Brendan Hausen Giving Kansas State Hoops Everything That Was Expected
Kansas State coach Jerome Tang is allowing his team to get acclimated through the first few weeks of the regular season.
In doing so, he has quickly become accustomed to one of his most reliable presences – Brendan Hausen.
Hausen is off to a fast start this season. A 22-point outing was enough to lead the Wildcats (2-0) past Cleveland State this past Saturday, which Tang credited when asked about the guard's development during his Monday afternoon press conference.
"Nah, not at all," Tang said regarding any surprises. "I expected him to play like this from his freshman year. I watched him in high school, his toughness, his competitiveness, his shot making ability, he's just a gamer, he's just a winner. Knowing the type of confidence that his high school coaches had in him, one of them being his dad, just know that if you breathe confidence into him, he can do it. And now I'm challenging him to be a defender and not be the guy that the other teams think they can pick on. I believe he's going to respond to that."
The Wildcats have a veteran-heavy team but also some young pieces they can build around. Tang added the team chemistry is still a work in progress, but he is beginning to see a sustained pattern.
As for LSU Thursday night, Tang said it is going to be a tough out to protect home court.
"Obviously, Cam (Carter) can make shots. And you know, just so when you have two guards who can do that, and, and then Jalen Reed, and Jalen played AAU basketball for one of my best friends, Omar Carter, God rest his soul. And so, I've known him for a while and he's just a terrific talent. They have some older guys too, and who know how to play and their third year together with the coaching staff, so they pose a lot of problems, and they're always going to guard you. They're always going to compete and guard you. So, it'll be a great challenge. I'm thankful that we get to play him at home with our crowd."
Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Zain Bando is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com and on Instagram/'X' @zainbando99.
Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook
X: @KStateOnSI
