senior season.
Joey, the 6-9 freshman and the baby brother, was a member of three state title teams, logged 33 points with 22 rebounds in a title game match, was a two-time all-state pick, helped lead Stevens Point to three straight undefeated regular seasons and finished his high school career with a combined 79-5 record.
So, if you see Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski walking with more of a bounce in his step this season, now you know why.
So with 11 games - and nine wins - under their belts in their first season together again, are they having as much fun playing on the much grander stage of Division I and BIG EAST basketball as they did back in high school?
Spoiler alert: they are.
“It’s awesome, nothing can compare,” Sam said. “High school is one thing but college is a whole different experience and there are going to be a lot more memories that will last for a long time from playing in college together.”
“It’s extremely fun to be able to compete with him every day,” Joey said. “I always knew we were going to play together in high school, but in college, obviously, not a lot of people can say they can do that with their brother. It’s definitely fun and special.”
Sam said despite growing up just 155 miles from Marquette’s campus, it was never a foregone conclusion that he would end up a Golden Eagle. But while he said he enjoyed being wooed by schools during his recruitment, once Marquette got involved it didn’t take much convincing to stay home in Wisconsin.
“I never really had a specific school growing up that I was 100 percent set on that I wanted to go there,” Sam said. “But when Marquette got into the mix, they created a relationship right away. Coach Wojo and his staff were at every single one of my games on the AAU circuit and they were at a bunch of my high school games, practices and stuff like that. They built a really good relationship with me. And they are pretty close to home so that just seemed like the right place to go for me.”
So with Sam in place, Joey to Marquette was a slam dunk right? Not exactly.
“I definitely considered other places,” Joey said. “Michigan State was one school I was recruited pretty heavily by and I really liked them. It kind of came down to the wire and Sam kind of stayed out of my recruitment and let Coach Wojo do most of that. And when it came down to me making a decision I just decided Marquette was the best place for me.”
Now that the Hausers have the band back together, so to speak, they have simply picked up where they left off from their days at Stevens Point.
Sam is second on the team in scoring at 14.7 points a game while hauling in a team-best 6.8 rebounds per outing. Joey is third in scoring at 10.2 points while placing second in rebounds with 5.7 caroms per game. Impressive numbers for a player with less than a dozen collegiate games on his resume.
“He’s been playing well,” Sam said. “That’s not surprising to me but maybe to others who haven’t seen him play. It’s pretty impressive. But I’ve seen him do it plenty of times so he just needs to keep going, keep pushing and get better.”
Despite his strong start, Joey is looking to do more damage as the season goes on.
“I’m excited about the season so far, but we have a lot more to do and personally I have a lot more to do,” Joey said. “I want to get a lot better. Personally I don’t pay much attention to the scoring. Rebounding is something I definitely want to pay attention to more, be able to grab more rebounds and help out my team.”
The Hauser boys are used to banging bodies against each other from a young age and they continue to do so now in the hopes of pushing each other to even higher levels of play.
“We’ve played together since I was a third grader so we’re really used to playing with each other and it seems to have translated pretty well to the college game,” Sam said.
And while a friendly sibling rivalry exists over rebounding, the Hauser boys are on the same page about restoring Marquette basketball to levels it has not seen consistently in quite some time. Bringing that winning culture from Stevens Point has helped in that regard.
“I think it does,” Sam said. “Obviously this program is getting back to where it used to be in the past and bringing that winning culture to this program is huge.”
And winning is something Marquette has been doing a lot of lately. The Golden Eagles’ victory over North Dakota Tuesday night was their sixth straight and bumped their overall record to 9-2. Marquette, ranked 20th in the latest AP poll, will now host No. 14 Buffalo on Friday night in what is expected to be a raucous Fiserv Forum, the Golden Eagles’ new home.
“I think it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere and hopefully a packed crowd,” Joey said. “The new arena is awesome and it’s really loud and it brings a new energy to the game.”
Sam is also a big fan of Marquette’s new home digs.
“It’s pretty sweet, nothing compares to it,” Sam said. “The Bradley Center (Marquette’s former home) was cool but this one just has a whole different feel to it and is a lot better in my opinion.”
Maybe we’re seeing the beginnings of a team ready to make a statement in the BIG EAST this season. A team that may just end Villanova’s reign as conference kingpins. Both brothers think the pieces are there for a legit run at the title but don’t want to look too far down the road.
“We have to take it one game at a time, first and foremost, but obviously that’s the ultimate goal,” Sam said. “We have more goals after that but that’s what we have our eyes on this year.”
“We want to win as many games as possible,” Joey said. “We want to go the NCAA Tournament, we want to win the BIG EAST Conference. Those are things we believe are realistic goals with the team that we have.”
Both Hauser boys were born in Green Bay and are avid Packers fans. But with the Packers in a down season, in search of a new head coach and missing the playoffs for a second straight season, can Marquette win the hearts and minds of Wisconsin sports fans this winter as the Golden Eagles look to become the Big Cheese of the BIG EAST?
“Oh yeah for sure,” Sam said with a laugh. “I think so.”