RALLY AROUND THE VALLEY; STANFORD CRASHES FINAL FOUR WITH HELP FROM LEE, COLLINS.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

Stanford is in the NCAA Final Four for the first time in 56 years, all because of the San Fernando Valley.

Well, almost.

Coach Mike Montgomery deserves much of the credit, as do immovable power forward Mark Madsen and massive center Tim Young.

But two Valley products - North Hollywood's Arthur Lee and Harvard-Westlake's Jarron Collins - were instrumental in Stanford's Midwest Regional victories over Purdue and Rhode Island.

``The Valley's carrying us,'' Cardinal assistant Eric Reveno said, grinning, as Stanford prepared for today's semifinal game against Kentucky.

Lee, a junior point guard, single-handedly crushed Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick's Final Four dreams with 13 points in the last two minutes - and 26 overall - of Stanford's Elite Eight escape.

It was a masterpiece draped in irony, since Harrick refused to recruit Lee to UCLA three years; the Bruins chose Brandon Loyd instead. But Lee has played well all season, and despite his startling omission from the All-Pacific-10 team, his clutch performance was hardly a surprise.

No one, however, expected Collins to treat Purdue big man Brad Miller like a 6-foot-2 center from Crespi.

After watching the Boilermakers build an early lead in the Sweet 16, Collins roared off the bench to score 12 points and grab 11 rebounds in 23 dominating minutes.

``We were down 24-14 and I was sitting on the bench thinking, `We are not going to lose this game,' '' Collins said. ``A year ago, I watched Stanford lose to Utah (in the Sweet 16), and I didn't want it to happen again. The first play I tried a spin move, had it blocked, then put it back in. Then I hit a turnaround on Miller, and that got me going.''

Suddenly, the slender, mild-mannered freshman morphed into a rampaging, body-slamming veteran who corralled eight offensive rebounds. The Cardinal coaches weren't completely stunned. They had seen this side of Collins once before - in a 12-point, six-rebound effort at UCLA.

``Jarron usually has an even-keeled demeanor, but in that Purdue game he was really fired up,'' Reveno said. ``He has very good instincts, and he was really active. He's not really a freshman anymore. He's played more minutes (13.3 per game) than most kids do as freshmen.''

Nerves haven't been an issue for Collins since a 1995 CIF playoff game against Morningside. After dozens of playoff games and all-star affairs throughout the country, he claims immunity to the pressures of big crowds and bright lights.

Not even Purdue's reputation and muscle fazed Collins. He battles the 255-pound Young and the 235-pound Madsen each day in practice. Madsen welcomed Collins to the fold with an October elbow to the chin.

Add Stanford's weight program to the grueling workouts, and Collins has gotten stronger despite losing 20 pounds. He's also gotten tougher.

``Our practices can be more physical than our games,'' Reveno said. ``That was a change for Jarron coming out of Harvard-Westlake. But after facing Young and Madsen everyday, he looked at Brad Miller and said, `I can handle this.' ''

But Collins' smile fades when the subject turns to Jason, who suffered a knee injury in late November and has not played since. He'll petition the NCAA for a medical redshirt and is expected to receive an extra year of eligibility.

``It hasn't been easy,'' Jason said. ``But seeing Jarron play this well helps me cope. And having the team play so well has been great, too.''

No one has played better than Lee. He's averaging 19.3 points in four tournament games, he has not missed a free throw in 26 attempts, and his assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly 2.5-to-1.

Perhaps now, two steps from the national title, he can be Arthur Lee III - not the guy who replaced Brevin Knight.

``That was a big-time game for me personally,'' Lee said of Rhode Island. ``It was one of our goals this season to make the Final Four. I was just really happy to lead the team to that destination. It was a crucial, defining moment for me.''

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PHOTO (1--2--Color) All of a sudden, Stanford's Arthur Lee, left, and Jarron Collins, right, attract attention from the fans in San Antonio who await today's Final Four contests. Lee and Collins have been key to the Cardinal's success.

Rick Moon/Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Tim Sharp/Associated Press