Ethan Harris of Camas is The Columbian’s All-Region boys basketball player of the year

Ethan Harris has a hard time choosing his fondest memory from the 2025-26 Camas boys basketball season because of how many stand out.

But the overarching theme when talking about this year’s group for Harris, the Papermakers’ 6-foot-9 senior, is how they came together and got better in a short amount of time.

A group nicknamed the “JV Warriors” during summer ball, a nod to how little varsity experience they had aside from Harris, played like seasoned veterans by the end of the season. That included repeating as 4A Greater St. Helens League champions and reaching the 4A state tournament for a fourth consecutive year, spanning Harris’ high school career.

“Absolute shout out to those guys — I think they made this season just so much more fun for me,” he said. “What makes basketball so fun for me is working with guys who also want to work hard, who also have great attitudes, and I think those guys embody that.”

The team’s ascent led by Harris, The Columbian’s All-Region boys basketball player of the year, made the season a success despite a tough ending.

The Iowa-bound senior was hurt in a January game against Battle Ground when an opponent dove for a ball and landed on Harris’ ankle.

Initially diagnosed as a bone bruise, the foot injury wasn’t healing as expected after he rested down the stretch of the season.

Harris scored 29 points in a state-clinching win at home over Kentwood, but aggravated the injury.

He attempted to play in the Papermakers’ following game against Emerald Ridge, but was shut down just a few minutes into the game and sat out the team’s final game, a loss to Woodinville in the 4A State Opening Round.

The Papermakers finished with a 18-7 record and Harris was named the 4A state player of the year by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on the season.

“There was a little bit of a letdown at the end of the season with me getting injured and us ultimately losing in the first round,” Harris said. “But even then … I think the success was how far we came.”

Harris’ individual success, as he’s learned throughout his career, often comes as a result of team success.

He soaked up that team-first mindset while watching his older sister, Addison Harris, lead the Camas girls to the 4A state championship in 2024 and garner All-Region player of the year honors twice before embarking on a college basketball career at Montana State.

“I think so much of it was just how team-oriented she was,” Ethan Harris said. “She’ll come home one night and we’ll ask her, ‘How did you guys do?’ And she’ll just go on and on about how her teammates did this … and then we’ll ask, ‘Well, how did you do?’ And (she says), ‘I did OK, I probably had maybe 12 points’ and then you look in the paper the next day and it said she had 30.”

The younger Harris shares that same humility and hard work, which he credits to his parents, Jason and Carla Harris, both of whom played basketball at University of Portland.

In that spirit, many of Harris’ favorite memories as a Papermaker have his teammates at the forefront.

Early this season, Harris saw Camas’ guard trio of Max Rehrer, Cason Thompson and Tanner Werry rise to the occasion in a pair of challenging road games against state-level powerhouses Gonzaga Prep and Mt. Spokane. Harris can even rattle off how many points they scored.

Later in the year, with the addition of transfers Mason Hamilton and Braxten Richardson, the Papermakers closed the regular season winning 12 of 13 games, exceeding the expectations of many at the outset of the season, Harris included.

“Just watching that growth was so big. That’s probably where some of the most fun for me comes from,” Harris said.

Beyond teammates, Harris took bits and pieces from all three head coaches he played for in four years at Camas. First was Ryan Josephson, “one of the best Xs and Os guys I’ve ever met,” Harris said, who expanded his basketball vocabulary and taught him how to run certain actions.

Brian Witherspoon, the team’s interim coach last season, imparted lots of wisdom on Harris and teammates from his college basketball career.

Current coach Scott Thompson brought a championship pedigree to the program after leading the Papermakers girls to that 2024 state title.

“All three of them are unbelievable dudes, unbelievable coaches and I thank each one of them for the experiences I had,” he said.

Harris was also drawn to the coaching staff at Iowa under first-year coach Ben McCollum, a players’ coach who prioritizes building strong relationships with his players, as Harris noticed.

One of the convincing moments during his recruiting journey came when watching the team go through a 6 a.m. workout with the Hawkeyes’ entire coaching staff on hand.

“Every single coach is in there high-fiving, rooting them on and just that culture that they have there, I think, is unparalleled,” Harris said.

Once healed from his foot injury, Harris is eager to get back to work in the months ahead before leaving for Iowa City. With last week’s upset win over No. 1 seed Florida, the Hawkeyes reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

“I think so much of it is just my physicals,” he said. “Every Big Ten game that you turn on the TV, all of those guys are just big. … They’re crazy tall, crazy strong, crazy fast, and for me, if my goal is to play my freshman year, for that to happen I have to be in great condition. I have to be as strong as I can possibly get before then.”

Harris came into the Papermakers’ program as a freshman looking up to a strong group of seniors who left an impression on him with how hard they worked. Harris made his impact by carrying that torch through the rest of his career, and by the end of this season, he saw a new group prove they’re ready to lead.

“They’ll still do amazing because of the hard work that they put in,” Harris said, “and ultimately it’s just going to be fun to watch.”

Rest of the All-Region First Team

Josh Crane, R.A. Long: Senior earned 2A Greater St. Helens League player of the year honors, helping Lumberjacks reach program’s first state title game.

Leighton Livengood, Fort Vancouver: Co-Trico League POY posted 20 points, 9 rebounds per game. Senior led Trappers to first league title since 1990, 1A state playoffs.

Jamison McCann, Ridgefield: Senior set program records including single-game points (46) and points in a season (672). Finished prep career with 1,488 career points.

Carson Morningstar, Prairie: The 3A GSHL POY averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds per game as a senior. Program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,584 points.

Malakai Weimer, Skyview: Four-year starter set program records in points (1,382) and rebounds (786). Averaged 18 points and seven rebounds as a senior. Pierce College commit.

All-Region Second Team

Jaxen Appelt, Fort Vancouver: Senior transfer earned Co-Trico League POY honors after averaging 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals per game.

Dez Daniel, Skyview: Senior transfer averaged 15 points and three assists to earn 4A GSHL first team honors. Three-time All-Region pick.

Cam Newsome, R.A. Long: Senior earned 2A GSHL first team honors, and was a 2A State All-Tournament Team pick in R.A. Long’s historic 27-1 season.

Malachi Patton, Prairie: Junior 3A GSHL first-teamer averaged 16 points, five assists and five rebounds per game for league, district champs and state qualifiers.

Luca Phillips, Columbia River: Senior averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks per game, helping lead Rapids to fifth-place state trophy.

Luke Swerdlik, Mountain View: Senior posted 18 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range. Pierce College commit.