Michigan State basketball expected to land Marquette transfer Joey Hauser?

According to reports, Michigan State basketball is expected to land Marquette transfer Joey Hauser after his redshirt freshman season.

When Joey Hauser was still in his recruiting stages, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo pushed hard for him. He was one of the top-50 recruits in the nation from Stevens Point, Wisc., and many believed he would pick Michigan State if he didn’t stay close to home.

Hauser ended up choosing Marquette where he sat out his freshman season after ankle surgery and used his redshirt.

In 2018-19, he became one of the top freshmen in the country, averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He and his brother, Sam, helped lead the Golden Eagles to the NCAA Tournament, piecing together a rather dominant Big East regular season.

Izzo could only watch as his former top target was having success elsewhere, but he didn’t seem to mind too much with a Final Four team on his hands.

Nick Ward’s time in East Lansing was running out, though, and he knew he’d need to find another body in the post for 2019-20 and beyond. Hauser could be that guy, and according to reports, it looks like his arrival in East Lansing is looking more likely by the day as the brothers are rumored to be splitting.

Though Hauser likely won’t be eligible next season, pending some sort of waiver, he will ease the pain of losing Ward in 2020-21 and potentially Xavier Tillman. He’ll help the young guys like Marcus Bingham Jr. and Thomas Kithier next season while working with Tillman to make each other better.

This is a perfect addition and it doesn’t force someone out like it would have if both Hauser brothers chose Michigan State — Sam is likely headed to Virginia.

Good news keeps rolling into East Lansing these days, but #HauserWatch isn’t completely over as neither has officially made a public announcement. Anything can happen in this recruitment, but Michigan State is sitting pretty with Joey.