Kansas State University Athletics
The Gym is Home
Apr 30, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Once, Kyle Neptune was headed to his office when the Villanova head coach, in the thick of an arduous season in the Big East, made a stunning discovery. Brendan Hausen had been dubbed "The Amarillo Assassin," and Neptune had seen the 6-foot-4, 205-pound sophomore guard knock down 3-pointers as seamlessly as breathing. But being a deft sharpshooter and honing the craft required dedication and vigorous work. Exactly how much work? Well, that's what Neptune found out.
"I'm usually in the office late," Neptune told the Amarillo Globe-News. "One time I was there at two in the morning and went down to the locker room for something and found (Hausen) there sleeping. He was about to wake up and go shoot."
It was Hausen who once made 105 3-pointers in a row, who got up shots two or three times a day, practicing five hours in all, and who during his first two seasons at Villanova attempted 246 field goals, including 223 shot attempts from beyond the 3-point line. It was Hausen who shot 39.5% (88-of-223) on 3-point attempts at Villanova — a figure that would've ranked second in the Big 12 Conference this past season. And it was Hausen who had a career-high 18 points, including 6-of-8 3-pointers, against Le Moyne in November.
Hausen was originally recruited by Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright, who retired just before Hausen arrived at Villanova. Still, Hausen was enamored by the Wildcats, and any bit of homesickness that he felt was forgotten once he stepped foot inside The Finneran Pavilion. The 6,501-capacity arena lit up whenever he had the chance to singe the nets. After Wright took Villanova to a 30-8 and the 2022 Final Four, the Wildcats went 17-17 and 18-16 with a pair of NIT appearances in Neptune's first two seasons. Hausen, who has played in 66 games with no starts and averaged 6.2 points in 17.6 minutes last season, believed that there was something more out there for him.
Hausen, the native of Amarillo, Texas, "The Amarillo Assassin," put his name into the transfer portal.
Boom.
And now he's a Kansas State Wildcat.
"I was looking to get close to home," he says. "Kind of looking for a fresh start and maybe a little bit better of a role."
He fell in love with K-State instantly when he and his parents visited head coach Jerome Tang and the coaching staff April 20-21. The Ice Family Basketball Center is open 24 hours a day and will welcome Hausen's arrival in June. Hausen chuckles at that realization on the other end of the phone. Life is pretty good.
"I just want to prove that I'm more than just as shooter, but I can play at the highest level," he says. "I want to prove that I can defend at the highest level and that I can get my teammates involved and that I can win, ultimately. Winning is the most important thing to me. If we win, it's going to take care of itself."
Winning began early for Hausen. It all began in a gym in Amarillo. His parents, Benji and Stefanie, were basketball coaches, and as Brendan puts it, "I was born into it."
"Original gym rat," he continues. "Since I could walk, I was in there."
His father served as his coach as he grew up, and more than once young Brendan got into trouble for putting up 3-pointers from Steph Curry-like and Trae Young-like range.
"I got into trouble because I'd see how far and far I could shoot and how many 3s I could make in games," he says. "My parents got on me, saying, 'You have to do other things than just shoot.' When I was a kid, I didn't even warm up. I'd go right into the gym and dad would try to get me to shoot close shots in practice, and I'd be like, 'No dad, I'm just shooting 3s.'"
He first turned heads as a seventh grader at the John Lucas Camp.
"I was a nobody at this time, a kid from Amarillo, Texas, and I shocked a lot of people and showed that I could shoot the ball," he says. "I came home and said, 'This is for me.' I thought I could be the best to ever leave Amarillo and go play somewhere."
The father-son relationship on the hardwood grew into something special. Benji served as an assistant coach at Amarillo High School, and Brendan was the star player. He earned 2021-22 Boys Athlete of the Year in the Texas Panhandle and averaged 17.6 points as a junior while leading Amarillo High to a 24-4 season. He finished his career as Amarillo's all-time leading scorer and was ranked as the 16th-best shooting guard in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.
Hausen considered Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nevada and Arizona State and Villanova as his college choices before signing with Wright and the Wildcats in November 2021. He reaffirmed his commitment to Villanova in April 2022 after Wright's retirement.
Two seasons and 66 games seemingly came and went. On December 5, Hausen played six minutes when Villanova played at K-State at Bramlage Coliseum. He didn't score a point.
He's certain to score some points in a K-State uniform.
"Coach Tang told me I was going to come to Manhattan and not just be someone, I was going to be a weapon for the program and do big things in Manhattan," Hausen said. "He said I was going to be a huge part of what they have going, and we were going to win a national championship."
