SEATTLE – It wasn’t what Hans Gasser envisioned when he signed with the University of Washington men’s basketball team.
Gasser had been a star at Issaquah High School and was seen as a potential building block for the Husky program.
But Gasser languished on the bench for two seasons while trying to figure out how to succeed at the college game.
But that wasn’t the hardest part.
That came after last season, when UW coach Lorenzo Romar told the 6-foot-9 forward that he was losing his scholarship. The Huskies were prepared to sign Louisville transfer Lorrenzo Wade and needed a scholarship. Gasser had been somewhat of a disappointment and seemed the logical person to make the sacrifice.
Gasser could have transferred. He was big and skilled, had played in a successful program and had a couple years of eligibility. But he said he never thought about going anywhere else.
“It was what the team wanted and the coaches wanted, so I just dealt with it,” Gasser said. “But I really liked it here. I just got into business school and didn’t want to give that up. And I liked the situation here. I knew I could be successful here. My time just hadn’t come yet.”
Gasser’s patience and perseverance paid off. Wade reneged on a verbal commitment and went to San Diego State instead, and Gasser’s scholarship was reinstated. And now the junior has become perhaps the biggest surprise on the 5-0 Huskies.
Gasser, who averaged just seven minutes – mostly in garbage time – in his first two seasons, has become a regular member of the Huskies rotation. The junior took advantage of an injury to Mike Jensen and the youth of the rest of the UW frontcourt to earn the first significant playing time of his career.
Gasser’s surprising season continues today when the Huskies meet Loyola Marymount (1-1) at 3:30 p.m. at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Gasser became one of the state’s top recruits while leading Issaquah to second place at the 2003 Class 3A state tournament, averaging 21.1 points and 10 rebounds.
Gasser played in 11 games as a true freshman at Washington, but averaged just 5.2 minutes, scoring 10 points. The junior got in 15 games last season, but played just 8.3 minutes a game. He said he focused on adding bulk, but got up to 252 pounds, and that slowed him down.
“I needed to get in better shape,” Gasser said. “I had been trying to gain weight so much, and then it came on too fast and I needed to get it down. With our team, you need to be able to run and move and I couldn’t do that at the weight I was at.”
Gasser’s work in the summer resulted in his getting down to 225 pounds, and it has showed this season. He’s darted through the paint, made some agile moves and has improved his defense, which has been his biggest focus.
“It was really hard for me,” Gasser said. “I was so used to just standing in the middle of the paint and helping everyone else. Now, in our system, you deny everybody. I end up guarding the point guard by myself. It took a while to get used to that.”
Gasser is also showing his developing offensive game. Against Idaho on Tuesday, he made his first career 3-pointer. For the season, he’s averaging 6.8 points on a team-best 69.6 percent shooting. He’s also averaging 2.4 rebounds, has six assists and is playing nearly 15 minutes a game. He had a career-high 14 points against Morgan State in the season-opener.
“You’ve got to guard him because he can knock shots down,” Romar said. “But what Hans is doing more now more than he ever has is he’s working his tail off when he’s on the floor. In the past, he’s been somewhat passive and wouldn’t really get after it. Now he’s playing with a lot more intensity. He’s basically said, ‘Look at me, Coach. What do you think, you going to play me or what?’ You like to see guys do that, come out and earn themselves minutes.”
Gasser said it’s just a matter of finally being comfortable, and he hopes it continues to earn him playing time.
“In the past I wanted to contribute, but I just wasn’t ready,” Gasser said. “Now I feel like I’m a veteran and I finally know where I’m supposed to be, what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ve gotten out of bad habits I formed in high school. I had a lot to work on and it took a while, but I finally feel good about where I’m at.”
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