Provo • Coming back to BYU has proven a successful formula Jake Toolson and the BYU Cougars, and it led the West Coast Conference to name the graduate transfer the WCC Newcomer of the Year — the first BYU men’s basketball player to earn the award.
Toolson was also named to the WCC First Team, along with seniors Yoeli Childs and TJ Haws.
Because of an injury that forced Childs to miss four league games, the senior only became eligible for WCC stat rankings on Saturday, when he dropped a career-high 38 points to lead the Cougars to a 81-64 win at Pepperdine.
In league play, Childs ranks first in points per game (22.7), second in rebounds per game (8.5), third in field goal percentage (57.1) and is tied for second with four double-doubles. He also shot a career-best 43.3% from the 3-point range.
Childs is the 10th Cougar in program history to earn first-team all-conference honors three times.
Haws averaged 16 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 50.3% from the field, 42.3% from the 3-point range and 83.6% from the free-throw line. The senior was also among the top 10 in eight statistical categories: assists (2nd), assist/turnover ratio (2nd), free-throw percentage (3rd), steals (3rd), field goal percentage (5th), tied for seventh in 3-pointers per game, eighth in the WCC in scoring and 10th in minutes per game.
Toolson was the the best 3-point shooter in the WCC, making 2.9 3-point field goals per game and shooting 50% from beyond the arc. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals.
In the WCC, he was among the top 15 in assist/turnover ratio (3rd), assists (5th), field goal percentage (7th), scoring (9th), steals (12th) and minutes played (T-12th).
The three seniors have lead BYU to its first top-25 ranking – currently No. 15 – since 2011 and 13 conference wins – tied for the most league wins since joining the WCC. BYU's win percentage of 81.3 in WCC play is its best since joining the conference and the Cougars are the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament for the first time since 2015.
The Cougars are set to start the postseason on Monday, in the WCC tourney semifinals.
