Brendan Hausen takes on new role for Iowa men’s basketball in senior year

IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s basketball head coach Ben McCollum believes guard Brendan Hausen has one of the hardest roles on the team.

He never knows how many minutes he’ll play each game. Sometimes, his warm ups stay on through the entire game. Other times, he’ll play through a handful of possessions before subbing out.

On Sunday, Hausen played 19 minutes and scored a team-high 13 points.

“I don't think people realize how much he helps our program at a high level,” McCollum said. “He is exactly what we want from our program — from an Iowa Hawkeye. He's exactly that.”

There’s something intangible Hausen has, though, and it’s part of why McCollum leans on the senior. Prior to transferring to Iowa, Hausen was a starter at Kansas State. He started all 33 games last year, averaging 10.9 points per game.

Before Kansas State, Hausen was at Villanova. There, he wasn’t a starter, but found his way onto the court in all but two games.

Hausen was a consensus four-star athlete from Amarillo, Texas, being named a top 50 recruit nationally and the No. 4 prospect in the Lone Star State. He even picked up the nickname ‘the Amarillo Assassin“ in high school, becoming Amarillo High’s all-time leading scorer.

Hausen’s used to playing a lot of basketball elsewhere. The numbers he’s recorded, however, didn’t catch McCollum’s eye. It was his natural-born leadership qualities.

“The thing with Brendan is he's a really good leader. Like, a shockingly good leader,” McCollum said. “And I don't say that in surprise ... I think it says a lot about his character.”

The 6-foot-4 guard has become an energizer bunny of sorts, cheering his teammates on from courtside on the Hawkeye bench. Though it’s not as flashy of a starting position in the Big Ten, Hausen has embraced it.

“I got a role on this team. I feel like we're a very elite team and it's my duty to uphold that role,” Hausen said. “So whatever the team needs, I'm here for.”

  Buy Photo

Whether it’s a quiet nod, a fist bump during a substitution or a full-blown celebration reacting to an Iowa bucket, Hausen’s one of the first players on Iowa’s bench to react to what’s happening on the court. He wasn’t afraid to send a cunning look to the Iowa State student section at Hilton Coliseum either, letting them know the Hawkeyes were rolling.

McCollum said he remembers playing in college and feeling frustrated over playing time — and admitted it’s the hardest part of his job today. Having as much experience has Hausen has throughout his collegiate career, McCollum recognizes that it can be frustrating.

Hausen hasn’t waivered, though. In practice, in uplifting his teammates and in the early stages of the McCollum era.

“If that's four minutes, if that's no minutes, if that's being the best cheerleader on the bench that's getting guys ready to play, then that's what I'm ready to do,” Hausen said. “I just want to win.”

And McCollum isn’t waivering in his belief that Hausen can be more than a spark — but light a fire — come Big Ten play in January.

“I've said it before, I'm not worried that at some point he's going to win us some games,” McCollum said. “I really believe that.”

Comments: madison.hricik@thegazette.com, sign up for my weekly newsletter, Hawk Off the Press, at thegazette.com/hawks.