There are four senior starters on the Apple Valley upstarts who were playing in the Class 4A boys basketball state championship game Saturday night, March 28, at Williams Arena.

There is no need to trace their previous whereabouts before settling into this south suburban high school that’s about to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the fall.

“We have 14 players on the roster and only one who hasn’t always been here, and sports didn’t have anything to do with him transferring,” Eagles coach David Collier said. “His family moved because they found a place to live here.”

Collier was a player at DeLaSalle as the Islanders were winning back-to-back Class 2A state titles in 1998 and 1999. He greatly admired that school and coached there for 15 years.

“I coached at every level except varsity,” Collier said. ”DeLaSalle always has been close to my heart."

Collier and his wife, Annastasia, had a growing family and moved to Apple Valley. When a varsity coaching job opened there for the 2022-23 school year, Collier applied. He did so with fine recommendations from DeLaSalle and his work in club programs, and Collier was hired.

“That first Apple Valley season, we won four games, and our first game — and loss — was against Chaska,“ Collier said.

The twist here was obvious. At the end of Collier’s fourth season Saturday night, the Eagles were playing Chaska — another surprise team coming out of the opposite bracket — for the state’s large-school championship.

And, wonderfully, the Eagles were doing this with Tyrese Hutton, a terrific junior, as a starter at forward, and with freshman to watch Giovanni Horton and junior Quintin Lewis as talented top guard subs, and then most interesting:

There were four senior starters who first teamed up in, what, the third grade in Apple Valley youth basketball?

“Might be second grade. … We played in a house league way back,“ forward Ryan Christiansen said. “I do remember we won a tournament some place as fourth-graders.

“I think it was for fourth-grade ‘B-squaders,’ but that didn’t make any difference to us. We won that tournament and thought we were on top of the world.”

Collier and the Eagles have followed a growing trend and list only guards and forwards on the roster. If there were a center, it would be the 6-foot-4 Christiansen. The other seniors are Tylan Ward Jr., called “T.J.” by all; marksmen Trey Parker; and strong and versatile Camare’ Young.

Christiansen and Young started getting varsity time as freshmen during that 4-23 first season for Collier. Another extra-talented freshman from that team — 6-2 guard JoJo Mitchell — transferred to Cretin-Derham Hall for his sophomore season.

On March 12, Tartan stayed unbeaten this season and reached the state tournament by beating Cretin-Derham Hall 69-61 in overtime. And then fifth-seeded Chaska defeated top-seeded Tartan in the state semifinals Thursday night in a major upset.

Although it was not quite as major as seventh-seeded Apple Valley, with 10 losses this season, knocking off second-seeded Wayzata, the defending state champion, in a tournament opener Tuesday at Target Center and then following that up with a win over third-seeded Maple Grove in the semifinals.

The four seniors who shared in the glory of the fourth-grade “B squad” tournament a decade ago were asked during that last practice Friday, March 27, to talk about their senior partners in Apple Valley’s renaissance.

You know, the basketball program that had Tyus Jones and kid brother Tre Jones and Gary Trent Jr., all current NBAers, back in the day.

Christiansen: “Baseball has been my main sport, so when these players have been working on basketball in the spring and summer, I was going around the country playing baseball. If I was a little behind, they always welcomed me back.

“Trey is a great guy, and Camare’ can be vocal, and T.J. is the ultimate competitor … but what we have in common is we fly around and work hard. Sharing this run with guys you’ve been with what seems like forever, that makes it even better.“

Christiansen signed with the baseball Gophers in November and will be pitching for them next season.

Ward: “Trey and I, we were second-graders when we started playing together. I remember seeing Tre [Jones] more than Tyus play for Apple Valley. My uncle, Alan Anderson, he played at DeLaSalle, then Michigan State and the NBA, so basketball always meant a lot to our family.

“We kind of brought Apple Valley back last season by going to the state tournament, but we got beat right away. Even with Wayzata as our first game, we were determined not to have that happen again.”

With that hoops pedigree, Ward has committed to Columbia to play football as a defensive back in the Ivy League.

Parker: “To grow up in basketball and sports with this group of guys has been terrific. And to do something special for Apple Valley, we’ll remember this forever.”

(Smile.) “Plus, I get to shoot threes. Last I heard, I had made more threes than anyone in the state.”

Brief observation: Trey comes off as the character of the four seniors.

Young: “My family has been involved with Apple Valley basketball since Tyus was playing in 2014. As much basketball as we’ve played together, this has been a great way to finish high school.

“Scouting report? Ryan is kind of a complex person. Trey is more outgoing. T.J. is just a good guy.”

And what’s next for Camare’, a strong and competitive hooper?

“I haven’t signed yet, but I’ll be playing basketball somewhere in the fall,” he said.