A Man On A Mission: TJ Haws

Sharp shooter TJ Haws won his third state championship at Lone Peak High School in Utah this past year and is on a mission to win a fourth one as a senior. This past season, Haws played an integral part on the most dominant hoops team in Utah history. Lone Peak went 30-1 and finished the year ranked fourth in the country by Hoopniks.com. They went 16-0 in the state of Utah and won their games by an average of 29 points per game, including a 72-39 state championship win. The Knights also traveled the country winning over fans in Chicago, Florida, and Massachusetts with their up tempo style of play and three point shooting acumen. In a starting line-up that included BYU bound point guard Nick Emery and big man Eric Mika, Haws was the lone underclassman to start for the team. With the graduation of four starters Haws will have a difficult time winning a fourth straight championship, but he is already embracing the challenge. 

While his former teammates graduate, Haws is currently spending his off-season on the AAU and camp circuit working on his game. Last year he was primarily seen running the wing while draining three’s from all areas of the court or finishing at the basket after an athletic move. During the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, he was seen running the point. Standing at 6’3”, Haws usually towered over his opponent as he went up against the 5’8” Tyler Ulis and 5’10” Chris Chiozza in camp games. The shorter and quicker guards tried to bother Haws with full-court pressure but he used his dribbling skills and quickness to break the press and set up the team’s offense. With the departure of Emery, the majority of the ball-handling duties at Lone Peak will eventually fall to Haws.

 “I thought I did pretty well at the point. It was a good experience going against those athletic point guards and will only help me for my future,” Haws said. “My dad played point at BYU and that’s the position I’ll be trying to play when I get there after my mission.”

Known as one of the top shooters in high school hoops, Haws was normally deadly from well behind the college three point line as he hit four three’s in Chicago against Proviso East and averaged just over three made three’s a game in the City of Palms tournament. During the camp, Haws did not get as many shot attempts as normal while manning the point, but he still found times to show off his stroke and quick release. 

“I kind of like playing the point better because I can push the ball and find open looks in transition” Haws noted.

During five games, Haws only averaged 5.2 points per game but kept his teammates such as Myles Turner and Ben Bentil happy with his passing. The opposing guards thought they could take advantage of Haws with their quickness but he was able to stay in front of his man defensively while also getting by their pressure on the offensive end. He produced a modest stat line during the camp, but ran the point against some of the top players in the country and did so with a limited amount of turnovers all while looking like a natural point guard.

In the upcoming July time frame, Haws will suit up for the Las Vegas Prospects and compete in tournaments in Long Beach, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas before returning back to Utah. 

When asked about a four-peat, Haws said “We have a pretty good chance. We won’t be able to compete on a national scale like we did last year, but we should be alright in Utah. We have some players ready to step up along with a transfer from Lehi (upcoming sophomore guard Frank Jackson who scored 30 on Lone Peak this past year).”

In the upcoming season, Haws knows that he will need to shoulder the scoring burden along with a fair amount of ball-handling duties. We already know that the scoring burden won’t be a problem for the prolific scorer, and after his play at the NBPA Top 100 camp playing point guard won’t be much of a problem either. Already a top 50 player in the country, Haws is putting in the work during the off-season to improve his game in and close out his run at Lone Peak with a fourth state title.   

Hoophall Classic: All About Lone Peak

Lone Peak High began their national tour with an 81-46 drubbing of Proviso East (2011-12 state runner-ups in Illinois) back in December and concluded their tour with a 81-46 beatdown of the two time Division II state California champions in Archbishop Mitty.

In front of a packed house in Springfield, MA for the 2013 Hoophall Classic, the two-time defending state champions of Utah brought their A game and wowed the crowd with their pinpoint shooting and ball movement in a route to a win over top 5 senior Aaron Gordon and Co. For anyone who has seen Lone Peak play this year, it is well-known that they are led by their three headed BYU trio of guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws and big-man Eric Mika. While these three players all played up to their lofty expectations this MLK day, it was unsung starter Connor Toolson who stole the show and went 6-6 from three on his way to a team high 22 points. 

Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead as they are prone to do with their deadly three point shooting. Senior guard Nick Emery launched a deep three on the first possession and the route was on. Lone Peak jumped out to a 15-4 lead which quickly turned into a 44-20 halftime lead.

The second half was more of the same as Lone Peak showed off their athleticism and teamwork. Aaron Gordon was able to get his for Archbishop Mitty and finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds but his teammates were rendered helpless. Emery finished with 20 points for Lone Peak while Haws had 18 points and six rebounds. While Toolson stole the show today, he has been a steady first year starter all year and averaged almost 10 points per game while in three games against nationally ranked opponents in the City of Palms Classic. 

