The shot is something that feels very familiar, the tough part isn’t the shot right now, it’s conditioning. It is hard to get back in shape. – TJ Haws
ALPINE — The ball is launched with well-practiced spin, the arc measured, the distance familiar and with uncanny accuracy it finds the space in the rim and snaps the net.
The shots come from all over. Some are finger rolls, floaters, bank shots, mid-range hoppers, fade-away jumpers, a step-back set shot, a drive and pull-up, a running three from Jimmer range, a series of deep makes from 20, 25 and 30 feet away. The artist tries the shot NBA MVP Stephen Curry is known for, the in-motion, wrong-step, and out-of-sync attempt. It is practiced, honed, a vision of something to be perfected.
This is a glimpse at former Deseret News Mr. Utah Basketball TJ Haws, two months back from France, getting his mojo back. It isn’t artwork that spills out on a canvas. It’s a process born of hundreds if not thousands of hours to detail. It is no paint-by-numbers in a cheap coloring book.
TJ looks like an accountant. But if one guards him, that's the first mistake. He's earned the nickname The Ginger Mamba for a reason.
TJ Haws works at being versatile, unpredictable, multi-faceted, an instinctive blur to the defense, a tactical weapon.
“The shot is something that feels very familiar, the tough part isn’t the shot right now, it’s conditioning," he says. "It is hard to get back in shape.”
TJ's brother, Tyler, fresh off his first season in Spain playing European basketball, also a Mr. Utah Basketball, has a routine, a storied method to his success. While Tyler’s skill set is a little different, the dedication to improve the shot is similar. It is an all-engulfing passion, a drive. Tyler’s work ethic is pretty much unequalled in the view of veteran BYU basketball coach Dave Rose.
This is the shooter’s art. It doesn’t come by luck. It doesn’t come by chance. It comes by time spent, hours invested, attention to every detail that matters, from the fingertips to the toes.
Shooters: A family legacy.
The sons of former BYU guard Marty Haws have made their mark. Other marks have yet to be recorded. Tyler, BYU’s all-time leading scorer; TJ, biting at his brother’s heels — to match, to equal, to surpass, to evolve. It’s the Haws’ family laboratory of basketball Darwinism, survival of the shooting fittest.
When asked what makes a good shooter, TJ answers without hesitation: “Mentality.”
“All of us have off-shooting days, but the ones who can be strong mentally, continue to fight and continue to look for that stroke, are the best shooters.”
If you talk about the Haws boys, it is also about work.
“I think their commitment to the game is very, very similar,” said Rose of TJ and Tyler. “TJ is motivated by work and time on the floor. I don’t think they (two brothers) will be the same and you can’t compare them. Tyler was probably as consistent of a workout guy that I’ve ever seen and we’ll see where TJ falls into that. TJ works as hard as anybody around, we’ll just see how consistent he is in his preparation.”
Rose said he’s watched Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery and Rafael Araujo, who all had an unbelievable work ethic. “When they got in, they were really good, but to be as consistent day-in and day-out as Tyler was, was something else. Elijah (Bryant) had worked hard. In these fan fests we’ve taken players on, he’s made it clear he needs to practice and people show him where a church gym is. I like it.”
Rose said people will always compare TJ to Tyler. “That can get a bit irritating to TJ but he’s dealt with it before and he’s used to it.”
Rose told the story of a casual fan recently walking by while TJ was working out and yelling, “Are you going to be as good as your brother?” to which TJ replied, “We’ll see.”
TJ says he believes everyone should emulate the best shooters, Curry included. “I try and pick apart the best shooters and what’s good in a lot of players and add it to my game.”
TJ practices like a Range Rover. “You have to. You have to imagine game situations, coming off screens, coming off a big guy, left hand, right hand, all kinds of situations and shots.”
