Haws named NABC Good Works Team nominee

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – BYU junior guard Tyler Haws has been named a nominee for the National Association of Basketball Coaches Allstate NABC Good Works Team. The award recognizes a select group of college basketball student-athletes who have made significant contributions to the greater good in their communities through volunteerism and civic service.

Haws, a native of Alpine, Utah, served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines from 2010 to 2012 following his freshman year. While there, he taught families and individuals (in fluent Tagalog) principles that would help improve their lives while also providing service to those in need. Haws now speaks to youth groups in the community about making positive choices and doing the right thing. He also has visited children with cancer and disabilities in their homes and schools.

View the list of nominees at NABC.org.

Since his freshman year, Haws has been involved with the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation, a program that the Cougars and BYU coach Dave Rose and his wife Cheryl have supported for more than a decade.

In its second year, the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® honor players at all levels of college basketball who represent the sport’s finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers. The student-athletes nominated for this prestigious award embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back. 

“Allstate is proud to recognize these two outstanding groups of men and women whose commitment to service and volunteerism demonstrate that ‘good works’ extend beyond the basketball court,” said Pam Hollander, senior director of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2014 NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® selection panels. “Each of the nominees serves as a role model and inspiration to future generations seeking ways to give back, and another reason to celebrate the good happening in our communities.” 

While jump shots and rebounds earn recognition on the hardwood, the Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® help tell the stories of good taking place off the court that often go unnoticed.  It is those players who demonstrate the exceptional ability to balance academics with athletics while donating their limited free time to serving others who have been nominated by their respective colleges and universities for this prestigious honor.

The 2014 nominees uphold impressive service resumes detailing unique and inspiring stories of servitude. From volunteering with sick and underprivileged children to lobbying state legislature for new laws that could help save lives, this exceptional group of young men and women demonstrate the positive impact student-athletes can have on and off the court. 

From the 118 NABC nominees and 84 WBCA nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, special voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA® Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA® Divisions II, III and the NAIA.  Former Duke University student-athlete, two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill will headline the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® voting panel, while WNBA basketball star Tamika Catchings, who played at the University of Tennessee, will serve on the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® panel.  The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February. 

“The WBCA is honored to partner with Allstate in selecting the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® for the second year,” said Beth Bass chief executive officer of the WBCA. “Each of the 84 young women who have been nominated by their respective head coaches for this prestigious honor have set examples that we all should follow. The selection committee will have a difficult time in selecting the 10-member team from this outstanding group of nominees.”

Members of the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® will be invited by Allstate, an official corporate partner of the NCAA®, to the 2014 NABC Convention and 2014 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® in Dallas, where they will participate in a community project in the city. Members of the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® will be recognized during the 2014 WBCA Convention and at the 2014 NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in Nashville, and will also participate in a local community project.  Allstate is an official corporate partner of the NABC, WBCA and NCAA.

“The partnership of the NABC and Allstate provides an outstanding opportunity to recognize 118 men’s college basketball players who have been nominated for the 2014 Allstate NABC Good Works Team®,” said NABC Executive Director Jim Haney. “The contributions they have made locally, nationally and globally are uplifting and demonstrate their great compassion, spirit and determination.” 

In addition to Hollander, Hill and Catchings, the 2014 Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams® selection panel members include: former college basketball players Greg Anthony (UNLV), Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State) and Alana Beard (Duke); former head coaches Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston), Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech), Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech) and Nell Fortner (Auburn); current college basketball coach Coquese Washington (Penn State); and media members Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated/CBS), Dana O’Neil (ESPN), Carolyn Peck (ESPN) and LaChina Robinson (ESPN/FOX).

Since 2008, Allstate has partnered with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as sponsor of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which shines a spotlight on the positive, off-the-field impact college football student-athletes have on their communities. Through an arrangement with the AFCA, NABC and WBCA, Allstate is able to expand the Good Works Team® to also recognize college basketball student-athletes at all levels who donate their time and effort to make a difference off the court. 

More information about the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® and the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® is available at www.nabc.org and www.wbca.org.