As noted above, Lone Peak has taken on all comers throughout the United States in several elite tournaments: 

Chicago Elite Classic – 12/1

Defeated Proviso East (Illinois) 81-46. Proviso East went 33-1 last year with their only loss coming in the state championship to Simeon 50-48.

Great Western Shootout – 12/7

Defeated Denver East (Colorado) 73-54. Denver East is currently ranked #1 in the 5A class of Colorado.

City of Palms Classic – 12/19 – 12/22

Defeated Callaway (Mississippi) 60-42. In the opening round of the City of Palms, Lone Peak defeated Malik Newmann who is one of the top sophomores in the country.

Defeated Chester (Pennsylvania) 73-50. Snapped Chester’s 61 game win streak with a dominant 2^nd half performance.

Defeated #16 Southwind (Tennessee) 67-52. Despite the athleticism of Jonathon Williams and Jujuan Johnson, Lone Peak used another dominant 2^nd half to advance to the championship.

Lost to #1 Montverde (Florida) 45-66. Lone Peak finally ran into a team with too many match-up problems. Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell kept the pressure on Emery and Haws all game, while Dakari Johnson battled with Mika down low. The Knights were within striking range for most of the 2^nd half before Montverde pulled away. While Mika and Johnson battled down low, the Knights did not have the size or strength to match-up with Devin Williams down low. 

Brandon Jennings Invitational – 1/12

Defeated Wesleyan Christian (North Carolina) 63-59. Despite not playing up to their normal high standards, Lone Peak came from behind to defeat Theo Pinson and his teammates in Milwaukee. 

Hoophall Classic – 1/21

Defeated Archbishop Mitty (California) 81-46

After this last performance, Lone Peak will now head back to Utah to defend their back to back state championships. Throughout the year, Lone Peak has been beating their Utah opponents by almost 30 points a game. Their closest game came in the first game of the year which was also happened to be a state title game re-match. In this game, Lone Peak only beat Brighton by 20 points after having beaten them by 30 points last year. Needless to say, Lone Peak should win their 3^rd state championship in dominating fashion. 

Other Notes:

·         Emery, Haws, and Mika have all signed with BYU while Talon Shumway will head to BYU on a football scholarship.

·         Lone Peak competed together on the Under Armour AAU circuit as the Utah Reign and they were competitive in all of the main tournaments they played in.

City of Palms - Day 4

Dick Vitale was not in attendance on Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament, but that didn’t stop a capacity crowd coming out for the night’s semi-final match-ups. With a birth to the 40^th annual City of Palms championship on the line the top teams in the nation battled for the coveted final game on Saturday.

Game of the Day:

(67) Lone Peak vs. (52) Southwind

On Thursday night, Lone Peak jumped out to an early lead against Chester and never looked back while snapping their 61 game win streak. On Friday night, Lone Peak needed until the 3^rd quarter to pull away. The athleticism of Southwind created some problems early on for Lone Peak as the game started out with Southwind’s center, 6’10” Jonathon Williams III hitting a 3-point attempt over Eric Mika. Williams followed up his first offensive possession with a blocked shot on the first defensive possession setting the stage for the first half. Senior guard, Jujuan Johnson came off the bench and quickly scored 7 points in a matter of minutes. With Lone Peak miss-firing on deep three pointers, Southwind had a 19-14 lead after the 1^st quarter. Future BYU guards Nick Emery and TJ Haws brought Lone Peak back in the 2^nd quarter with their shooting and Lone Peak trailed 31-30 at the half. TJ Haws and Lone Peak came out blazing in the 3^rd quarter. Haws went for 13 points in the quarter and turned a 1 point deficit into an 11 point lead. Haws was getting to the basket for mid-range jumpers and lay-ups while also connecting on a three pointer plus the foul. After this scoring explosion, Lone Peak held on in the 4^th quarter despite Southwind’s pressure and won 67-52. TJ Haws led the way for Lone Peak with 24 points (four 3’s) and Nick Emery added in 16 points. Big man Eric Mika added in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as well. Southwind cooled off in the second half, but Jonathon Williams III still had a fine performance and finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. 

