BYU's Tyler Haws on 'The Road to Russia'

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Calling his Team USA tryout experience "definitely something special, and something I'll never forget," BYU guard Tyler Haws on Thursday continued his pursuit of a spot on USA Basketball's 12-man World University Games roster, as two-a-days rolled on at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

*******

Joined by BYU Baskebtall Media Relations Director Kyle Chilton and KSL videographer/producer Dave Noriega, I watched as Haws and 14 other roster finalists went through a two-hour session on Thursday morning.

The first of two daily practices featured almost exclusively half-court and drill work, with Haws making trademark mid-range jumpers and the occasional international three-pointer, while showing some activity on the defensive end--including a rare blocked shot.

"On offense, I feel like I know where I can get my shot off," said Haws after the morning session. "I feel like I am finding places where I can score. You have to understand your game and do what you do against these guys, because when you go outside of your game, bad stuff happens--these guys are so good."

******

Head coach Bob McKillop says final cuts (to get down to the official 12-man roster) will happen tomorrow evening. A second Thursday practice, then Friday morning practice and Friday afternoon/evening scrimmage will precede the cut-down decision.

Asked what he thinks has to be done in order to make the final roster, Haws said just "showing the coaches that I can play at this level and I can score in lots of different ways, and I can defend on the other end, too, and do all the little things that can help a team win."

"It feels like I've shown a lot of what I can do, but you can't stop or ease up or relax at all because these guys are just too good. You've gotta be ready all the time."

McKillop said Haws' state of readiness has increased as the week has gone along.

"He has progressed practice by practice, gotten better and better," said McKillop on Thursday. "If you would have asked him how he performed in his first day here, he would have shaken his head and said 'no way I have a chance to be a part of this,' but he has gotten better and better, and that's just the comfort level that he is finding in the system orientation that we have."

*******

McKillop tried to recruit Haws to Davidson College when he was a star at Lone Peak High School, so the coach's familiarity with Haws puts him in a position to more acutely admire the versatile wing man's particular skill-set.

"We fell in love with him watching him on the court during his AAU and high school seasons," said McKillop after Thursday's practice. "I'm not surprised at the great success that he's had."

"(He has) the ability to do so many things--he understands coaching, (has) great work ethic, terrific genes, and of course, his team orientation. He wanted to be part of a team. He had the skill, he had the talent, but those other things--coachability, work ethic and toughness--those really stood out.

"He's clearly a 'system guy,' and we're 'system coaches,' so he fits what we do. We have to pick people who are going to show toughness and teamwork. The (players are) all here because they have talent; those guys who have the most toughness and most team orientation are going to be the ones who make the team."

*******

McKillop's assitant Frank Martin (current head coach at South Carolina) also has an appreciation for Haws' talents, having seen them up close in the 2010 NCAA tournament, as Martin's then-Kansas State team outlasted BYU to advance to the regional semifinals in Salt Lake City.

I asked Martin if Haws' name rang a bell when he saw it on Team's USA's invitation roster.

"Yeah," said Martin, "he's a guy who stood right in front of me and made two threes early in the game at the NCAA tournament...it's crazy how time flies."

"We were visiting about that game; what a great game it was, and what a great team BYU had...great memories and Tyler's a heck of a player."

A complementary player on BYU's 2009-10 squad, Haws is now the Cougars' go-to guy on offense and one of the top scorers in the country. Martin says he's not taken aback at Haws' rise to prominence.

"No, not at all. It's easy to see that he's been coached, he understands how to play, and he has an unbelievable ability to shoot the ball from that 15-17 foot range.

"Too many guys in today's day and age, they either shoot it from 20 (feet) or finish at the rim, but don't play that 15-foot area, and he' got an unbelievable ability to shoot it from there, so it's easy to see why he's such a good scorer.

"That's a shot he looks for; he hunts that shot, and it's something he's real comfortable with."

Martin says Haws' natural inclinations have been on display as the week has gone along.

"We play fast. Coach McKillop likes playing fast, I like playing fast, and we've got to have plenty of wings, because we want to run and attack and always be on 'go' mode and that's how Tyler plays in college, so it's something that fits him comfortably. The next couple of days will be interesting to see some of these decisions we have to make, and see what direction everything ends up in."

*******

There are currently seven wings (four small forwards and four shooting guards) that comprise a group of which Haws is a part, and conventional wisdom is there will be at least one player cut from that collection of players. Haws says the competition has been intense.

"The biggest challenge is just being ready to play," said Haws on Thursday, "getting yourself ready and you have to be on your toes and mentally into it for the whole time that you are practicing. That part of it is going to definitely make me a better player and it feels like I am learning so much from these coaches."

"You can tell they've been around a lot of great players and been around the game a long time and so there's lots of stuff I'm going to take away and take back to BYU, regardless of what happens with the cuts."

Haws said the nerves associated with the week's first cut (to 16 players, including injured forward Rodney Hood from Duke) were real, and quite unfamiliar.

"It's been a long time since I had to try out for a team," says Haws, "but it has been a good experience--that pressure is always on you. All you can do play as hard as you can and just leave it all out there and hopefully everything goes well."

"The trip could be a three-day trip, or a ten-day trip or a 30-day trip, so every day you're just fighting and fighting for a spot."

McKillop says it's hard to be bearer of bad news for many of the players gathered this week, but he hopes those who don't make the Team USA roster take something positive away from the tryout.

"I told them on the first day," said McKillop, "you're going to go through a new experience in life. You're going to get cut. Fourteen of you guys are not going to be with us...you can use that to hang you head or point fingers, or you can use it as a stepping stone to future success."

*******

Martin says the week has already been a success for BYU's Haws. He says Cougar fans "should be proud."

"He's done a real good job in making the first cut," said Martin, "and the way that he competes and listens and his eagerness to make our team better... he's a heck of a teammate and BYU fans should be proud of the way he's representing BYU here and the job that the (BYU) staff has done to prepare him for opportunities like this one."

"It's been a great experience no matter what," said Haws Thursday. "There's lots of stuff that I've learned and experienced that I'm going to take back to Provo with our team this upcoming year."

Of wearing the Team USA practice jersey all week, Haws says "it's awesome--every time you put it on in the morning."

"I'm going to take this home and rub it in (younger brother and BYU commit) T.J.'s face a little bit."

*******

You can hear interviews with Haws, McKillop and Martin in "Cougar Cuts," above left.

*******

Photo: Kyle Chilton, BYU Athletic Media Relations

*******

Related topics