BYU NewsNet - Local recruits hope to make an impact next season

Two local high school stars will look to help push the BYU men’s basketball team over the top next season.

Tyler Haws from Lone Peak High School in Alpine and Brandon Davies from Provo High are the Cougars’ top two freshmen joining a team that only lost one senior from the regular rotation. Both freshmen want to make an immediate impact.

“We’re very excited about this year’s fall recruiting class,” BYU coach Dave Rose said in a news release when the recruits signed last November. “We feel they’ll be great players for our program. They will be good teammates and add size, skill and athleticism to our team.”

Haws averaged 23.4 points on 61 percent shooting, while pulling down 8.3 rebounds per game as a senior at Lone Peak. He was named the 2008 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and Utah Mr. Basketball in 2008 and 2009. He’s also been named to multiple First Team All-State teams and was 5A Tournament MVP in helping Lone Peak win state championships in 2007 and 2008.

“He’s a good fit for the style of play [BYU] has,” Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis said. “I know coach Rose will look forward to getting [Haws] out in the open court and getting the ball up to him. You’re getting g a guy who is a winner.”

Haws was recruited heavily by several prominent schools, including UCLA, Stanford and Gonzaga. The 6-foot-2 guard now joins former BYU guard Sam Burgess and current BYU guard Jackson Emery as former Lone Peak stars to head south to Provo.

“When I visited [BYU] I felt very comfortable and I felt I could excel there,” Haws said. “I got really comfortable with the coaching staff and I feel I have a good relationship with Dave Rose. The style they play was really big for me too.”

Davies is another incoming freshman who will bring the Cougars more athleticism and size in the post. He averaged 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game his senior season at Provo High and was named the league defensive player of the year. The 6-foot-9 forward has over a 7-foot reach, according to Provo High School coach Craig Drury.

“He’s got length that he’s really going to help [BYU] with, plus he’s an athlete,” Drury said. “He runs the floor well, he passes well and gives [the Cougars] versatility.”

Several schools also recruited Davies, including Gonzaga, Utah, Utah State and Cal. In addition to his connection to Rose and the BYU players, location played a major factor in his decision to play for the Cougars.

“It’s just right down the street from my house,” Davies said. “Everyone that’s been supportive is right here, all of my family. It’s nice to stay home.”

Davies is the latest of a long list of former Provo High basketball stars who have made an impact with the Cougars, most notably Mark Durrant, Mekeli Wesley and Chris Collinsworth, who will return to BYU for the 2010-11 season when he completes his LDS mission in Sydney, Australia.

“I have not had anybody work harder than Brandon for the level of a player he’s at,” Drury said. “He’ll spend the time and work on the skills he needs to do in order to play the level of basketball he needs to play.”

Both players said they are ready to make the step from high school to Division I college basketball, but realize they still have room for improvement. Besides refining their basketball skills, they also need to improve physically in order to contribute for the Cougars next season.

“I just need to get stronger and get in a lot better shape in order to play at the next level,” Davies said.

The Cougars will enter next season having lost three players to graduation, and only one — First Team All-MWC forward Lee Cummard — was in the regular rotation. The loss of Cummard, who led the Cougars with 16.8 points and was second on the team with 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, will create a major hole the Cougars will need to fill next season.

The major contributors expected to make up for the loss of Cummard are First Team All-MWC guard Jimmer Fredette and Third Team All-MWC forward Jonathan Tavernari. Fredette averaged 16.2 points and a team-leading 4.1 assists, while Tavernari scored 15.7 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game. Starting guard Jackson Emery and center Chris Miles will also be back.

Key bench players Lamont Morgan Jr., Charles Abouo, Noah Hartsock and James Anderson are all returning for next season. Michael Lloyd, a key contributor on the 2007-08 Cougar squad, along with Matt Pinegar will also be battling for minutes. Despite the competition, the BYU coaches feel Haws and Davies have a great chance to get playing time right away.

“We really feel both of them have an opportunity to play for us right away,” BYU associate head coach Dave Rice said. “They both bring a winning attitude and are extremely competitive. Brandon [Davies] is going to give us depth inside, has the ability to score in the low post and also face the basket and play in the high post. Tyler [Haws] is a terrific scorer and has the ability to put the ball on the floor, and has a middle game to create shots for himself and his teammates.”

With Haws and Davies entering the fold, the Cougars will look to return to the NCAA Tournament and advance out of the first round for the first time since 1993. Both Haws and Davies want to contribute to next year’s team anyway they can.

“I’m just a hard worker,” Haws said. “I want to come in and put the team first and help the team however I can and whatever my role is I’ll live with. I’m ready for the challenge.”