By Staying Put, Harvard-Westlake Makes it Tougher to Decide No. 1

Harvard-Westlake High (21-1) is the top-ranked boys’ basketball team in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, causing some to question why the Wolverines chose to defend their Division III state title rather than move up to Division I.

Since 1985, schools in the CIF have been put in divisions based on enrollment. The largest schools, with 1,500 or more students, are placed in Division I, while the smallest schools, with 300 or fewer students, are in Division V.

Schools in lower divisions have the option of moving up to higher divisions if they believe they will be more competitive.

Most of the best teams in the state, including Crenshaw, Santa Ana Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Alameda St. Joseph, are in Division I, but Harvard-Westlake Coach Greg Hilliard said he wasn’t interested in moving up even though the Wolverines have accomplished all they can at the Division III level and boast two of the nation’s top players in Stanford-bound twins Jason and Jarron Collins.

“I talked to a bunch of people, and most of them discouraged such a move,” Hilliard said. “We’re trying to establish our program where we’re at, and moving up and down didn’t make a lot of sense.”

That’s debatable. By moving up, Harvard-Westlake and Compton Dominguez--which chose to remain in Division II after winning the state title last season--could have helped settle the question of who is No. 1 in California.