MSU's Joey Hauser journey comes full circle in Spartans win over Marquette

Matt Charboneau
The Detroit News

Columbus, Ohio — When Joey Hauser was introduced as a starter for Michigan State on Sunday evening, he was met with a chorus of boos.

It was coming from the Marquette fans, spewing their disgust with the Michigan State senior, still bitter from the fact Hauser, a Wisconsin native, transferred from Marquette to Michigan State after the 2018-19 season, joining his brother, Sam, who left for Virginia.

It was a storyline entering Sunday’s matchup between No. 2 Marquette and No. 7 Michigan State, but one Hauser and even the Golden Eagles tried to downplay, especially considering no current Marquette players or coaches were around when Hauser was.

But the fans clearly hadn’t let go of the bitterness, letting Hauser hear it as he took the court at Nationwide Arena.

As it turns out, it would be the last time Hauser would be hearing boos as he scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, adding a late 3-pointer to help Michigan State to the 69-60 victory, one that sent them to a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 3 Kansas State on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

And in the final seconds, after Hauser had grabbed that 10th rebound and was fouled, a victory almost certain, it was the Michigan State fans that serenaded the player many, coach Tom Izzo included, thought always should have been a Spartan.

“Joey-Joey-Joey,” echoed through the arena as Hauser stepped to the free-throw line. Thirty second later, the game was over, the Spartans came to the stands and celebrated with parents, and as Hauser walked off the court, it all caught up to him.

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The tears started flowing.

“I didn’t even know what to do,” Hauser admitted. “I couldn’t control it. Once I got off the court I kind of broke down. It’s been a long journey and hearing my name chanted in an arena like this while tying my shoe, you don’t really know what to say in a moment like that.”

So, it wasn’t just about who Hauser and Michigan State were playing. Instead, it was as much about Hauser realizing his long, sometimes frustrating journey, wasn’t ending just yet and he and his teammates were heading to New York.

Michigan State forward Joey Hauser (10) celebrates defeating Marquette in a second-round college basketball game in the men's NCAA Tournament.

It was special for Hauser, but he wasn’t the only one.

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“It definitely meant a lot to Joey but it meant a lot to us as well,” junior guard A.J. Hoggard said. Joey is our brother, and just to have that opportunity to play against his old school and move on to a Sweet 16 and for us to be a part of that with him, it’s just an exciting moment. We were all happy for Joey, happy for the chants, because it started off with boos. I’m happy to see he responded the way he did and we came away with the win.”

Added Izzo, “It’s so fun to hear people chanting when people weren't chanting a couple years ago.  And I think he's deserved every bit of it.”

Spartans lock down despite shootings woes

Michigan State has been one of the best 3-point shooting teams for most of the season, but on Sunday the Spartans could hardly buy a shot.

After made the second attempt of the game just more than three minutes in, Michigan State missed its next 13 attempts from 3-point range before Hauser hit the last one. The Spartans finished 2-for-16 for 12.5%, their second-worst outing of the season after getting shut out at Illinois during the regular season.

It was slightly better than the 3-for-16 performances against Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament and in November against Gonzaga.

The Spartans, however, managed to overcome.

“It’s not really that tough,” said guard Jaden Akins, who had five points and was 0-for-5 from 3-point range. “You’ve got to find a way to win. Shots weren’t falling so I was trying to stay aggressive and help my team any way I could. You’ve got do other stuff, play defense, rebound, make good plays and get a win.”

Added Malik Hall, who missed four 3-pointers but had five rebounds, “I just kind of tried to focus on my defense and rebounding and making the right plays at the right time, whether it be deflections, getting the right rebounds, making sure I box out, making sure I’m helping on defense, things like that. The game is bigger than making shots, so you’ve got do the other things too.”

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau