Star basketball recruit Joey Hauser enrolled at Marquette this semester

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Stevens Point's Joey Hauser is enrolled at Marquette for this semester.

Joey Hauser will be joining the Marquette men's basketball team sooner than expected.

Hauser, the Golden Eagles' top 2018 recruit from Stevens Point Area Senior High, is enrolled at MU this semester.

He will be redshirted and still have four full seasons of eligibility starting in the 2018-'19 season.

“We are really excited to have Joey join us for the second semester,” MU head coach Steve Wojciechowski said in a news release. “It’s a unique opportunity for him to recover from his recent surgery while also becoming acclimated to our basketball program and university.

"He is without question one of the top players in the class of 2018 and for him to be able to get a head start on his career is a tremendous positive.”

Hauser is graduating from high school this week.

Enrolling early will allow MU coaches and staff to monitor Hauser's rehab from the ankle surgery in December that ended his senior season.

Hauser, 18, has suffered a string of injuries. He originally suffered a left ankle injury in the 2016 WIAA football playoffs that cost him the first 11 games of his junior basketball season.

He suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot in August during a pickup basketball game. Hauser then underwent surgery on his ankle in early December.

Hauser will take MU's open scholarship slot this season.

“I am excited to be coming to Marquette early,” Hauser said in a release. “It was a tough decision, but it was the best one for my future. I want to be 100% by next year and I feel that being at Marquette to rehab every day will benefit that process. I will also get a great taste of what college basketball and campus life is like."

The 6-foot-8 Hauser signed a national letter of intent with MU in November. He is rated the No. 2 recruit in Wisconsin and the No. 45 national prospect by 247sports.

Steph Hauser, Joey's mother, said the idea for Joey enrolling early at MU cropped up after his surgery in December.

"Coach Wojo was up there that day and, after the doctor left the room, he talked to my husband and I about it," Steph Hauser said. "He said, 'Hey, I want you to know this is a possibility. I'd like you to think about this now that he's got the news that he's definitely done.'

"He said, 'No pressure, whatsoever. I just want to let you know this is an option and it could be very beneficial to him on a lot of fronts. But we certainly understand if he's not ready to leave high school.' "

The first order of business for the Hauser family was to make sure Joey met NCAA requirements. Then they figured out how Joey could graduate early.

Steph Hauser said Joey made his decision between Christmas and New Year's Day, although there were moments of hesitation despite the full support from his high school team.

"He still has mixed feelings, even today. I think at one time he jokingly said, 'I'm 89% sure and 11% not sure,' " Steph Hauser said. "It's going to be hard for him, but on the other hand he knows that once he gets to Marquette he can completely focus on just rehabbing this injury and preparing himself to be in a jersey this fall."

Joey Hauser led Stevens Point to three straight WIAA Division 1 titles, averaging 23.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game last season as a junior.

Hauser will be reunited with his brother, Sam, who is averaging 15.1 points per game as a sophomore for MU this season.

The Golden Eagles have some experience in recruits wanting to get an early jump on college.

Sophomore guard Markus Howard graduated from high school a year early and reclassified to play as part of MU's 2016 class.