When he first started rooting for the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats as a high school basketball player six years ago, Max Hazzard had an agenda.
“I would watch the games with my parents pretty closely, rooting for blowouts so I could watch my brother play,†said Hazzard, referring to former UA walk-on Jacob Hazzard.
Jacob Hazzard appeared in 43 games over four seasons with the Wildcats. He played in 30 games during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, a perk of coming off the bench for a pair of powerhouse teams.
Max Hazzard is now a UC Irvine senior considering a graduate transfer. If he chooses the Wildcats over returning to Irvine or transferring to Gonzaga, Cal, Minnesota, Pitt or TCU, he’ll likely be on the court regularly. Even with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ returning Brandon Williams and possibly Dylan Smith, while bringing in five-star high school guards Nico Mannion and Josh Green, Hazzard could bring shooting and a veteran touch to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s backcourt.
Listed at 6Â feet, 170 pounds, Hazzard was a second-team All-Big West Conference pick last season. He was named MVP of the Big West Tournament, where he had 23 points to lead the Anteaters to a 92-74 win over Cal State Fullerton in the final.
Hazzard then led UCI to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, scoring 19 points in a win over Kansas State in the first round.
For the season, Hazzard led the Anteaters in scoring with an average of 12.5 points per game. He was also a prolific 3-point shooter, hitting 38.8 percent of the 6.5 3-pointers he fired up per game.
“I know I have the opportunity to play somewhere and bring experience to a team no matter where I go,†Max Hazzard said. “I’m confident I can go on the court and help a team get to the NCAA Tournament, help change the culture.â€
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ “is a high-major program, a high-major basketball team and a high-major coach,†Hazzard added. “That’s always been something I’ve wanted.â€
The UA didn’t seriously pursue Max Hazzard out of high school, even though he had a brother who played for the Wildcats and a high school backcourt-mate, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who did the same.
“I thought I was relatively unrecruited out of high school,†Max Hazzard said. “I had a good amount of schools recruit me, but it was hard to tell who was serious.â€
UC Irvine coach Russell Turner was, and Hazzard said Turner has proven to be an “amazing coach.†Hazzard redshirted partly due to injury as a freshman in 2015-16, then played three seasons for the Anteaters and, with a degree in sociology coming this spring, has the option to play right away elsewhere next season.
“I knew when I redshirted as a freshman I would have the opportunity to be a grad transfer, and now I find myself here,†Hazzard said. “It’s been a blessing.â€