This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • A couple of days after the top senior high school basketball player in Utah chose the University of Utah over BYU, the Cougars landed two of the best young players the state has to offer.
A pair of Lone Peak High teammates, junior Nick Emery and sophomore T.J. Haws, committed to BYU and coach Dave Rose on Monday night.
Emery and Haws, both guards, made the decision together Sunday evening and then met Rose in his office at the Marriott Center to make their pledges official, Emery said.
"We just both decided it was the right thing to do, the right fit for us," Emery told The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday evening. "We love the way BYU runs its program. The offense they run fits us. Everything they do fits us."
Emery is the brother of former BYU standout Jackson Emery, and was the 2011 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year in boys' basketball after helping the Knights to the Class 5A state championship. He averaged 21.7 points, 3.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game last season.
Emery also had offers from Oklahoma State, Utah, Utah State and Arizona State and was drawing interest from the likes of Kansas, UCLA and Arizona. The 6-foot-1 junior carries a 3.84 grade point average and is widely believed to be the top prospect in Utah from the class of 2013.
He said he committed early "to get the pressure off me a little bit. Now I don't have to worry about anything but playing well for [Lone Peak]."
Haws is the brother of Tyler Haws, a BYU sophomore who is on an LDS Church mission in the Philippines. He averaged 13.8 points a game as a ninth-grader last season, and also had an offer from Utah.
Emery said Rose was "way surprised" when the teammates committed, thinking that the prospects were visiting because they had a few recruiting questions.
"He was silent for a second. Then he said, 'Are you serious?' Then he was really, really excited," Emery said.
Lone Peak went 24-1 last season with Emery and Haws leading the way as the team's two leading scorers.
It was more good news for Rose, who learned last week that junior center Brandon Davies has been readmitted into BYU and will be eligible to play for the Cougars this season.
On Friday, the Cougars lost out on a coveted recruit when West Jordan senior Jordan Loveridge announced he will sign with Utah in November, picking the Utes over BYU, Colorado, Santa Clara, Hawaii and others.
Emery said Loveridge's commitment had nothing to do with the timing of his commitment just three days later.
Twitter: @drewjay