Haws named to Naismith Trophy watch list

ATLANTA – For the second-straight year, BYU senior guard Tyler Haws is among the 50 players named to the Naismith Trophy Men’s 50 Watch List, as announced Wednesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the men’s and women’s college basketball players of the year.

Each year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors chooses the 50 pre-season “Naismith Watch” list as well as the mid-season team of 30 candidates. The Naismith voting academy narrows that group down to four finalists who will make up the final ballot. The voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, base its criteria on player performance throughout the season.

Haws, also named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, has led BYU to a 6-2 record to start the 2014-15 season while averaging 23.8 points per game, first in the WCC and fourth in the nation. On Tuesday he scored a season-high 35 points while leading the Cougars to a 91-81 win at Utah State, BYU’s first victory in Logan since 2000.

The 2014 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American, Haws is fifth all-time in scoring in BYU history. Last season he led the Cougars to a 23-12 record, a trip to the WCC title game and an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament. At 23.2 points per game, he finished first in the WCC and sixth in the nation in scoring.

Jimmer Fredette won the Naismith Trophy in 2011 and is the only BYU player to have won the award.

Visit NaismithTrophy.com to learn more about the Naismith Awards.