Right before the start of the season, I unveiled my Impact 25 ranking of the returning players (not including freshmen and transfers) who would have the biggest impact on the 2012-13 college basketball season. I'll be updating that list next week now that a month of the regular season has been played.
In the meantime, I have put together a list of five guys who were not on my Impact 25 but have essentially come out of nowhere this season. I did not include guys such as Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams, who leads the country in assists, Indiana's Jordan Hulls, Georgetown's Greg Whittington and freshman Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State, because I fully expected all those players to step up their respective games this season.
Instead, here are five players who have burst onto the scene and surprised me with their impactful play this season:
Tyler Haws, G, BYU Cougars
The 6-foot-5 sophomore was last heard from as a starter for the Cougars during the 2008-09 season, when, as a freshman, he helped junior Jimmer Fredette knock off Florida in the NCAA tournament. Haws then left for a two-year Mormon mission to the Philippines, during which he did not have much opportunity to pick up a basketball.