Performance of the Day:

Malik Newman – 21 points

In one of the early afternoon games, sophomore guard Malik Newman led his team to a 59-43 victory over Tift County 59-43. This game was tied at 21 a piece at halftime before Newman took over. Despite facing a box and one defense all game Newman started the half off with a quick 3-pointer. Newman then added another corner three before going to work off the dribble. Tift tried to make it hard for Newman to catch the ball, but when he did they were in trouble. Routinely catching the ball at half-court, Newman drove to the left and right at will and went 4-4 in the lane on contested finishes. Newman shot 6-8 in the 2^nd half for 14 points and helped turn a tie game into a 16 point victory. Along with his offensive foray, his mere presence on the court led to easier shots for his teammates such as TreShawn Bolden. Newman also added in 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Despite having a future Kansas commit on Tift in Brannen Greene, Malik Newman was far and away the best player on the court.

Other Notes:

Whitney Young (#17) won a close game with Omaha Central (#15) 60-57 behind Jahlil Okafor’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. Okafor dominated down low and shot 6-8 in the first half and 5-6 in the 2^nd half despite constant double teams. Okafor showed off a great set of hands and even hit a deep jumper to lead the Dolphins. Omaha was led by a well-balanced attack and had 4 players in double figures. A Louisville assistant coach was in the stands to watch a future Cardinal in Akoy Agau. Agau had 14 points and 8 rebounds while going 3-3 from behind the arc in the first quarter.

Junior Whitney Young guard Miles Reynolds had another solid effort in the tournament with 15 points on 5-6 shooting. Despite not getting the publicity of the other top three juniors on his team, Reynolds is rapidly gaining recognition. Reynolds went 3-3 from behind the line including the biggest shot of the game as he gave the Dolphins a two point lead with under 2 minutes to go. LSU offered Reynolds a scholarship after watching his game on Thursday night. More offers will be coming shortly.

Montverde Academy (#4) easily defeated Long Beach Poly (#9) in the 2^nd semi-final 76-51. Montverde was just too big for the Jackrabbits of Westchester and jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Big men Dakari Johnson and Devin Williams led with 17 a piece. Senior forward Roschon Prince led the way for Poly with 22 points but it wasn’t enough.

After having their 61 game win streak snapped on Thursday, Chester (#3) took their aggression out on Lake Wales with a 78-64 victory which was not as close as the score suggests. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds and attached the rim with several highlight reel dunks in the first half. Jefferson went 11-13 from the field. Despite the loss, Douglas Brooks scored a tournament high 32 points with 8 three pointers.

Sophomore forward Marcus Derrickson of Paul VI scored 17 points in an easy win over Lake Highland Prep. Derrickson mixed in several outside jump shots with his brute strength down low to dominate.

One day after Nick Emery won the 3-point shootout for Lone Peak, Erik Mika won the slam dunk contest.

Championship Preview:

In what could be the most anticipated game of the high school season, Lone Peak faces off against Montverde in the City of Palms championship. Montverde has the size and all of the five star recruits, but nobody shoots the ball or moves the ball around like Lone Peak. Here are several keys to the game:

Size – Future Mountaineer, Devin Williams is the X-Factor. While Dakari Johnson and Eric Mika will square off, Lone Peak does not have anyone to guard Williams in the post. He made Long Beach Poly pay; can he do it again tonight?

Pressure – Lone Peak has feasted on the full court pressure shown to them by Chester and Southwind. Montverde does not press full-court but will instead apply half-court pressure led by guards Kasey Hill and DeAngelo Russell. Lone Peak has been used to getting numerous open looks after breaking the pressure. How will they fare in a half-court game?

Shooting – Lone Peak relies on outside shooting, which certainly isn’t a secret. Will Russell and Hill be able to slow down the future BYU back court of TJ Haws and Nick Emery? Conner Toolson and Talon Shumway are more than capable of hitting from the outside as well, but they will have to be ready to play to keep in Lone Peak in the game.

City of Palms - Day 3

Day 3 of the City of Palms brought out a variety of college coaches along with ESPN’s Dick Vitale. The star studded event did not disappoint with the game of the day wrapping up close to 1am between Montverde and Whitney Young. This game was the most competitive game of the day as several of the other hyped match-ups turned into early blowouts. Despite a lack of close games, there were a few strong individual performances, notably the 31 point exhibition that Andrew Wiggins, the number 1 player in America put on. In addition, a 61 game winning streak was snapped.

