PTW contacted Coach Russell Beck of Western Nebraska Community College to obtain his thoughts and opinions about his former player Hauns Brereton:
"Hauns is 6'6" 210, he is a very hardworker. He does not have the quickest feet defensively and that is an area he will need to continue to improve on. However, at times he makes up for it with strength and hustle. After having coached him for a year, I would completely disagree with the comment about him being slow to get his shot off. He has a knack for scoring and has an excellent mid-range game which he compliments with the three and his ability to score on the block. He also has a good nose for the ball and is a very active offensive rebounder. Hauns is coachable and talented and he will do exactly what Coach Arnold asks him to. Hauns will contribute to the success of Hawaii this year."
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Okay, I'll bite. I don't disagree with anything Coach Beck says about Hauns Brereton's abillities, or that he is a good get for Hawaii and will be a valuable addition to the team. However, I will maintain that any assessment of a player's talent and abilities must itself be looked at relative to the level and intensity of the competition the player will face. That said, my disagreement, Kevin, was with your more specific assessment that if he chose to put up the requisite number of shots, Brereton could average 15-20 points a game, and also your prediction that he will choose to limit himself to scoring in the low teens, grabbing a decent number of rebounds (5 or so rpg?) and helping his teammates score (2-3 apg). My position is that Hauns is not athletic and talented enough to be in a position to make those "choices." That is not to say that I don't believe he will be a valuable and reliable role player on this year's Hawaii team. I do. Also, that is not to say that Hauns won't score 20 points against one or more of the very weak teams on Hawaii's early season schedule. But I'll go on the line in predicting that he will not score 20 points in a WAC game, and he will not average double digits in scoring, much less low teens. I will also stick to my guns that the comparison of Brereton to Matt Lojeski to illustrate my position is appropriate, and that if Hauns were Matt your predictions would be much likely to prove accurate. They are about same size, although Hauns has a stronger build. Both chose to go the JC route to improve their Division I stock. Both are basically wing players who are active on the offensive glass. And both were Third Team JC All Americans before coming to Hawaii. Lojeski came in at beat out a good returning player (Matt Gibson) at shooting guard and averaged 14 ppg, 4+ rpg and 2+ apg. The following year, he went about 17, 5 and 3, all just about what you predicted Brereton would or could do. My position is that Brereton is not as athletic and talented as Lojeski and will not reach Lojeski's numbers, unless a number of Hawaii's key players get injured. If my assessment is wrong and yours is right - well, that will be great for Hawaii, and Hawaii WILL win the WAC, as you predicted.
As for my statement that I am "disappointed In what he [Brereton] brings to the table," that is both an unfair and a gross misstatement of how I really feel about the guy. I think his real value to this year's Hawaii team will go well beyond the numbers he puts up and that actually, he is Hawaii' most needed recruit this year. If I could, I would take it back, but the best I can do is say that in the context of all the hype that has been thrown Brereton's way, including yours, Kevin, I thought a cautionary word was called for. I just didn't say it right.
This is in response to the first poster:
Most Hawaii fans have modest expectations for Hauns. He's playing on a team with two pre-season first team all-conferencers. Throw-in Joston and Shaq, and you have four scorers. With that in mind, it's almost definite that Hauns isn't going to get Matt Lojeski numbers. If we're comparing performance based on the level of talent, why not compare Hauns to Matt Lojeski's Juco numbers since Hauns has yet to play a division one game in his junior year? Hauns averaged 20 ppg to Matt Lojeski's 17 ppg in the SAME Juco league. Hauns garnished 20+ division one scholarship offers (including UH, Memphis, BYU, USU) out of Juco compared to Matt Lojeski's 2 (UH &USU)? I'm pretty sure those 20+ division one head coaches are seeing things a lot differently from this first poster.
Speaking of athleticism, Hauns won the off-season conditioning award, for crying out loud, and had the best performance with the Marine Corps. I guess you haven't seen enough of him in practice have you? You can't base your assessment on two weeks of practice. Have you even seen the type of shots Hauns gets off? Go check WarriorInsider.com and check this kid's ability. He hits shots fading away and is very solid on the break.
Hauns has yet to play a game in his junior year. Give him a shot before condemning him and labeling over-hyped. He proved to be a valuable asset on the China trip (averaging double digits), why not wait and see how he performs this year?
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