Kansas State Is Getting Exactly What It Needs From Guard Brendan Hausen
Kansas State’s Brendan Hausen is arguably the best 3-point shooter in the conference, ranking No. 3 in percentage (41.7) and No. 1 in shots per game (3.1).
But coach Jerome Tang says his impact goes beyond that. He attributes the sharpshooter to being a focal point of opposing defenses, alleviating pressure from his teammates to aid the offensive scheme.
“He makes the defense distort what they do,” Tang said. “Your normal defensive principles, you gotta make an adjustment with him on the court. Wherever he’s at, there’s a lot of defensive gravity towards him so it makes the game easier for others. As soon as you make a mistake, he makes you pay.”
Hausen has been on fire over the past three games, averaging 15 points on 61.1 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s also gone 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, adding another dimension to his offense by remaining aggressive and getting points at the line.
Tang is encouraged by the upward trend over the past two weeks, illustrating the team’s patience and optimism amid the losing streak.
“This is a great journey we’re on, even the tough times have been great,” Tang said. “I told our staff when I first got the job, let’s find players that we don’t mind losing with. These guys were great through the losing streak and now we’re learning how to keep improving with wins. For every 1,000 men who can handle adversity, there’s only one who can handle success. So we’re going to try and be that one and just keep building on this.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
