If you're a high school basketball fan, hopefully you put some miles on your hybrid and took in a variety of prep games this year. The individual talent was simply outstanding, and it's reflected with the five Deseret Morning News boys basketball MVPs.
Thanks to their outstanding exploits on both sides of the court, most of the 2006-07 MVPs were also Mr. Basketball candidates — and in the case of 5A's sophomore MVP, a Mr. Basketball honor seems inevitable in a few years.
Four of the five led their teams to state titles, while the other was one of the most dominant players in the state.
Here's a list of this year's MVPs as picked by the Deseret Morning News. The first-team selections were voted on by coaches:
5A MVP
Tyler Haws, Lone Peak
Here's a scary reality for the rest of Class 5A the next two years — the best player on Lone Peak's 24-1 state championship team this year was a sophomore.
That's right, the son of former BYU player Marty Haws is only a sophomore, and he's already led the Knights to one state championship by averaging 18.8 points.
"The No. 1 thing that stands out about him is his consistency, and I think consistency is the mark of really good players," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. "He scored in double figures every single game this year."
Haws was definitely surrounded by a talented supporting cast, but he was catalyst behind all of Lone Peak's success.
He ended the year shooting 57 percent from the field, 81 percent from the free-throw line and 69 percent (16-of-23) from 3-point range, even more impressive, said Lewis, when you consider "guys were hanging all over him."
Haws is also an above average rebounder, passer and defender.
"He's a kid who really has his feet on the ground. He's very unselfish," said Lewis.
4A MVP
Chris Collinsworth, Provo
Just imagine how good this 6-foot-9 BYU-bound player would've been without an avulsion fracture to his right index finger.
Despite fracturing the finger after getting it caught in a teammate's jersey in early December, Collinsworth still led Provo to the school's 16th boys basketball title by averaging 16.6 points, including 27 in a championship game victory over Payson.
"He never lost his ability to take it to the hoop," said Provo coach Craig Drury, who didn't even know about the fracture until a month later.
Once Collinsworth disclosed the injury, Drury put him in spots where he could be successful despite the pain, which, not surprisingly, coincided with Provo's late-season push.
What makes Collinsworth so special, according to his coach, is that he's really a guard trapped in a big-man's body. He sees the floor like a guard and can shoot like a guard when healthy — as evidenced by the 10 3-pointers he made in a game last summer.
With that slashing ability, and his unique inside-outside game, Collinsworth is sure to be an offensive and defensive star at the next level.
3A MVP
Charles Abouo, Logan
Perhaps the most dominant player in the state when it came to scoring, rebounding and altering shots, Abouo narrowly edged numerous other 3A candidates for this year's MVP honor.
Even though foul trouble limited him in a quarterfinal loss to Judge, Abouo finished the season averaging 21.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.2 steals. He helped lead Logan to Region 11 titles in each of the past three seasons.
"His upside is through the roof," said Logan coach Jeff Brimhall. "With his athletic ability and work ethic, whoever gets him will get a steal. He's just such a great person to work with. He's very coachable."
A late-bloomer on the recruiting front, Abouo is starting to get numerous collegiate looks from a handful of Division I schools, in addition to junior college and NAIA teams.
"We won a few games when he fouled out, but when it came down to it, when he was off the court you saw how important he was," said Brimhall, who added that no one loves the game more than Abouo.
2A MVP
Kamren Garfield, North Summit
A three-year starting point guard with a knack to think like a coach, it's pretty obvious just how important this senior was to North Summit's state title run.
"He's just a natural leader," said coach Jerre Holmes. "He seemed to make big plays when we need him, and got it to the right guy when we needed it."
Garfield finished the year averaging 14.1 points, and was a scintillating 91-percent free throw shooter.
"We knew if we were ahead at the end of a game, we were in good shape," said Holmes.
Even though his scoring average improved by two points from last year, Holmes said his point guard had a better shooting year as a junior. What really impressed Garfield's coach this year, was that when his shots weren't falling, he was mature enough to not let it bother him and instead get the ball to his numerous talented teammates.
Few North Summit fans will ever forget this year's 2A championship game, when after a scoreless first half, Garfield poured in 16 second-half points to help the Braves overcome a four-point deficit for a nine-point victory over Millard.
1A MVP
BJ Porter, Layton Christian
With a final season average of 22.2 points, 9.6 assists and 6.2 rebounds, it's no wonder Porter was arguably the best player in the state.
And like most dominant MVPs, he was at his best in the state tournament, scoring 19, 31, 18 and 14 points, respectively, in leading the Eagles to four straight victories over teams that all finished with 20 victories this year.
Colleges who were once recruiting him for his assists are now recruiting him to score — with Nebraska at the top of the list.
"You've got a young man with a 38-inch vertical, who's got a really good mid-range game and he can knock down the 3," said Layton Christian coach Bobby Porter, BJ's father. "I take dad out of the equation, and I can see that he's really stepped up."
Coach Porter believes it was BJ's commitment to defense that really helped his offensive game blossom this year.
A three-year starter, Porter will graduate at age 17.
E-mail: jedward@desnews.com