PROVO-   When Tyler Haws was in eighth grade, he watched and learned everything he could about Lone Peak basketball. He sat on the bench with the coaches and players, keeping track of statistics during games, and he even rode on the team bus on road trips.

The Knights' star player at that time was senior Jackson Emery, who led Lone Peak to a state championship in 2005 and earned Deseret News Mr. Basketball recognition before moving on to BYU.

The following year, Haws began his four-year Lone Peak career, which included two state titles and a pair of Deseret News Mr. Basketball honors of his own.

Now Haws, a true freshman, and Emery, a junior, are starting guards on a BYU squad that is ranked No. 14 in the country and riding a 13-game winning streak. The 18-1 Cougars host Wyoming tonight (6 p.m., The mtn.).

"I watched him a lot when I was in eighth grade," Haws said of Emery. "I always admired how hard he played and how he competed. Those are things I've tried to emulate in my game. Playing with him is really cool. I'm still learning from him. It's cool to have the Alpine area represented here."

No doubt, BYU has benefited from the Lone Peak pipeline. Haws and Emery are proud of their high school roots and say their time spent under coach Quincy Lewis helped prepare them for the rigors of Division I basketball.

"Quincy is incredible. He develops you as a player," said Emery. "More than anything, he makes you understand that you can play at a high, competitive level. I think that's why he's had so much success. Coming to this next level is really different. I was prepared when I came here. Some people call Lone Peak a prep school of BYU. I don't look at it that way, but there has been some great players come out of there."

Emery has been impressed with the way Haws, who is averaging 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, has performed in his first season.

"I knew Tyler was really talented," he said. "The big thing with him is, he's got a great work ethic and he plays really hard. He learns every day. From our first game until now, he's made an even bigger step."

With its proximity to Provo and the fact it has been one of the state's most successful basketball programs over the past five years, Lone Peak has been fertile recruiting ground for BYU.

"We came from a really good program and a great coach that taught us the right stuff," said Haws. "Winning was a big thing for us in high school. Quincy expects a lot out of his players. He taught us to get better every time you get on the floor and not to take anyone lightly. From our high school experience, it's helped us at the college level, for sure."

In the recruiting process, BYU's coaches look for players from strong programs, like Lone Peak, that have proven they can win championships. Another Cougar true freshman, Brandon Davies, led Provo High to back-to-back 4A state crowns as a sophomore and junior.

"When (BYU's) coaches recruit you, they want players who know how to win, that find how to win," said Emery, who averages 12.9 points per game and leads the league in steals. "That's a big thing for players coming out of that program. They're used to winning. They've developed that mentality and habit of winning. Coming here, the coaches don't expect anything less than that. All the players here have come from winning programs."

BYU coach Dave Rose, who coached Quincy Lewis at Dixie State College, believes winning in high school translates to winning in college.

"All coaches fall in love with talented players, guys who can do things that you think can help your team and your system," he said. "But I really like players who come from teams that win region championships and state championships. There's a big part of this game where you can be really talented, but you have to give things up in order for your team to be really good. I think kids from those types of programs have already learned some of those lessons. It makes it a little bit easier here.

"Then you get them here with a bunch of guys who have won state championships and it helps with your chemistry. Guys know the feeling at the end, so they pay the price through the middle of the year and the feeling at the end of winning a championship is so good that you're willing to do that. You've experienced it before."
BYU's Tyler Haws and Equs Darby battle for a loose ball.