Jason Collins Named State Player of Year

Jason Collins of Harvard-Westlake High has been named Division III state boys’ basketball player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports.

Jason Collins and his twin, Jarron, and Carloes Harper of Canoga Park were selected among the top 25 boys’ players in the state.

Michelle Greco of Crescenta Valley, Nicole Greathouse of Buena, Jaclyn Johnson of Bell-Jeff and Jenn Detmer of Thousand Oaks were listed among the top 15 girls’ players in the state.

Greco was named the Division I and junior player of the year.

Johnson was recognized as the Division IV player of the year.

Harvard-Westlake, which finished 35-1 and repeated as Division III state champion, was named state boys’ team of the year.

Rafael Berumen of Simi Valley, a 6-foot-8 center, was recognized as sophomore of the year.

Other all-state boys include Harper in Division I, Jason and Jarron Collins and teammate Rico Cabrera in Division III, and Ruben Douglas of Bell-Jeff and Jermaine Sweet of L.A. Baptist in Division IV.

Branduinn Fullove of Simi Valley was named to the all-state freshman team.

In girls’ divisions, all-state honors went to Greco, Greathouse and Detmer in Division I; Kelli Kobayashi of Alemany in Division III, and Bell-Jeff’s Johnson in Division IV.

Jaline Bradley of Oxnard and Damaris Hinojosa of Moorpark were named to the all-state sophomore team.

Jarron and Jason Collins were recently named to Parade magazine’s All-American fourth team.

Four other Californians were among the 40 players recognized by Parade, including first-team selections Baron Davis of Crossroads and Chris Burgess of Irvine Woodbridge.

Christian Dunbar of Cal Lutheran was honorable mention on the NCAA Division III All-West Regional men’s basketball team.

Dunbar, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Chatsworth High, averaged 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists for the Kingsmen (17-8) in the 1996-97 season.