In his time at Camp Verde High School, Jason Collier emerged as one of the top basketball players in the state. His 26.1 points per game average during his 2019-20 senior season was easily the best among 2A players and the sixth best among high school boys in the state, regardless of conference. Collier’s time playing basketball for the Cowboys is now complete. His time as a basketball player, however, is not.
In the Camp Verde High School gym on the morning of Tuesday, July 14, Collier signed his Letter of Intent to play basketball at Graceland University, located in Lamoni, Iowa.
Collier received interest from a number of schools. The decision came down to Graceland, Iowa’s William Penn University and Central Christian of Kansas. In the end, it was the basketball opportunities, as well as the ability to best pursue a degree in sports management, that led Collier to Graceland.
“Just the opportunity for me to have a chance to play and the opportunities that present itself there,” Collier said, when asked why he chose the Yellowjackets. “I can’t wait to get out there and start getting to work. I’m super excited to go there and start working.”
He also noted that while he is proud of the accomplishment, he only considers it to be one step in his journey, stating that he doesn’t want to get to college and be “some bad player.” Collier believes that succeeding in college will mean bulking up more in the gym. In high school, Collier was always the Cowboys’ top scorer. In college, he said he hopes to become a better combo guard, creating scoring opportunities for teammates as well as scoring himself.
While Collier was signing his letter of intent, the moment did not belong only to him. He was surrounded by Camp Verde head coach Dan Wall, assistants Jeff Luera and Reyes Herrera, his sister Shay, as well as his parents, Don and Susan.
“It’s great — he’s dreamed of playing college ball since he started playing basketball in Grasshopper,” Susan said. “It’s what he’s always wanted to do and then move on — his life will be around basketball, one way or the other.”
“It’s huge. He’s always wanted to get a basketball scholarship and play the game,” Don added. “This looks like it’s the best opportunity for him to actually get in there and play. It’s big for us because they also have the programs that he wants to continue on with his life. It’s a monster for us.”
Of course, the level of play is not the only change that Collier will encounter in college.
The weather in Iowa is much colder than in Arizona. Additionally, while Collier’s time at Camp Verde gives him a level of familiarity with small town living, Lamoni’s population is even smaller, at just over 2,300.
“The town is really tiny,” Don said. “There’s not even a McDonald’s there. There’s like a Pizza Hut and a Family Dollar. So, he’ll be pretty much confined to the campus.”
“That will be OK for him,” added Susan. “All he wants to do is ball anyway. He’ll need to focus on the basketball and school.”
While Graceland is a small school, it has produced its share of successful alums in sports. Included in that group are former NFL offensive lineman Jeff Criswell, former NFL running back Herbert Goodman, former CFL running back Jerome Messam, former professional soccer player Kevin Souter and 1976 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, Bruce Jenner — now known as reality star Caitlyn Jenner.
Collier also expressed gratitude to his coaches at Camp Verde. Collier has worked with coach Wall since sixth grade. He additionally thanked Luera for opening the doors to the gym for him in the morning and Herrera for putting together tapes and sending them to different colleges.
“It was a good experience here,” Collier said. “It’s a great program that helps you succeed.”
