Tyler Haws is back.
How effective his return to BYU's lineup is cannot be known until the freshman takes to the court against Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament regional in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
"I expect to play," Haws said Monday.
Haws returned from Las Vegas on Saturday with a swollen left eye. Bloodshot and puffy. Those who experience this injury in Las Vegas are usually prize fighters, victims of car accidents, or men who made a pass at the wrong guy's girl.
Haws' shiner was none of the above. He simply got hit in the eye by the mitt of TCU's Zvonko Buljan, the same guy who hit him hard enough to bring on a concussion in Provo. This time, Haws fractured his orbital wall on the inside of his eye near his nose and sinus cavity.
When it happened, Haws' vision was a total blackout in that eye for a while.
He nose bled, his contact lens got shoved back against the rear of his eyeball and eyelid muscle. Last Thursday before going to bed, when he went to blow his nose, his sinus filled up with air which leaked into his eye area and that side of his face ballooned like a latex party orb.
"It wasn't swelling as much as air that I blew in to it that made it look so big," Haws said.
It was the swelling, as in totally shutting his eye, that kept him from playing Friday in a loss to UNLV. After 31 starts, he was on the bench, watching his teammates lose. "It was hard, very hard," he said.
On Monday, he practiced. His eye was not as swollen but it was bloodshot and his vision was still a little blurry. The former Mr. Basketball in Utah is a career 49 percent shooter and averages 37 percent from beyond the arc, 91 percent from the free throw line.
I asked assistant coach Dave Rice how big was the loss of Haws in the UNLV game and how key was his return against Florida come Thursday.
"Obviously, any time you lose a starter and a guy, who for us, was a third-team all-conference player, it was a huge loss," said Rice.
"He's been in your system all year long, he adds to the depth, one of our strength. Mike Loyd and Charles Abouo stepped in and did a great job but he was our starter."
So, how did that impact BYU against UNLV?
Rice said when Abouo and Jackson Emery fouled out in the final minutes, it changed BYU's ability to defend the Rebels. "It actually changed our defense when Jackson and Charles got their second fouls in the game. We also missed his consistent mid-range shot that would have given them problems on the other end."
In reality, Haws absence last Friday against the Rebels marked the only time BYU had a wing player foul out of a game all season and obviously the only time two wing players foul out in the same contest.
"But that's part of the game and we should have found a way to win anyway," said Rice.
And Thursday?
"It's huge for us," said Rice. "We've gotten really comfortable with our rotation and substitutions all year with Haws starting and Charles and Michael coming in. It's a combination that's helped us win 29 games this year and get to the NCAA Tournament. It will be really big to have Tyler in this game."
Haws said he felt good at practice. "I'm pretty fortunate to take a blow like that and come out as well as it did. I'm pretty blessed."
In a few months, Haws will be on an LDS mission to the Philippines. He knows the clock is ticking down on this season. "I'm very excited, I know it's the last games and we want to finish strong and I want to help the team win."
Emery said Haws practiced hard with little problems.
"I think he surprised all of us. His eye isn't completely open but his shots were dropping for some reason," said Emery.
"He was doing fine," said Jimmer Fredette. "He was a little limited where he can see, his eye is blood shot and looks a little weird but he'll be ready to go."
Having just lost without Haws, BYU will take a weird-looking eye on Haws any day.
Especially on Thursday in Oklahoma City.
e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com