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BYU guard Tyler Haws and his 25 hopeful teammates enter their first day of two-a-day practices today in Colorado Springs, as USA Basketball's World University Games Training Camp continues at U.S. Olympic Training Center.
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Camp began with a two-hour practice session on Monday night, with two-a-days now daily through Sunday, including an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday that is open to the public.
Following his first practice session on Monday, Haws called the training camp experience "awesome."
"There's a lot of great players here and a lot of great coaches," said Haws, "so it's an exciting time and a very big opportunity."
Of the 26 collegians on the invitation roster, only Creighton's Doug McDermott scored more points than Haws during the 2012-13 season. As a shooting guard with good size and the ability to score from every spot on the floor (including the free throw line, where he is BYU's career FT% leader), Haws has impressive credentials at a position now down a man with the news that Virginia's Joe Harris had withdrawn from camp with a foot injury. Haws is presuming nothing, and expects a full week of spirited competition for roster spots.
"There's players from all over the place," Haws said Monday, "so games are pretty intense and everyone wants to make the team and so, it's a battle every time you walk on the floor."
Coaches will make their first roster cuts and determine the team's 14-16 finalists on Wednesday or Thursday, with the official 12-member Team USA roster named prior to the team's departure for Kazan, Russia on July 1st.
The U.S. last won gold at the World University Games in 2005; the last two WUG appearances resulted in a bronze medal in 2009 and a fifth-place finish in 2011. Haws hopes to be part of the group that returns Team USA to basketball's collegiate pinnacle in 2013.
"It means a lot," says Haws. "Any chance you have to represent your country, it's a special honor. It's something I'm taking pretty serious, so, I'm excited to keep doing these tryouts and hopefully make the team."
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The day of practices will likely be a solemn one to start, with the news that training camp roster invitee Luke Hancock, who won Most Outstanding Player honors in helping Louisville to the national championship in April, lost his father to cancer on Monday.
Hancock is expected to remain with the team through the week.
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