TO CLOSE

Michigan State basketball coach, Tom Izzo, addresses the media after his loss to Texas Tech at the Final Four on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis.
Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press

Michigan State basketball fills Nick Ward's purse by beating Wisconsin for a local transfer.

Joey Hauser announced Tuesday via Twitter that he would join the Spartans this fall. The Marquette transfer, which will pass the 2019-20 season due to the NCAA transfer rules, will have at least two remaining eligibility seasons.

"Proud to announce that I am committed to Michigan State University!" Wrote Hauser. "Thank you to coach Izzo and his staff for this opportunity. Once again, thank you Marquette University for allowing me to represent them last season. I look forward to taking this new step in my university career! "

Hauser started 31 of his 34 games with an average of 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds and shot 42.5% from behind as a freshman for the Golden Eagles. The 6-foot-9 and 230-pound striker earned the honors of the All-Big East Freshman team.

The native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was operated on at the end of his last year of high school to repair cartilage damage to his ankle and missed the 2017-18 season in Marquette as a red shirt. Hauser graduated early and enrolled in Marquette in January 2018, which could give MSU the opportunity to seek a waiver from the NCAA for a third year of eligibility.

Striker Marquette Joey Hauser faces St. John's defenders in the quarterfinal of the Big East conference tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2019. (Photo: Noah K. Murray, USA TODAY Sports)

Hauser was a 4-star rookie based on the 247Sports.com composite rankings. Tom Izzo and MSU sued Hauser before choosing Steve Wojciechowski's Golden Eagles.

"We are very happy to add Joey Hauser to our list and welcome him to the Spartan family," Izzo said in a statement. "Joey is a kid we recruited after high school. We knew him very well and he knew us. We believe in him as a person and really love what he brings to the table as a player. He is a hard-working, versatile player, with a high IQ for basketball and a winner. We think it will be a great addition to our program. "

MSU had an open purse because Ward declared for the draft NBA after the Spartans final in April with the intention of not returning to college for his final year of eligibility.

Hauser's older brother, Sam, also left Marquette and announced Tuesday that he would be transferred to the Virginia National Champion, for his last year of eligibility. Their home country, the Badgers, was a contender to land the brothers.

Contact Chris Solari at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Learn more about the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.