Senior guard Jaron Dickson made history by becoming the first boys basketball player from Central Valley High School to receive the highest honor in conference play.

A four-year starter with the Hawks, Dickson was voted Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player in a vote by the league's head coaches on Feb. 23 at Ceres High School.

"It's a cool feeling they chose me over everyone else in the league," Jaron said. "It's always something I wanted to accomplish. But I care more about succeeding as a team instead of individual stats and awards."

Jaron averaged 23.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game during his final season with the Hawks.

"I'm really proud of him," said Darryl Dickson, Central Valley's head coach and Jaron's father. "It's been crazy seeing his development over the years. He got better in all areas."

Darryl Dickson was named WAC Coach of the Year.

"He earned it for working so hard," Jaron said.

Central Valley's Daevon Brown, Parker Griffin and Nimrat Chahal, and Ceres High's Puneet Sahi, Nick Burt and Joshneil Sandhu were also recognized for their outstanding play.

"It's nice to see my teammates get rewarded as well," Jaron said.

Brown, a senior guard, was selected to the WAC First Team.
He averaged 12.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

"I'm really happy for him," Darryl said. "He earned it. He worked hard."

Griffin earned second-team all-conference honors.

The senior center averaged 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

"He was instrumental to our success in the WAC," Darryl said.

Chahal was an honorable-mention selection.

The senior guard averaged 6.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

"We wouldn't have been successful if he wasn't a part of our program," Darryl said. "He ran our offense. He did the things that aren't in the stat book."

Darryl Dickson was honored as the WAC's top coach for the second straight season.

"It's a great thing for our program," he said. "It's a testament to the hard work everyone has put in."

Sahi, a senior guard, was named to the WAC First Team.

Burt, a senior forward, garnered second-team accolades.

Sandhi, a senior guard, was an honorable-mention pick.

Central Valley (12-0) and Ceres High (7-5) placed first and third, respectively, in the WAC standings. Both teams qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs.