Leaving high school a semester early was never on 2018 Marquette basketball recruit Joey Hauser’s radar. All that changed last month when ankle surgery cut his high school basketball career a season short.
“The day we got the news that his surgery was definitely season-ending for him was the first time that Coach Wojo talked to us about considering it,” Steph Hauser, Joey’s mom, said. “Until we got that news that he definitely was done for his high school career, this was not even something that would’ve been discussed.”
Now the top recruit in the state will enroll at Marquette this semester instead of waiting for the first summer session.
“We are really excited to have Joey join us for the second semester,” Marquette head coach Steve Wojciechowski said in the statement. “For him to be able to get a head start on his career is a tremendous positive.”
Hauser will redshirt as he continues his recovery from last month’s surgery. The rehab process is expected to take three to four months. Recovering with Marquette’s training staff was one of the biggest factors in making the decision.
“He is going to be able to get that care on a daily basis with Marquette’s staff,” Steph Hauser said. “They’ve been in communication with Joey’s doctor. They know exactly what needs to be done.”
Hauser will finish high school exams Thursday and Friday before heading to campus Saturday. After redshirting the spring semester, he’ll have four years of eligibility starting next fall.
The quick turnaround between the injury and the opportunity to arrive early has been an “emotional whirlwind” for the Hauser family.
“It’s been a lot to process in a very short period of time,” Steph Hauser said. “The hardest part for Joey was the thought of leaving his (high school) team and his coach. That was probably the one thing he was unsure about because that’s really important to him, and those guys have been so supportive of him.”
Hauser’s mother said that Marquette’s coaching staff did not pressure Joey into making a decision.
“Coach Wojo told Joey and us immediately that this is simply an option to think about,” Steph Hauser said. “There is no pressure whatsoever. If you’re not ready to leave high school, don’t leave high school.”
247Sports, a basketball recruiting outlet, ranks Hauser 45th in the class of 2018. Hauser chose Marquette over Wisconsin and Michigan State, among several other high-major schools last July. At Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH), Hauser won three state titles and averaged 23.6 points per game last season.
With Hauser’s early enrollment, Marquette is now using all 13 scholarships for the first time since Wojciechowski took over the program in 2014. Joey joins older brother Sam Hauser as the first brothers to play under Wojciechowski simultaneously since Henry and Wally Ellenson played together in the 2015-’16 season.
