A Grand Finale for Harvard

These are the days at Harvard-Westlake High. They are about to come to an end.

Four years ago, twins Jarron and Jason Collins--skinny, 6-foot-7, fuzzy-faced freshmen with braces on their teeth--transferred from Montclair Prep and helped elevate an average high school basketball program to among the nation’s elite.

Today, 118 victories, nine defeats, three Southern Section championships and a pair of Stanford scholarships later, 6-foot-9 Jarron and 6-10 Jason will play their final high school game.

Harvard-Westlake (35-1), seeking a second consecutive state Division III title, plays San Mateo Hillsdale (30-0) at 3 p.m. today at the Pond in Anaheim. The Wolverines are ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and fifth in the nation by USA Today.

Accolades, lofty rankings and major regional and national media exposure have been the norm at Harvard-Westlake during the Collins era--particularly over the past two seasons, in which the Wolverines are 65-3.

But all that will become history when Jarron and Jason pack for Palo Alto.

“There are a lot of memories,” Jarron said this week. “A lot of friendships.”

It is doubtful Harvard-Westlake, which has an enrollment of about 1,100, ever will again enjoy such athletic prominence, despite the impact of the Collinses.

“Back to normal” is a buzz phrase around the school athletic office. With everyone waxing nostalgic this week, summations are realistic.

“We called it lightning in a bottle when the Collins twins came to our school,” said Thomas C. Hudnut, Harvard-Westlake’s headmaster. “Realistically, we will not have a top 20 basketball team year in and year out.”

Harvard-Westlake, an elite private school nestled in the foothills of Coldwater Canyon since 1936, has long maintained a reputation for rigorous academics rather than athletics, and that will continue. But it’s been a fun ride.

“It’s been nice to have the reputation that we’re not just an academic school but we take athletics seriously,” said Gary Thran, Harvard-Westlake’s athletic director. “That’s something that’s going to stick for a while.”

It also should help enhance the image of a school with diverse athletic interests and success.

Harvard-Westlake’s water polo team is a perennial power and has won two Southern Section titles. The girls’ volleyball team won a state title in 1995.

Alexis Larsen, a former Southern Section champion swimmer for Harvard-Westlake, is competing for USC and Ania Bleszynski, a Southern Section tennis champion, is the No. 1 singles player at Stanford.

Wide receiver Iheanyi Uwaezuoke, a 1991 graduate, attended California and was a rookie last season for the San Francisco 49ers.

But the school has produced a limited number of Division I college athletes. That wasn’t what Paul and Portia Collins had in mind when they enrolled their sons, who happened to be blossoming athletes.

“The academics have been a bit rigorous,” Jason said. “But it’s all been for the better in preparing for college. Looking back, it was the best decision our parents ever made for us.”

Gauging the impact the Collinses have had on potential enrollment is difficult, Hudnut said. Even before the twins’ arrival, the school was inundated with applications.

Each year, only about 200 of 1,200 applicants are accepted. The Collinses’ presence hasn’t exactly thinned the pool.

“Where we’ve benefited has been in the exposure of being in the sports pages and getting our name out there,” Hudnut said. “It’s made people aware of our school and given us a greater presence in our athletic department.”

The Harvard-Westlake gym has become the place to be. On any given day, camera crews might arrive. Visitors have ranged from Shaquille O’Neal, who dropped in on practice one day, to alumni from as far back as 40 years.

“It’s been amazing who we’ve seen come walking in the door,” said Thran, a coach at the school for 23 years. “I’ve talked to some people who are older than I am. It’s really been hectic around here. Yeah, ‘normal’ would be a good word to use for next year.”

Greg Hilliard, coach of the Wolverines, says there is a sense of relief. No longer will the athletic office be besieged by phone calls inquiring about the Collinses.

No longer will the Wolverines routinely rout opponents. But winning has never been the point.

“I’ve never been the coach to come in here and drive kids and win championships,” Hilliard said. “Athletics here are enjoyed, they’re appreciated and they’re recognized, but they never supersede academics.”

Harvard-Westlake didn’t do badly before the Collinses, and the Wolverines won’t likely become doormats without them. Hilliard led the team to the playoffs six times in eight seasons before the arrival of Jarron and Jason.

Actually, the challenge of next season is intriguing.

“I’d just as soon everybody underestimate us,” Hilliard said. “We’ll deserve to be [ranked] at the bottom.”

Next season’s team will bear the burden of the post-Collins era.

“It’s going to be a definite challenge,” said Marquis Love, a junior forward. “It’ll be hard to play without them. But I think we’ll pull through.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Harvard-Westlake (35-1)

Season in Review

81 Antelope Valley 55

94 Newbury Park 45

72 Santa Barbara 37

72 Oak Park 53

78 Washington 60

83 Socastee (S.C) 45

68 Cimarron Memorial (Las Vegas) 28

59 St. Frances (Baltimore) 54

80 Durango (Las Vegas) 61

64 Mater Dei 38

59 Mt. Zion Christian (N.C) 63

79 Long Beach Poly JV 32

74 Compton Centennial 60

71 Serra 52

76 Westchester 51

69 Artesia 60

81 Notre Dame 38

77 St. Francis 45

72 Loyola 41

84 Alemany 33

78 Chaminade 40

67 Fairfax 48

95 Crespi 55

81 St. Francis 57

75 Loyola 39

119 Alemany 52

79 Chaminade 35

93 Notre Dame 49

80 Crespi 40

PLAYOFFS

83 Northview 31

93 Compton Centennial 46

81 Duarte 51

84 Morningside 64

75 San Diego St. Augustine 46

66 Tehachapi 35

47 San Diego University 40