Sam Hauser’s mom shares how a core childhood lesson molded his Celtics success

From a younger age, Sam Hauser was taught by his dad and mom to by no means, ever fear about his stats.

All that mattered within the Hauser household was the victory.

That’s what his mom, Stephanie Hauser, relayed to CelticsBlog in a dialog earlier this month, during which she mirrored on her son’s ascension from an undrafted College of Virginia standout to the most important contributor on an NBA championship group.

Each Stephanie and her husband, Dave, performed basketball in school. Their children, Sam, Joey, and Nicole, had been all athletes rising up, with Joey at present enjoying within the G League and Nicole having performed school volleyball. And, it was ingrained within the Hauser youngsters from a younger age that whatever the sport, all that mattered was the win.

“So long as there’s a hash mark of a win versus a loss, then so long as you might be contributing in a manner — doesn’t matter what manner, even in the event you’re simply setting screens — that’s in the end what’s necessary,” Stephanie defined, recounting the message she hammered residence to her youngsters.

Accepting that particular person stats don’t matter is simpler mentioned than carried out, however Stephanie recalled how she noticed Sam shopping for into that mindset in actual time. In a serious highschool playoff sport, Sam scored simply two factors whereas racking up a bunch of blocks and rebounds.

She checked in on her son after the sport — and was happy to see the place his head was at regardless of a poor taking pictures efficiency.”

“I did what I may management,” he said merely, and maintained a superb temper after the sport.

It’s that mindset that has made Sam Hauser so profitable on the Celtics

Sam Hauser has been the Celtics’ greatest three-point shooter all through his tenure. This season, regardless of a sluggish begin to the yr, he’s as soon as once more taking pictures 41.8% from past the arc on the season, just lately exploding for twenty-four factors on 8-10 from three in opposition to the Path Blazers on Sunday.

In his whole profession — highschool, school, G League, and NBA — he has by no means shot beneath 40% from three.

Hauser’s position has fluctuated a ton, particularly on the Celtics. Some nights, like when he went off for a career-high 33 factors on 23 shot makes an attempt in opposition to Utah on March tenth, he’s been a focus of the offense.

Different nights, he’s performed extra restricted minutes and been far much less concerned; Hauser has tried 5 pictures or fewer in 26 video games this season.

You received’t catch him worrying about his shot makes an attempt or level totals, although.

“I do know it sounds cliche, however he actually doesn’t care which position he must play,” Stephanie mentioned. “They’re vying for that championship. It’s actually necessary to him.”

An early love for basketball became a large payday

This previous summer season, Hauser’s on-court selflessness and innate shotmaking skill had been rewarded with a 4-year, $45 million contract.

Shortly after, he chatted with CelticsBlog about what the contract meant.

“I simply performed for the love of the sport, and that is typically simply the good thing about that,” he mentioned. “Fairly particular that they gave me a possibility early on when no person else did, and I simply tried to run with it. They believed in me, and I’m simply glad I might be right here and be with this group and have one other probability to win all of it.”

Stephanie recalled simply how early Sam’s love for the sport grew to become evident — and the way his first phrases foreshadowed a lifetime of basketball to come back.

“The story I really like to inform was when he was about two years outdated, the primary two-word sentence he ever mentioned was ‘Me shooty,’” she mentioned. “He had just a little Nerf hoop, and he actually simply liked taking pictures on that little Nerf hoop all day. And that was the primary two-word sentence he ever put collectively.”

“That was the primary second we knew that this was type of one thing he simply liked to do. He would do all of it day lengthy if he would have let him, truthfully.”

It clicked for Stephanie that her son may need a future enjoying basketball years later. In his junior yr of highschool, Hauser exploded for 16 first-quarter factors in a high-stakes sport in opposition to the three-time defending state champions.

The rating getting into the second quarter was 16-15, and he had scored all of Stevens Level Excessive College’s factors.

