POY WATCH: Top basketball recruit Josh Perkins heats up the court

The window on the Gatorade State Boys Basketball Player of the Year race is closing, and the search for elite student-athletes is in full swing. The award recognizes not only athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. Here are two top candidates who meet the basic award criteria as determined by our USA TODAY team that administers the program’s selection process.

Dominique Collier
Junior guard, East (Denver, Colo.)

How he’s played himself into the State POY conversation: Collier is ranked No. 62 in the Class of 2014 as rated by Rivals.com. A cousin of five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief, the 6-foot-2, 160-pound junior scored in double digits in the first 19 games this season, eclipsing 25 points on five occasions. He averaged 19.1 points, 4.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game as a sophomore, leading the Angels (20-5) to the Class 5A Sweet 16 during 2011-12.

2012-13 Team record: 17-2 (Class 5A)
2012-13 Team standing: Ranked No. 11 in Colorado by USA TODAY
2012-13 Points per game: 20.4
2012-13 Rebounds per game: 5.4
2012-13 Assists per game: 3.8

Collegiate destination: Undecided

Josh Perkins
Junior guard, Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.)

How he’s played himself into the State POY conversation: Perkins is ranked No. 42 in the Class of 2014 as rated by Rivals.com. A returning all-state honorable mention as named by The Denver Post, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior leads his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. He averaged 18.6 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a sophomore and led the Raiders (20-4) to the second round of the Class 5A state tournament in 2011-12.

2012-13 Team record: 13-4 (Class 5A)
2012-13 Team standing: Ranked No. 11 in Colorado by USA TODAY
2012-13 Points per game: 25.7
2012-13 Rebounds per game: 7.2
2012-13 Assists per game: 6.1

Collegiate destination: Undecided

Make no mistake, the Gatorade State Boys Basketball Player of the Year race isn’t over yet. Time remains for one standout student-athlete among thousands to rise to the top of our list. Here are more of many who’ve been in the conversation throughout the 2012-13 campaign.

Carlton Hurst: Senior shooting guard, Aurora Central (Aurora, Colo.)
Austin Sparks: Senior power forward, Fairview (Boulder, Colo.)
Luke Stratman: Senior guard, D’Evelyn (Denver, Colo.)