It started with a phone call. Shortly after Hausen entered the transfer portal, he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone. It was K-State associate head coach Ulric Maligi. Lauded by ESPN and The Athletic as one of the nation's top assistant coaches, Maligi has 17 years of coaching experience and deep ties to the state of Texas. He came to K-State in April 2022 after spending three seasons on staff at Texas Tech (2019-21) and Texas (2021-22). He had also served as assistant coach at UT-Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Houston, SMU and Texas A&M.
Maligi had originally recruited Hausen to Texas Tech.
"I just remember Coach Maligi was at most of my games in the summertime, just always popping in, showing love and making sure I knew he cared about me and wanted me to play for him wherever he was at," Hausen says. "It's been a unique experience and kind of a full-circle moment now to see him at Kansas State, and for me to enter the portal, and for him to get his hands on me, and for me to be a part of Kansas State.
"He's just a great guy, knows basketball, but he's always going to keep it real with me. Since day one, he's always kept it honest with me, and he's believed in me. That's the biggest thing, just his belief in me. He's seen me have some of my best games and he's seen me in some of my worst games."
Imagine the smiles when the Hausens entered the Ice Family Basketball Center on Brendan's visit to Manhattan.
"As soon as I got out of the car, I heard all the coaches coming down," Hausen says. "Everybody, the whole staff, everybody was excited, screaming and yelling, and dapping me up. It was an unbelievable feeling. I felt the love. It was family."
Later, K-State assistant coach Rodney Perry and sophomore wing Taj Manning joined Maligi and Hausen behind the Tuttle Creek Dam for a two-hour fishing expedition. Perry caught the most fish (six) and Hausen caught the second-most fish (two).
"We just talked about everything while we fished — life, fishing, everything about Manhattan, K-State fans," Hausen says. "We talked about basketball and getting to enjoy fishing in the summer. Me and Taj actually played together back-to-back summers in a few tournaments my sophomore and junior year, so we already had that relationship, so that was cool."
When he isn't fishing this summer, Hausen will likely be inside the gym shooting the days away, like he has done all his life. And don't be surprised if Hausen takes a nap or two inside the gym.
For the original gym rat, "The Amarillo Assassin," the gym is simply home.
"There's been so many long days, long nights, early mornings, just me and my dad in the gym, me and my friends in there rebounding for me," he says. "I put so much into this. It's just a surreal feeling to know I'm going to Kansas State and can show this out there.
"I pride myself on being a great 3-point shooter, but also at K-State I'm going to be able to show just a little bit more than being a 3-point shooter, and that I have a complete game. The 3-point line is where I'm going to do most of my damage.
"And I take pride in that."
Once, Kyle Neptune was headed to his office when the Villanova head coach, in the thick of an arduous season in the Big East, made a stunning discovery. Brendan Hausen had been dubbed "The Amarillo Assassin," and Neptune had seen the 6-foot-4, 205-pound sophomore guard knock down 3-pointers as seamlessly as breathing. But being a deft sharpshooter and honing the craft required dedication and vigorous work. Exactly how much work? Well, that's what Neptune found out.
"I'm usually in the office late," Neptune told the Amarillo Globe-News. "One time I was there at two in the morning and went down to the locker room for something and found (Hausen) there sleeping. He was about to wake up and go shoot."
It was Hausen who once made 105 3-pointers in a row, who got up shots two or three times a day, practicing five hours in all, and who during his first two seasons at Villanova attempted 246 field goals, including 223 shot attempts from beyond the 3-point line. It was Hausen who shot 39.5% (88-of-223) on 3-point attempts at Villanova — a figure that would've ranked second in the Big 12 Conference this past season. And it was Hausen who had a career-high 18 points, including 6-of-8 3-pointers, against Le Moyne in November.
Hausen was originally recruited by Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright, who retired just before Hausen arrived at Villanova. Still, Hausen was enamored by the Wildcats, and any bit of homesickness that he felt was forgotten once he stepped foot inside The Finneran Pavilion. The 6,501-capacity arena lit up whenever he had the chance to singe the nets. After Wright took Villanova to a 30-8 and the 2022 Final Four, the Wildcats went 17-17 and 18-16 with a pair of NIT appearances in Neptune's first two seasons. Hausen, who has played in 66 games with no starts and averaged 6.2 points in 17.6 minutes last season, believed that there was something more out there for him.
Hausen, the native of Amarillo, Texas, "The Amarillo Assassin," put his name into the transfer portal.
Boom.
And now he's a Kansas State Wildcat.
"I was looking to get close to home," he says. "Kind of looking for a fresh start and maybe a little bit better of a role."
He fell in love with K-State instantly when he and his parents visited head coach Jerome Tang and the coaching staff April 20-21. The Ice Family Basketball Center is open 24 hours a day and will welcome Hausen's arrival in June. Hausen chuckles at that realization on the other end of the phone. Life is pretty good.
