PROVO — Years from now, BYU guard TJ Haws will tell his first child, to be named Tyson, about the incredible night before he was born.
That’s if Hollywood doesn’t make a movie out of it first.
Hours before his wife, Lauren, was to be induced to go into labor Saturday night, Haws made the second-most important delivery of the night, nailing a game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to give the Cougars an 81-79 win over Saint Mary’s in front of 15,212 fans at the Marriott Center.

“C’mon, man, you can’t make this stuff up. Are you kidding me?,” said BYU big man Yoeli Childs, who added 19 points on 9 of 12 shooting despite battling foul trouble. “You can’t make it up. It is crazy, man. I don’t even know what to say, and I am usually a guy who likes to talk.”
Haws, who had 23 points and five assists, said he was thinking about the birth as the ball fell through the net and the Marriott Center crowd erupted in celebration.
“To be honest, my son went through my mind,” Haws said. “I have been thinking about this whole experience all day and right after I hit that shot, I was like, ‘that’s for you, man.’ Those were kind of my thoughts.”
Said Childs: “It is like a movie, man. He was thinking about his kid? Then hits the shot. Are you kidding me? I am about to tear up, man.”








Haws left the arena for the hospital.
“Oh man, I got a big day tomorrow,” he said. “It has been a full day of emotions, to say the least. But yeah, I am super excited. I am happy we came out with the win, and now I am going to have one of the coolest experiences of my life. I am really excited.”
Haws scored 17 of his 23 in the second half, including a driving layup with 2:10 remaining to pull the Cougars within a point.
The game-winner came just after the Cougars got a defensive stop and called timeout with 17 seconds remaining. Coach Mark Pope said the play was called a “pitch wildcat,” out of action they refer to as “St. Mary’s cover,” of all things.
“When he pulled up for three, I was a little surprised,” Pope said, “but I am sure grateful he did it. Players are way smarter than coaches, no doubt about it.”
Childs said he told teammate Jesse Wade that Haws was going to hit the game-winner, but didn’t tell Haws because he didn’t want to jinx him.
“Unreal,” Childs said. “The fact that this dude is having a kid — that’s the best thing ever. I can’t even imagine the emotions he is feeling, the stress he has on the court, off the court. That’s just the type of dude he is. He is one of the toughest dudes out there.”
Which means he will probably deliver another.
Coincidentally, Haws’ older brother, Tyler, made a free-throw line jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining to give the Cougars the lead over SMC in 2013. But Matthew Dellavedova hit a running 35-footer at the buzzer to spoil those heroics.
TJ Haws hadn’t left on his church mission yet and saw the Dellavedagger, but wasn’t thinking about that Saturday night.
He had more important things on his mind.