The Wake

The Gophers’ men’s basketball team entered the final weekend of February in the upper echelon of the Big Ten and with its sights set on an NCAA tournament bid. Should they be granted a spot in The Big Dance, it would mark Minnesota’s first appearance since 1999.

Sure, the Gophers have posted winning records in three of the past four seasons. Sure, Minnesota has earned invitations to three postseason tournaments in that same time frame. And sure, Minnesota has also been able to produce three first or second round NBA draft picks in recent years.

But recovering from the scholarship and recruiting restrictions (and reputation) the program incurred with its academic fraud in the late 90s, combined with the rise of the Gophers’ women’s basketball, Minnesota men’s basketball teams have unquestionably lost the luminous glow they exuded in the not-so-distant Final Four run of 1997.

Enter Jeff Hagen.

“I’ve had more fun this season than any of the past four,” says the Gophers’ fifth-year center. “I love these guys… they work hard and do whatever it takes to win games.”

With his per-game production of 12 points, six rebounds and 2.5 blocks, Hagen (who started just 14 games and averaged a mere 3.5 points per game in his first four seasons) has guided a team NCAA analysts and experts picked to finish in the Big Ten cellar to the upper ranks of the conference, and, in all likelihood, the NCAA Tournament.

Pretty good for someone who decided to take his chances as a walk-on with Minnesota rather than accept scholarship offers from a plethora of quality out-of-state college basketball programs like Northwestern, Colorado and Nebraska, to name a few.

“I had about 30 D-I offers,” says Hagen, a former prep star for Hopkins High School, “but the U was the best fit for me because it was my dream and it’s close to my family.”

Growing up in the Minneapolis suburbs, Hagen dreamed about playing Gopher basketball all his life. The 7-foot-tall post player says a lot of the reason for his b-ball passion is because it is his dad’s favorite sport, and he too is a big Gopher fan.

“We’d watch [the Gophers] on TV, we’d go out to the games, we’d even listen to them on the radio together while doing chores around the house on weekends,” says Hagen.

Attending Minnesota also keeps Jeff in close proximity to his mom and sister. Mom, Krista, and dad, Dick, live in Hagen’s hometown of Minnetonka. Jeff’s sister, Stephanie, lives near him on campus.

“I’m very close to my family,” says Hagen. “So it’s really nice to be able to take that 15-minute drive to see my parents and get some of Mom’s home cooking.”

While feeding up on Mom’s meals is always a plus, Hagen also feels fortunate to have the close-knit relationship he has with his sister. One reason for this is because he and Stephanie are close in age — he’s 23, she’s 25. But a special reason is that Stephanie was also a Gophers athlete — she played for the Minnesota volleyball team from 1998 to 2001.

Stephanie says she and Jeff played several sports in their younger years. From football to softball, to golf or volleyball, the Hagen siblings never ran short of sports to play. Also, their natural competitive sibling instincts helped them hone each other’s skills.

Stephanie undoubtedly became the better volleyball player of the two, but she also had a lot of pride in her basketball abilities. She says she enjoyed a lot of heated games of one-on-one with Jeff in her early years.

“I never liked losing to him in any sport, especially basketball,” says Stephanie. “When we got to high school we stopped playing against each other because he was bigger and could finally beat me.”

At 6 –feet –3 inches tall, Stephanie inherited the height gene as well, but her growth came a bit earlier than her baby brother. Jeff says he was average height until he shot up 7 to 8 inches in ninth grade. The height shift proved to be a gift Jeff received with arms wide open — well, except for a couple of minor day-to-day problems.

“Doorways and clothes that fit,” said Hagen, “otherwise I’ve enjoyed being tall and have never had problems with it.”

As Hagen was embracing his vertical ascension, he also met Ken Novak Sr., his sophomore coach –- a man who’d soon become a valuable mentor to him.

“[Novak] was the best,” says Hagen. “He gave me confidence and let me know the success I could have with the ball.”

Besides the encouragement, Novak also taught him a lot about being a center: what the position entails, how to play it, tactics with his post game, et al. Moreover, Novak showed Hagen how valuable of a player he was when Hagen was frustrated with coaches who he says would use him for his height and disregard his athleticism and skill.

With Novak’s bode of confidence, Hagen went on to lead Hopkins to 50 wins and four losses in his two years on varsity. So why was he primarily a bench player his first four seasons with the Gophers? Three words: Pryzbilla, Rickert, Humphries.

The trio of top-notch talent, along with the NBA-related demands on their progress, trumped Hagen’s playing time. But this has been a year Gophers’ coach Dan Monson says he’s enjoyed more than any other and in a ceremony for Hagen and two other Gophers’ seniors (forward Brent Lawson and guard Aaron Robinson), Monson loudly declared his gratitude.

“We can’t leave the floor without publicly thanking these guys for hanging through the process these past five years,” said Monson following a Feb. 23 home game. “That’s a tribute to these seniors, no men that I’ve ever coached have I enjoyed more than these three.”

Hagen corralled 17 rebounds that game, a 65-57 victory over Iowa. He also received a poster-sized thank-you card and, as customary in Williams Arena, some “House of Hagen” chants from the student section.

So, what’s next for Hagen? Could there be an NBA tryout for the former walk-on who now draws high praise from a college basketball coaching great?

“[Hagen] is one of, if not the most improved player in the Big Ten,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said in a Jan. 23 Star Tribune article.

Hagen wouldn’t directly comment on his NBA potential, but it appears basketball will definitely play a large role in his future.

“I just hope to play basketball as long as I can,” says Hagen. “Basketball is better than any desk job in the world.”

In the meantime, Hagen’s focus is on his team, the upcoming Big Ten Tournament (March 10-13) and the rest of March Madness.