BYU's Haws earns 'big opportunity' with USA Basketball


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Today is the first day of BYU's summer class term, and new members of the 2013-14 Cougar basketball team will be enrolled and ready to start playing and working out with their teammates. One notable veteran will be missing from those activities to start the term, however, and with good reason.

BYU guard Tyler Haws is bound for Colorado Springs, where later today, he'll pull on a No. 46 Team USA practice jersey, and the quest to represent his country at the upcoming World University Games will be underway.

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Haws is one of 26 collegians invited to attend USA Basketball's World University Games Training Camp, which starts with a Monday evening practice at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. "It's a big opportunity," Haws said over the weekend on KSL Newsradio's ‘Cougar Sports Saturday,' "and something I've been training for and looking forward to. I'm excited."

As outlined in the schedule below, the national team aspirants will participate in their first day of two-a-days on Tuesday; USA Basketball says finalists for the team are expected to be announced on June 26th or 27th, but Haws told KSL that he expects finalists to be identified after the first of two practices on Wednesday (26th). After the group of finalists is determined, the official 12-member roster will be announced prior to the team's departure for Kazan, Russia on July 1.

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As mentioned in an earlier "Cougar Tracks," Haws is attempting to become the first BYU player to represent Team USA in international competition since Devin Durrant played on 1983's World University Games squad. "It's a great honor," said Haws on KSL, "and I was really excited when I got selected. Any time you have the opportunity to wear a USA jersey, it's awesome. It will be a great experience."

One of four "big guards" (6'4"-6'6", 200-220 lbs.) on the training camp roster, Haws is familiar to Team USA's bench boss, Bob McKillop. As the long-time bench boss at Davidson College, McKillop recruited Haws out of Lone Peak High School. Haws had Davidson as one of his final five potential college choices, and made an official visit to the school's campus in North Carolina. Of McKillop, Haws said "he's a really good friend of me and my family."

McKillop isn't the only member of the Team USA coaching staff to have seen Haws up close; assistant coach Frank Martin (head coach at South Carolina) was the head coach at Kansas State when his Wildcats beat BYU at the 2010 NCAA tournament, in what turned out to be Haws' final game before serving his two-year LDS mission. Haws had 14 points in the Cougars' 84-72 loss to K-State, a week after suffering a serious eye injury in the MWC tournament.

Another coach with experience against Haws is Junior National Team Committee member Lorenzo Romar, who helped assemble the World University Games Training Camp Roster. As the head coach at Washington, Romar watched Haws go off for 37 points in 38 minutes as BYU defeated the Huskies in the 2013 NIT.

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About competing with players like Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie, Notre Dame's Jerian Grant and Cincinnati's Sean Kilpatrick, Haws said they and all others on the roster "are great players... they've all accomplished a lot of things and it will be great to just got back there and compete, and get to know those guys."

Sporting News recently ranked the nation's top ten shooting guards, and listed Haws 4th and Dinwiddie 5th. On ‘Cougar Sports Saturday,' Haws was asked about the ranking and said "I feel like I'm right there with any shooting guard in the country; I feel like when you play college basketball, that has to be your mentality--when you walk on the floor, you've gotta believe you can compete with anyone."

This week in Colorado Springs, Haws will compete with the best players college basketball has to offer, striving for the chance to turn that Team USA practice jersey into a game jersey, next month in Russia.

"I have worked really hard and tried really hard to pick up right where I left off (pre-mission)," said Haws, "and I felt like I had a good (2012-13) season... but I never thought (national team selection) would come this quick. It's a great opportunity, and I'm looking forward to making the most out of it."

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USA Basketball World University Games Training Camp Schedule (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

DayDateTimeEvent
MondayJune 245-7 p.m.Practice
TuesdayJune 259:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
TuesdayJune 254:30-7 p.m.Practice
WednesdayJune 269:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
WednesdayJune 264:30-7 p.m.Practice
ThursdayJune 279:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
ThursdayJune 274:30-7 p.m.Practice
FridayJune 289:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
FridayJune 284:30-7 p.m.Practice
SaturdayJune 299:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
SaturdayJune 295:30 p.m.Intrasquad Scrimmage
SundayJune 309:30 a.m.-12 p.m.Practice
SundayJune 304:30-7 p.m.Practice
MondayJuly 1TBDDepart for Russia

USA Basketball World University Games Training Camp Roster

Jersey #NamePositionHeightWeightDOBYear of GraduationCollegeHometown
34Eric AtkinsG6-218212/14/912014Notre DameColumbia, MD
31Markel BrownG6-319001/29/922014Oklahoma StateAlexandria, LA
42Deonte BurtonG6-119007/26/912014NevadaLos Angeles, CA
25Bryce CottonG6-116508/11/922014ProvidenceTucson, AZ
44Spencer DinwiddieG6-620003/06/932015ColoradoWoodland Hills, CA
26Yogi FerrellG6-017805/09/932016IndianaIndianapolis, IN
85Davante GardnerC6-829009/02/912014MarquetteSuffolk, VA
68Treveon GrahamF6-521510/28/932015VCUTemple Hills, MD
69Jerian GrantG6-520210/09/922014Notre DameBowie, MD
36P.J. HairstonF6-522012/24/922015North CarolinaGreensboro, NC
86A.J. HammonsC7-028008/27/922016PurdueGary, IN
45Luke HancockF6-620001/30/902014LouisvilleRoanoke, VA
<b>46</b><b>Tyler Haws</b><b>G</b><b>6-5</b><b>200</b><b>04/11/91</b><b>2015</b><b>BYU</b><b>Alpine, UT</b>
32Andre HollinsG6-120012/10/922015MinnesotaMemphis, TN
71Rodney HoodF6-821010/20/922015DukeMeridian, MS
72Josh HuestisF6-723012/19/912014StanfordGreat Falls, MT
73Cory JeffersonC6-921012/26/902013BaylorKilleen, TX
74Sean KilpatrickG6-422101/06/902014CincinnatiYonkers, NY
87Alex KirkC7-025011/14/912015New MexicoLos Alamos, NM
47Devyn MarbleF6-619409/21/922014IowaSouthfield, MI
75Doug McDermottF6-822501/03/922014CreightonAmes, IA
88Adreian PayneF6-1024002/19/912014Michigan StateDayton, OH
33Chasson RandleG6-118002/05/932015StanfordRock Island, IL
76Will SheeheyF6-720001/16/922014IndianaStuart, FL
77Aaron WhiteC6-821809/10/922015IowaStrongsville, OH
48Kendall WilliamsG6-418507/03/912014New MexicoRancho Cucamonga, CA

Head Coach: Bob McKillop, Davidson

Assistant Coach: John Beilein, Michigan

Assistant Coach: Frank Martin, South Carolina

Court Coaches: Tad Boyle, Colorado; Jim Kessler, Grace College (NAIA); Matt Matheny, Elon University

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Photo: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

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