Orem High coach Golden Holt has been taking AAU teams around the country with Marty Haws and has been around TJ since age group competition in the second grade. He remembers Marty and TJ bringing around Nick Emery, a behind-the-back dribbler who he calls a “shooter from the womb.”
“The key to all of this is Marty Haws,” said Holt.
“The bar of preparation is very high with Marty," Holt said. "He is a great example of doing everything you can to prepare a shooter to be elite. We’ve all heard about the legendary 5:30 a.m. workouts for his sons.”
Holt asked his Orem players how many hours a day they spent practicing basketball. They gave all kinds of answers. For the Haws boys, it was at least four hours a day.
People criticize that, say it’s out of whack for kids.
“But Marty is as grounded a guy as you’ll find," Holt said. "He says, no, ‘It is never too much because if you aren’t practicing, somewhere out there somebody else is practicing.’ It is the foundation of great things, realization that hard work pays off. At the least you get a great young man out of it.”
Like Tyler and TJ.
“They are different,” said Holt of the Haws brothers.
“I don’t know a boy who’s worked harder than Tyler. TJ is similar in his desire; they are self-made players, fundamentally sound, born of all that hard work. Tyler is who he is. His stats and accomplishments speak for themselves. In my opinion, TJ has the potential to surpass Tyler. As crazy as it sounds, and I don’t want to jinx him, but he has everything from European steps and wrong footed shots to Curry kind of shots. TJ practices not just the A’s and B’s of shooting, but an A to X shot workout routine.
Holt said TJ’s upside is the finesse part of his game. He’s different than his brother in range and finish and he’ll play at BYU with guys he’s grown up with. “That train left the station long ago and it’s not slowing down.”
Marty Haws, who started for Roger Reid at BYU, was a remarkable finisher with sprinter speed. He’s been involved most of his adult life in performance and character building. He’s had his hand in the development of his sons' hoop artistry all the way.
A humble, quiet, yet very confident father, he’s always believed there are no shortcuts to the top. You can’t short-circuit the process, luck into things, or cheat your way to top performances.
In a sit-down interview this past week Marty reported that Tyler returned from Spain a week ago after 10 months and believes he’s improved his game.
“He averaged eight points and about 20 minutes a game in the top league in Spain," Marty said. "He plans to get his agent to discover future opportunities.
“TJ has been home since May,” he continued. “He’s had classes in spring and worked out every day. He loves being busy and part of what he’s been dreaming about for a long time. He’s working out with three or four different people.”
The first time Marty saw TJ shoot after two years in France, he said, “That’s TJ, right there, the shot, the movement, it is there.”
Marty never saw missionary service, from a purely basketball standpoint, as an advantage until now.
“One element that may be an advantage is being so long in the forest, being into all this stuff, it may be advantageous to step back and out of it, watch, see, learn and upon getting back, put it to use, learning in a way you couldn’t before.
“Either that’s an advantage or I’m grasping,” he said with a laugh.
“TJ is cut out of the same mold as Tyler," Marty said. "He wants it. I tell them to set their goals high, make sure you know what they are and everything falls into line. You shouldn’t have to have someone egg you on. I’ve heard Rose say, ‘I don’t want to coach effort,’ and I say that to my boys.
“I’ve never found a better teacher than basketball,” Marty continued. “Basketball lessons help you now and later. One thing we love about the game of basketball is it is a great teacher. You learn in wins and in losses and playing through injuries and being hurt, in off days and game days. It helps in school and church missions and helps in marriage and raising kids and beyond.
“People look at us like we’re crazy, a little lopsided with basketball, but we love it.”
Marty and Tyler plan on sharing the Haws shooting workout road map at the Haws Shooting Camp at Orem High June 13-16 for grades 6 through 12. Marty and Tyler will spearhead drills, instruction and give out a printed plan for parents to stay on a workout roadmap. For more information, go to www.netcamps.com/hawsshooterscamp.
EMAIL: dharmon@deseretnews.com.
TWITTER: Harmonwrites