Petey Hausley
Less is proving to be more for Appalachian State’s Petey Hausley.
Hausley, a 6-6, 245-pound junior forward from Marion who transferred from Iowa Western, was a starter for 17 games this season but seems to have accelerated his contribution the last four games coming off the bench. And the Mountaineers have won four straight games.
“Honestly, I feel like I play better coming off the bench,” said Hausley, who scored 12 points in a 78-68 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday. In other recent games off the bench, he had nine points in 17 minutes against UNC Greensboro and four rebounds in 18 minutes against Elon.
Coach Jason Capel went to a four-guard starting lineup beginning with the UNCG game Feb. 2, which has allowed Hausley to rotate with fellow post player Andre Williamson and has led to less fatigue and less chance of foul trouble.
“I think Petey’s production has gone up because he’s not playing so many minutes,” Capel said. “He doesn’t have to focus for 35 minutes. He can focus for 18 or 20. He can play as hard as he possibly can for those minutes.”
“He’s attacking the basket more, things that we’ve stressed to him all year. He’s giving us a presence inside we knew he was capable of.”