"I just want to prove that I'm more than just as shooter, but I can play at the highest level," he says. "I want to prove that I can defend at the highest level and that I can get my teammates involved and that I can win, ultimately. Winning is the most important thing to me. If we win, it's going to take care of itself."
Winning began early for Hausen. It all began in a gym in Amarillo. His parents, Benji and Stefanie, were basketball coaches, and as Brendan puts it, "I was born into it."
"Original gym rat," he continues. "Since I could walk, I was in there."
His father served as his coach as he grew up, and more than once young Brendan got into trouble for putting up 3-pointers from Steph Curry-like and Trae Young-like range.
"I got into trouble because I'd see how far and far I could shoot and how many 3s I could make in games," he says. "My parents got on me, saying, 'You have to do other things than just shoot.' When I was a kid, I didn't even warm up. I'd go right into the gym and dad would try to get me to shoot close shots in practice, and I'd be like, 'No dad, I'm just shooting 3s.'"
He first turned heads as a seventh grader at the John Lucas Camp.
"I was a nobody at this time, a kid from Amarillo, Texas, and I shocked a lot of people and showed that I could shoot the ball," he says. "I came home and said, 'This is for me.' I thought I could be the best to ever leave Amarillo and go play somewhere."
The father-son relationship on the hardwood grew into something special. Benji served as an assistant coach at Amarillo High School, and Brendan was the star player. He earned 2021-22 Boys Athlete of the Year in the Texas Panhandle and averaged 17.6 points as a junior while leading Amarillo High to a 24-4 season. He finished his career as Amarillo's all-time leading scorer and was ranked as the 16th-best shooting guard in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.
Hausen considered Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Nevada and Arizona State and Villanova as his college choices before signing with Wright and the Wildcats in November 2021. He reaffirmed his commitment to Villanova in April 2022 after Wright's retirement.
Two seasons and 66 games seemingly came and went. On December 5, Hausen played six minutes when Villanova played at K-State at Bramlage Coliseum. He didn't score a point.
He's certain to score some points in a K-State uniform.
"Coach Tang told me I was going to come to Manhattan and not just be someone, I was going to be a weapon for the program and do big things in Manhattan," Hausen said. "He said I was going to be a huge part of what they have going, and we were going to win a national championship."
It started with a phone call. Shortly after Hausen entered the transfer portal, he heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone. It was K-State associate head coach Ulric Maligi. Lauded by ESPN and The Athletic as one of the nation's top assistant coaches, Maligi has 17 years of coaching experience and deep ties to the state of Texas. He came to K-State in April 2022 after spending three seasons on staff at Texas Tech (2019-21) and Texas (2021-22). He had also served as assistant coach at UT-Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Houston, SMU and Texas A&M.
Maligi had originally recruited Hausen to Texas Tech.
"I just remember Coach Maligi was at most of my games in the summertime, just always popping in, showing love and making sure I knew he cared about me and wanted me to play for him wherever he was at," Hausen says. "It's been a unique experience and kind of a full-circle moment now to see him at Kansas State, and for me to enter the portal, and for him to get his hands on me, and for me to be a part of Kansas State.
"He's just a great guy, knows basketball, but he's always going to keep it real with me. Since day one, he's always kept it honest with me, and he's believed in me. That's the biggest thing, just his belief in me. He's seen me have some of my best games and he's seen me in some of my worst games."
Imagine the smiles when the Hausens entered the Ice Family Basketball Center on Brendan's visit to Manhattan.
"As soon as I got out of the car, I heard all the coaches coming down," Hausen says. "Everybody, the whole staff, everybody was excited, screaming and yelling, and dapping me up. It was an unbelievable feeling. I felt the love. It was family."
Later, K-State assistant coach Rodney Perry and sophomore wing Taj Manning joined Maligi and Hausen behind the Tuttle Creek Dam for a two-hour fishing expedition. Perry caught the most fish (six) and Hausen caught the second-most fish (two).
"We just talked about everything while we fished — life, fishing, everything about Manhattan, K-State fans," Hausen says. "We talked about basketball and getting to enjoy fishing in the summer. Me and Taj actually played together back-to-back summers in a few tournaments my sophomore and junior year, so we already had that relationship, so that was cool."
When he isn't fishing this summer, Hausen will likely be inside the gym shooting the days away, like he has done all his life. And don't be surprised if Hausen takes a nap or two inside the gym.
For the original gym rat, "The Amarillo Assassin," the gym is simply home.
"There's been so many long days, long nights, early mornings, just me and my dad in the gym, me and my friends in there rebounding for me," he says. "I put so much into this. It's just a surreal feeling to know I'm going to Kansas State and can show this out there.
"I pride myself on being a great 3-point shooter, but also at K-State I'm going to be able to show just a little bit more than being a 3-point shooter, and that I have a complete game. The 3-point line is where I'm going to do most of my damage.
"And I take pride in that."
Players Mentioned
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