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Is Tyler Haws The Best To Ever Play At BYU?

By Wally Hughes

Dec 13, 2014; Ogden, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Tyler Haws (3) shoots a foul shot during the second half against the Weber State Wildcats at Dee Events Center. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; Ogden, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Tyler Haws (3) shoots a foul shot during the second half against the Weber State Wildcats at Dee Events Center. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /
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BYU senior guard Tyler Haws is one of the nation’s most prolific scorers, averaging 23.8 points per game. If he continues scoring at the same pace, he will surpass Jimmer Fredette‘s all-time scoring mark at BYU. If Haws breaks Fredette’s record, should he be considered the best to ever suit up for the Cougars?

It was unclear what impact Tyler Haws would have in BYU’s game against Stanford Saturday night. Only a week before, he was carried off the court by teammates with a severely sprained left ankle during the Cougars’ victory against Weber State. Haws didn’t practice all week, and wasn’t expected to play.

But none of that mattered, as Haws not only played, but lead his team to a 79-77 victory with a 24-point performance. Even though he wasn’t expected to play, he logged 33 minutes in the contest.

Dec 13, 2014; Ogden, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars leading scorer Tyler Haws (3) is helped off of the court during the second half by Brigham Young Cougars guard Anson Winder (20) and Assistant Athletic Trainer Rob Ramos. Haws twisted his ankle and would not return to the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Dee Events Center. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2014; Ogden, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars leading scorer Tyler Haws (3) is helped off of the court during the second half by Brigham Young Cougars guard Anson Winder (20) and Assistant Athletic Trainer Rob Ramos. Haws twisted his ankle and would not return to the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Dee Events Center. Brigham Young Cougars won the game 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports /

With the 24 points, Haws raised his scoring average to 23.8 points per game (ranking second nationally behind Georgia Southern’s Jelani Hewitt), and now has 2,230 career points for the Cougars — 369 points shy of Jimmer Fredette’s school record of 2,599 points. If Haws averages at least 20.0 ppg for the remainder of the season, he would surpass Fredette’s scoring mark in the Cougars’ season finale at Gonzaga.

Since Haws hasn’t averaged less than 21.0 PPG since his freshman year, it’s a question of when rather than if he breaks the record and becomes BYU’s all-time scorer. Even if he is unable to reach 2,600 points during the regular season, there is no doubt he would do so during the conference tournament barring injury.

If Haws averages at least 20 ppg for the remainder of the season, he would surpass Fredette’s scoring mark in the Cougars’ season finale at Gonzaga.

The real question is whether or not breaking the scoring record would solidify Haws as the best player to ever play for the Cougars, ahead of players like Fredette and Danny Ainge. Although there is no definitive answer to that question, there is plenty to debate, starting with how Haws compares to other Cougar legends.

Because of their similar offensive abilities, the player Haws draws the most comparisons to is Fredette. In addition to being the school’s all-time leading scorer, Fredette also holds the school record for most three-pointers, and won the Wooden Award his senior year. He also holds the school record for most points in a single game (52) — a number Haws nearly reached when he scored 48 against Portland last season.

Although Haws may break Fredette’s scoring record, he still lacks the “it”-factor that caused “Jimmer-Mania” to sweep the country in 2011. That year, Fredette had the best scoring season in recent history, averaging 28.0 ppg. People on the East Coast stayed up late to watch BYU games just to see whether or not Fredette would go off and drop 40 points on another opponent.

Despite this season’s BYU squad leading the nation in scoring, people aren’t as interested in the Cougars as they were during Fredette’s senior year. That’s because this season’s squad isn’t as good as the 2010-11 team, who finished the season with a 32-5 record and Sweet 16 appearance, and was ranked as high as third in the polls. In contrast, this year’s team is off to a 9-3 start, with losses to Purdue, San Diego State, and Utah.

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What that means is although Haws hasn’t yet achieved the same success as Fredette, he will have a big opportunity to do so this season. BYU has talent, and if Haws can lead the Cougars back to the Sweet 16, his legacy as the best player in program history would become a more legitimate argument. However, if the Cougars fail to have any success in this year’s NCAA tournament, it would be hard to place Haws ahead of players who had postseason success like Fredette and Ainge.

In other words, even if Haws breaks the record, that alone will not be enough to solidify him as the program’s best all-time player. What must he do to earn that title? Unfortunately for Haws, it would take him leading the Cougars to a Final Four. Can BYU do it? Yes, but it’s highly unlikely.

The most likely scenario is Haws breaking the school scoring record during one of the final games of the regular season. The Cougars will be unable to make it past Gonzaga and St. Mary’s in the conference tournament, and will likely fall in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament. If BYU’s season plays out like that, Haws would likely be viewed as the third-best player to ever suit up for the Cougars, behind Fredette and Ainge, regardless of where he ranks on the all-time scoring list.

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