Gus Hauser begins his second season as a member of the Aggie staff in 2006-07. In his first year with the program, Hauser was instrumental in helping NMSU post a tie for the fifth-best turnaround in all of Division I basketball as the Aggies went 16-14, including wins over I-25 rival New Mexico and NCAA Tournament participants Pacific and Utah State.
In Hauser’s first season in Las Cruces, NMSU also saw dramatic improvement in conference play as the Aggies went 10-6 in their first season as a member of the WAC. The nine-win improvement in conference play over the 2004-05 season was the Aggies’ biggest single-season turn around in school history. The Aggies swept three conference season series (Idaho, San Jose State, Utah State) while taking two of three meetings from Hawai’i and advancing to the conference tournament semifinals.
The Aggies led the WAC in conference free throw percentage (.747) and tied for the conference lead in steals per game (7.25). The team ranked third in league in conference scoring (71.5) and conference field goal percentage (.455) while finishing fourth in conference turnover margin (+0.19) and fifth in conference three-point field goal percentage (.350).
Before joining Theus’ staff at NMSU, Hauser spent two seasons as a graduate assistant under Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville. While at Louisville, Hauser helped lead the Cardinals to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, their first Final Four since 1986 and the 2005 Conference USA regular season and tournament titles.
Hauser’s primary duties at Louisville included assisting in opponent scouting through extensive film breakdowns, game preparation and assisting in on-campus recruiting efforts.
Before joining Pitino’s staff at Louisville, Hauser served as a volunteer assistant coach at Transylvania University for one season under head coach Brian Lane. That season, the Pioneers produced a 13-11 mark, an eight-game improvement over the previous year.
Prior to jumping into the coaching profession, Hauser played on both the men’s basketball and football teams at Furman University.
Along with his successes on the field of play, Hauser earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Furman in 2000 while receiving several awards for his work in the classroom and the community.
From 1997 to 1999, Hauser was a member of the All-Southern Conference Academic Team and a member of the Furman University Dean’s List. He was also involved in the Furman Study Abroad Program, traveling to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Italy.
As a prep star at Corbin (Ky.) High School, Hauser earned all-region honors and was named All-SEKC and all-district in basketball while also earning All-State honors in football for the Redhounds.
Hauser, who is married to the former Amy Presley of Nashville, Tenn., has been surrounded by athletics most of his life. His father Patrick was a wide receiver at East Tennessee State and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1970. His mother Connie, who Hauser claims is the most competitive one in the family, is an avid golfer. His brother Seth played collegiate tennis at both Furman and Eastern Kentucky.
