Haws' path to become BYU's all-time scoring leader

PORTLAND, Oregon – With 14:39 left in the first half at Portland on Feb. 26, 2015, Tyler Haws scored on a layup, a shot he has made hundreds of times during his BYU career. What made that particular shot so special? It gave him his 2,600th and 2,601st career points to make him the all-time scoring leader at BYU.

See Haws' record-making basket

On March 11, 2011, Jimmer Fredette (2,599 career points) broke the BYU career scoring record that had been held by Danny Ainge for 31 years. Considering the great scorers that had played during the three decades between Ainge and Fredette, it was reasonable to believe the record would stand for at least a few decades. Haws had other plans.

After a promising freshman season during which he averaged 11.3 points per game playing alongside five other players who scored 1,000-plus career points, Haws left to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines.

In his first season coming off his mission, Haws exceeded everyone’s already high expectations. He averaged 21.7 points and to finish the 2012-13 season ranked seventh in the NCAA in scoring, becoming the only sophomore in program history to finish a season among the nation’s top 10.

Following such an incredible post-mission season, combined with a solid freshman campaign, the notion of Haws catching Fredette became a reality.

Since that sophomore season, Haws averaged 23.2 points as a junior to rank sixth in the country and earn West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors. This season, Haws has continued to light up scoreboards in his pursuit of BYU’s all-time scoring record, averaging 22.4 points to rank third in the country in scoring, 0.4 points per game behind the nation’s leader (as of Feb. 26, 2015).

See below the milestones Haws has achieved during his chase for BYU’s career scoring mark.

Haws on the Record

First Points

The season opener of the 2009-10 season was against Bradley on Nov. 13, 2009, in the Marriott Center. Haws began the game on the bench, one of only two games during his BYU career he did not start. At the 14:05 mark in the first half, he checked into the game for Charles Abouo. With 10:40 to go, Haws secured an offensive rebound and on the putback attempt, was fouled. He made the first free throw for his first career points and ironically, missed the second attempt.

Breaking the Haws Family Single-Game Record

On Nov. 24, 1989, BYU opened the season with an 83-62 home win over Siena. Marty Haws, Tyler’s father, led the way for the Cougars that night as he scored a career high and then-Haws family record 40 points. Twenty-three years later on Dec. 29, 2012, the younger Haws opened a game against Virginia Tech in EnergySolutions Arena with back-to-back threes. He finished the first half with 29 points, hitting 6 of 8 from downtown. Tyler tied his dad’s career high on a jumper with 3:37 to go in the game and added a pair of free throws 25 seconds later to break the Haws family record.

1,000 Career Points

Haws reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 22, 2013, at Saint Mary’s. He hit a baseline jumper for points 1,000 and 1,001 with 15:30 to go in the second half to became only the second Cougar – the other being Danny Ainge – to reach 1,000 career points as a sophomore.

Passing Dad

Haws entered the North Texas game in Provo on Dec. 3, 2013, with 1,319 career points, needing 19 to pass his father Marty. With 10:24 to go, Tyler scored on a fast-break layup to pass Marty. He finished with 23 points.

1,500 Career Points

Haws entered the Pepperdine game on Jan. 9, 2014, with 1,480 points. Needing 20 for 1,500 career points, Haws scored 35. He reached the 1,500 mark on free throws with 7:30 to go in the second half. The free throws also gave him 20 for the 39th time in his career to pass Kresimir Cosic for fifth most career 20-point games in BYU history.

Passing Russell Larson and into the Top 5

On March 10, 2014, against San Francisco in the WCC tournament in Las Vegas, Haws entered BYU’s top 5 all-time scorers by passing Russell Larson (1,885 career points). Haws made first of two free throws with 7:24 to go in the first half to pass Larson for fifth all-time at BYU. A pair of free throws with 15.8 seconds left in overtime gave him points 1,900 and 1,901. Haws finished the game – his 100th career start – with 24 points.

2,000 Career Points

Haws entered the Maui Invitational game against San Diego State on Nov. 25, 2014, with 1,996 career points. He hit a three with 9:13 to go in the first half and another with 7:29 left to eclipse the 2,000-point mark.

Passing Devin Durrant for Fourth

Haws entered BYU’s game at Santa Clara on New Year’s Day 2015 with 2,275 points, 10 behind Devin Durrant (2,285 career points). He tied Durrant on a free throw with 9:36 to go and passed him on a jumper with 4:14 to go. He finished the day with 14 points.

Passing Michael Smith for Third

On Jan. 8, 2015, BYU hosted Pepperdine in the Marriott Center with Haws needing nine points to pass Michael Smith (2,319 career points) for third all-time in scoring. He tied Smith with a three at the 12:34 mark in the first half and passed him less than four minutes later on a layup with 8:46 to go before the half.

Passing Danny Ainge for Second

Haws went into the Santa Clara game at home on Jan. 31, 2015, needing two points to tie and three to pass Danny Ainge for second all-time in scoring. On BYU’s third possession less than a minute into the game, he hit a jumper just off the left elbow to tie Ainge. Two possessions later and with 17:42 on the clock, he passed Ainge on a spinning jumper on the left baseline. Haws finished the game with 21 points.

Passing Jimmer Fredette

Haws passed Fredette with 14:39 on the clock in the first half on a layup off an assist from Ryan Andrus. He entered the game with 2,593 career points, seven from passing Jimmer Fredette (2,599 career points). After Corbin Kaufusi opened the scoring for BYU, Haws scored six-straight for the Cougars to tie Fredette on the all-time scoring list.

Haws in the BYU Career Record Book

• At the end of his junior year, Haws had 1,944 career points, a BYU record through three seasons
• Haws reached 1,000 career points as a sophomore, joining Danny Ainge as the only other Cougar to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore
• BYU’s career record holder for: points scored, free throws made, free throw percentage, consecutive free throws made, games started, 20-point games, games shooting 100 percent from the free throw line with at least 10 attempts
• Tied for first with Danny Ainge for career double-figure scoring games
• Top 15 in the BYU career record book in: free throw attempts (2nd), minutes played (2nd), field goals made (3rd), field goal attempts (3rd), consecutive games in double figures (3rd), points per game (4th), 30-point games (4th), games played (T-4th), 3-point field goals (7th), steals (12th), offensive rebounds (16th)

Haws in the BYU Season Record Book

• Points Per Game (6th in 2013-14, 8th in 2014-15, 12th in 2012-13)
• Points Scored (4th in 2012-13, 5th in 2013-14, 9th in 2014-15)
• Field Goals Made (5th in 2012-13, 8th in 2013-14)
• Free Throws Made (4th in 2013-14, 7th in 2012-13, 7th in 2014-15)
• Free Throw Percentage (2nd in 2009-10, 7th in 2014-15, 9th in 2013-14, 11th in 2012-13)
• Minutes Played (2nd in 2012-13, 10th in 2013-14)
• Double-Figure Scoring Games (3rd in 2012-13, T-4th in 2013-14)
• 20-Point Games (4th in 2012-13, T-6th in 2014-15, 8th in 2013-14)

Haws in the NCAA Record Book

• 29th in career points
• 24th in free throw percentage (has made and attempted more free throws than any player ranked in the top 25 in career free throw percentage)