Rebuilding year? Not for Simi

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers NO EASY BASKETS—Simi Valley High senior starting point guard Paul Williams will look to uphold the Pioneers' reputation as one of Ventura County's premier pressure defenses. The Simi Valley High boys' basketball team is sick and tired of hearing about last season.

Oh, sure, the Pioneers are proud of the team that went 26-2 and won a Marmonte League title. They just want to put their own stamp in the program's history.

"I hate people saying we're going to finish third in league because we lost guys like Lorne Jackson and Michael Meza," senior guard Brad Lewis said. "This season we have a lot of good players as well; people just don't know about them yet."

Head coach Christian Aurand said he doesn't expect the team to miss a beat.

"It's tough to replace outstanding guys and players like Jackson and Meza who were three-year varsity players," Aurand said.

"We have a lot of guys this year, however, who are very eager and willing to fill in their positions. We are younger and inexperienced this year, and the key will be how fast we grow up."

One player that should have no trouble filling the void left by Jackson and Meza is Lewis, an All-Marmonte League first-team selection last season who averaged 18 points per game.

With Lewis getting more touches this season, his pointsper-game mark could go up.

"It's different for Brad this year," Aurand said. "He's going to have to shoulder the burden of other teams putting a target on his back. He's going to learn that sometimes it's more difficult to score when you're the No. 1 guy."

Lewis said he's ready for the challenge.

"Last year I was mostly a catch-and-shoot type of player," Lewis said. "I really want to prove to everybody that I'm a lot more than that."

One of the Pioneers responsible for getting Lewis the ball is point guard Paul Williams.

Aurand said Williams, who played a backup role to Jackson last year, has gained more confidence during the offseason.

"Paul was in a tough situation last season because he knew he couldn't make too many mistakes with Lorne waiting in the wings," Aurand said.

"He's progressed very nicely, especially coming off a knee injury. He's earned the right to play more minutes and be allowed to make more mistakes."

Williams and Lewis are hardly the only two weapons on Simi's roster. Other top contributors include returning juniors Grant Keller and Danny Cox.

Cox will play either the point or shooting guard position, while Aurand calls Keller one of Simi's "most versatile players."

The big man that has everybody talking is newcomer Jonathan Davis, a 6foot6 sophomore who will be a force in the paint for the Pioneers. Davis played last season on the SVHS junior varsity squad.

"He certainly has the Pac-10's attention," Aurand said.

"USC, UCLA and Arizona State have been out to see him. He's blessed with a lot of physical ability and is a really smooth player. The good thing is he has a lot of room to grow."

With a big body like Davis' in the paint, the Pioneers' offense may not be as up-tempo as last season's unit, but junior C.J. Faulwell said the team's defensive press will once again be Simi's "bread and butter."

While Simi Valley has a strong starting lineup, what may separate SVHS from other Marmonte League teams is depth.

"We don't think of the word 'bench' as a negative term," Aurand said.

"If we can get into the other team's bench, either because the opponent's starters are fatigued or because they are in foul trouble, we feel we have an advantage."

The Pioneers' bench features juniors Joey Brinton, Nick KahuiBruen, Brandon Behne and Faulwell.

"We run a lot, so we can't afford to have five guys running up and down the court for the entire game," Faulwell said. "We need at least eight to nine guys playing well every night. If we only have six or seven guys doing their job, we might be in trouble."

Faulwell, who Aurand has called the squad's vocal leader, believes the Pioneers have what it takes to do better than their second-round playoff loss to Long Beach Wilson a year ago.

"Our team goals are really two-fold," Faulwell said.

"We want to win league, but we also want to win CIF. Of course, we'd rather have a CIF championship, but one without the other wouldn't feel right."