I think he feels more comfortable every game. He just continues to get more confident. His ability to attack defenses and read them has really improved. His ability to find space on the floor to get his shot off and defensively, he’s really improved. – BYU head coach Dave Rose
BYU (15-6, 6-2) at Santa Clara (11-10, 5-3)
Thursday, 9 p.m. MST
Leavey Center
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In his BYU debut in November, guard TJ Haws scored 20 points, including three 3-pointers, in a victory over Princeton.
Certainly, Haws didn’t play like a freshman who had returned home from an LDS Church mission to France last spring. Only three other players in school history (Mike Rose, Shawn Bradley and Russell Larson) have scored more in their first game.
Of course, not every performance has gone that well, and there have been struggles along the way. But Haws has been developing his game amid the ups and downs of transitioning to the college level.
“It’s definitely a different adjustment, something I’ve never been through,” he said. “But I’ve had people in my life who have been through it, which has helped me out a lot. I feel like, as far as the basketball goes, I’ve played against this kind of competition my whole life. Obviously, the college level is much more physical and a lot more aggressive and there’s of talent out there. But I feel like I’ve been here a lot in my life. It’s been a fun ride and I’m enjoying it.”
That ride continues when the Cougars visit Santa Clara Thursday (9 p.m., MST, ESPNU).
Haws, the son of former BYU star Marty Haws, and the younger brother of the school’s all-time leading scorer, Tyler Haws, has started all 21 games and is averaging 13.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds. With 45 3-pointers, TJ is now third all-time among BYU freshmen for 3-pointers in a single season.
“I think he feels more comfortable every game. He just continues to get more confident,” said coach Dave Rose. “His ability to attack defenses and read them has really improved. His ability to find space on the floor to get his shot off and defensively, he’s really improved.”
In a win over Pacific last Saturday, he scored 10 of BYU’s first 17 points and had a couple of key steals.
“He made two or three really big plays knocking the ball away,” Rose added. “The game is more and more comfortable for him as he plays.”
TJ witnessed the hard work required to return to the court after a two-year mission when Tyler came home from his.
“Before his mission, he was too old and I was too young. We never got to work out hard together,” TJ said. “When he got back, we started to play against each other more. I was there for that whole process. It was good for me to see what it took to come back from a mission. That’s been helpful to see it firsthand and go through it on my own. He’s told me to enjoy the process, work hard every single day and good things will happen.”
Tyler is currently playing professionally in Poland and he and TJ exchange text messages a couple of times a week about their experiences.
Like Tyler, TJ also starred at Lone Peak High before enrolling at BYU. When TJ started receiving attention from college coaches, he didn’t feel pressure to follow his dad and brother to BYU.
“My dad told me, ‘This is your process. I don’t want you to worry about what Tyler’s doing. I want this to be all about you,’” TJ said. “I took my time and I felt comfortable here at BYU.”
TJ has been joined by his former Lone Peak teammates, Eric Mika, Nick Emery and Zach Frampton, as well as his former high school coach, Quincy Lewis. TJ and Emery committed to Rose on the same day in August 2011.
“We thought it could be good for the future of BYU, to build something big,” TJ said.
Reunited at BYU, the Lone Peak products have been learning how to mesh with their new teammates.
“As the season goes on, our team gets closer and closer and that’s a big part for everyone on this team,” TJ said. “We’re feeling more comfortable with each other and we’re playing better with each other.”
Haws married his high school sweetheart, Lauren, in September. Mika and Emery are newlyweds as well.
“We find time and hang out as couples and have game nights and stuff. It’s good because our wives are close,” Haws said. “It’s fun to be able to hang out with each other and have that relationship with all of us. Being married has taken a lot of stress out of my life. My wife is awesome and I love being around her. We get to see each other every day, which is nice. It’s a blast being with her every day. I love her a lot.”
On the court, Haws enjoys playing both point guard and shooting guard. Besides shooting, dishing out assists is something he takes pride in.
“Making a good pass is one of my favorite things to do,” Haws said. “I try to focus on making the right basketball play. Whatever that is, I try to do.”
While Haws poured in a career-high 27 points at San Diego on Jan. 14, he wasn’t happy afterward. “I’d much rather have a win than score 30,” he said. “Some nights it goes like that, but I’d take a ‘W’ over a loss anytime.”
Haws' play has inspired nicknames like “The Ginger Mamba” and the “Ginga Ninja.”
“I think they’re funny and creative,” Haws said of the monikers. “A few people call me those but my teammates just call me ‘TJ.’”
And with each game, TJ is improving.
“Having confidence at the college level is difficult,” he said. “But I feel like I’m getting that, and I'm getting more comfortable every day.”