Towards the top of his highschool profession, he started receiving Division I basketball gives and in the end selected to play at Marquette College. He returned residence after preseason coaching, overwhelmed on the expertise hole between the gamers he competed in opposition to in highschool, and what awaited him in school.

“He got here again, and I bear in mind him saying to us, ‘I don’t know if I can do that. These guys are so good and so quick,’” Stephanie recalled.

How Tony Bennett and a yr at Virginia modified every little thing for Hauser

Hauser had an excellent three-year profession at Marquette, averaging 14.9 factors per sport in his junior season and establishing himself as one of many nation’s premier sharpshooters.

He opted to switch to the College of Virginia for his remaining season, a choice that his mom attributes lots of his success to. There, Hauser had the perfect season of his school profession, averaging 16 factors per sport on 50.3% taking pictures.

Stephanie believes that the yr at Virginia made Sam really imagine in himself and his capabilities. Below head coach Tony Bennett, he performed with extra confidence than ever earlier than.

“Tony Bennett was, fingers down, the difference-maker for Sam,” Stephanie mentioned. “Tony Bennett instilled a perception in Sam that he had a particular present — his skill to shoot the basketball.”

At Virginia, the prospect of Hauser persevering with his basketball profession after school grew to become actual. Bennett informed the senior that he really believed he had an opportunity to play within the execs.

“It’s one factor to have somebody say it, however to actually really feel that they imagine it,” Stephanie trailed off. “Tony Bennett believed it. And he instilled that perception in Sam. I believe that was the primary time, perhaps, that Sam actually began believing it.”

Hauser went undrafted after school and instantly signed a two-way contract with the Celtics. After a stint in Maine, he started incomes bench minutes in Boston and noticed his taking pictures present carry over to the NBA.

The Celtics’ championship run

Hauser’s basketball journey culminated in a championship in June. He was not only a member of the 2023-24 roster; he was one of many group’s key contributors. Hauser shot a team-best 47.8% from three-point vary within the NBA Finals and held his personal defensively when switched onto then-Mavericks star Luka Doncic on an island.

Stephanie wasn’t stunned to see her son excel defensively, regardless of the prevailing notion that he was a weak defender.

“This would possibly sound just a little bit like mom’s bias, however I by no means agreed with that evaluation. Sam has by no means been a poor defender.”

She mentioned her son received a chip on his shoulder upon listening to individuals say that he wouldn’t have the ability to defend on the subsequent degree, and that he’s at all times maximized his defensive potential: “He may not soar the best. However he’s extraordinarily sensible — very sensible. He is aware of what his drawbacks are, and he makes use of his mind to make up for them.”

All through the journey, Stephanie and Dave pressured to by no means take any of the success as a right. Final summer season, when the discussions concerning the Celtics doubtlessly going back-to-back started, Stephanie urged her son to only relish the second.

A number of months later, when Hauser out of the blue started coping with again points, his mom recalled how related the household’s live-in-the-moment mindset grew to become.

“You by no means know what’s forward,” she mentioned. “Fortuitously, with nice coaching workers — and Sam takes such excellent care of himself — he’s coping with it and dealing via it.”

His mom informed him to not get discouraged on the uncharacteristic taking pictures hunch.

“I simply mentioned to him, simply maintain taking pictures, as a result of you understand in the long run, it would all out of the blue find yourself at round 40%, as a result of your entire life, that’s precisely what’s occurred.”

She was proper.

In March, Hauser is taking pictures 45.7% from three to as soon as once more carry his season common above 40% — to 41.4%, good for second-best on the Celtics this season.

And, after he set a brand new NBA profession excessive in scoring earlier this month, his mom instantly known as him, his telephone ringing throughout his postgame media availability.

Stephanie describes the entire journey as surreal — and he or she in the end attributes lots of her son’s success in Boston to his selfless mindset.

“Sam is the epitome of a group participant. He’ll do no matter position Coach Joe wants him to do on a nightly foundation.”

She provides, maybe most pridefully: “He’s by no means cared about stats. He simply doesn’t care about stats.”