Game of the Day:

Montverde (FL - #4) vs. Whitney Young (IL - #17)

Okafor vs. Dakari - Rd. 2

The most anticipated game of the day, not to mention the most anticipated individual big man match-up of Jahlil Okafor (#2 – 2014) vs. Dakari Johnson (#12 – 2013) tipped off at 11pm in Fort Meyer, FL. Despite the late start and the travel that Whitney Young had incurred (plane flight to Tampa, drive from Tampa to Fort Meyer), the Dolphins got off to a strong start with a 17-11 1^st quarter lead. Montverde made a strong second quarter run to take a 29-26 halftime lead before a back and forth second half. Okafor started off slow going 1-4 early, but finished the half with 9 points and 5 rebounds on 3-6 shooting. Okafor ran the floor well and attacked Johnson in the post when not facing double teams. Dakari held his own in the first half with 7 points. The 2^nd half was a bit more guard dominated by players such as Whitney Young’s L.J. Peak (#53 – 2014) and Miles Reynolds (2014) along with Montverde’s Kasey Hill (#9 – 2013) and DeAngelo Russell (#13 – 2014). Peak and Reynolds hit several timely three pointers towards the end of the 4^th quarter to keep the game in reach and Reynolds hit three free throws to send the game into overtime after being fouled on his game tying three point attempt. With players beginning to foul out in overtime, Montverde’s other big man; Devin Williams (#85 – 2013) came up large with several clutch free throw attempts and buckets. Junior guard LJ Peak missed a last second 25 foot three in overtime to try and tie the game again. Williams and Russell led Montverde with 17 a piece and Reynolds led Whitney Young with 18. Okafor finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Johnson finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Okafor may have won the individual battle, but Johnson goes to 2-0 against Whitney Young at the City of Palms (both matched-up in 2010).

Mismatch of the Day:

Lone Peak (UT - #7) vs. Chester (PA - #3)

In the early quarterfinal match, Chester carried a 61 game win streak into their match-up with everyone’s new favorite team, Lone Peak. Chester took a 2-0 lead to start the game before Lone Peak completely dismantled them. Junior TJ Haws (#66 – 2014 Scout) began the game with two threes along with a buzzer beater three to end the first quarter up 17-8. Haws continued to stay hot in the 2^nd quarter while big man Eric Mika (#76 – 2013) joined the action down low and dominated the boards. Chester was still within striking distance at the half only down 33-22; however senior guard Nick Emery (#61 – 2013) put the game out of reach leading a 9-2 run for Lone Peak. Emery continued to knock down shots and went for 16 2^nd half points as Lone Peak led 59-36 after the 3^rd quarter and 73-50 at the end. Both Haws and Emery scored 23 points for Lone Peak while Chester was led by Arizona commit, Rondae Jefferson (#17 – 2013). Jefferson’s strong performance was not enough to keep his teams win streak going. Chester pressed the entire game and apparently did not get the memo from Proviso East (IL) that it is futile to press this Utah squad. Next up for Lone Peak is the number 12^th ranked team in the country, Southwind (TN).

Player of the Day:

Andrew Wiggins (#1 – 2013)

Wiggins started the day off taking pictures with Dickie V during lay-up lines and finished the day with 31 points on 15-22 shooting. Wiggins came out of the gate a bit slow going 2-5 in the first quarter for 4 points, but picked it up in the 2^nd quarter where he went 4-5 for 9 points. He showed off his ridiculous hops with a two handed alley oop and his head at the rim to get the crowd off its feet and added in a three for good measure. Wiggins also guarded 6’7” Justin Jackson (#16 – 2014) and made his life miserable in the first quarter. In the second half, Wiggins showed why he is the future number 1 pick in the 2014 draft by going 9-10. All 10 of his shots came within a few feet of the basket either on powerful two-hand dunks or strong forays to the basket. Wiggins dominated the game on both sides of the ball and helped his team to a 77-50 victory.

Wiggins Domination 

Other Notes: 

·         Paul VI (#16) suffered an upset loss in Day 2 of the tournament and needed a last second free throw to defeat an injury riddled Prestonwood squad. Despite having a double digit deficit primarily the entire game, PG Marquan Botley led the Lions back and scored 5 points in the last minute before Paul VI won on a free throw.

·         Jonathon Williams III (#37 – 2013) and Jujuan Johnson (#64 – 2013) combined for 48 points in a blowout win against Lake Wales, FL.      
  Jujuan Johnson

·         Kiski defeated Brewster Academy and Tilton in the New England Prep School Showcase, but met their match in Arlington County Day (FL). Breakout star Rashad Richardson, who had 30 against Brewster went 2-15 for 5 points.     

·         Malik Newmann (#3 – 2015) was in foul trouble for most of the game but still scored 12 points to lead his Callaway team to a 47-44 win.

·         Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament features a Lone Peak vs. Southwind semi-final followed by a Montverde vs. Long Beach Poly semi-final.