Tough to stick
Meet the surging Pioneers' versatile maninthe-middle
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers OVER YOU OR AROUND YOU- Simi Valley High senior center Michael Meza, 17, has been a mismatch for opposing defenses all season long, scoring an average of 21 points per game. Following a thrilling run at the championship of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, the Pioneers (13-1) return to action tonight at home against Moorpark (10-4) in their third Marmonte League game.

For Michael Meza, New Year's Day wasn't about slouching on a couch, watching football and snacking on cholesterol-laden treats.

It was about working for a Marmonte League title.

The standout senior center joined the rest of Simi Valley High's boys' basketball team for an 8 a.m. practice on the first day of 2008.

"It's hard to wake up, but once you think about it, this is for a championship," the 17-year-old said. "You kind of brush it off and say, 'It's time to go to work.'"

It's that attitude, along with his versatility, mental toughness and pure basketball skills, that has helped Meza establish himself as one of the area's top front-court players.

At 6 feet 4 and 195 pounds, Meza makes up for what he lacks in height and weight with his speed and shot-making. He can lure bigger opponents away from the basket with his outside shot or dribble past them if they challenge him on the perimeter.

The center, who also worked on dribbling this offseason, finishes strong around the basket. He's the perfect complement on the fast break to Simi's star point guard, Lorne Jackson.

"He's one of the best guys I've ever played with," Jackson said. "He can shoot; he can rebound. He makes the game a whole lot easier for me and everyone else on the team."

Pioneers head coach Christian Aurand said the low-post player may have turned a corner after he suffered a dislocated right kneecap his sophomore season. Instead of allowing the injury to impede his progress, he said, Meza committed to an even tougher work ethic.

"Despite being hurt, he went to practice every single day," Aurand said. "He got to see practice from an outside perspective. At times, you can see guys working hard and see guys not working hard. This motivated him for his junior year. The injury gave him perspective: 'I have only two more years at the varsity level.' Although it might seem like a long time to some players, he had a sense of urgency, and he became extremely hungry to get better."

Meza averages 21.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game for the Pioneers, who started the season 130 before dropping their first game in the championship round of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic in Torrey Pines on Dec. 29.

The Pioneers lost 84-83 to Compton's nationally ranked Dominguez High, historically one of Southern California's most successful programs.

In the thriller, Meza hit a 3pointer with 21.9 seconds left that gave Simi an 83-82 lead, but Dominguez avoided the upset with an offensive rebound tip-in with one second remaining.

"I remember right when it went in; I couldn't believe I swished it," Meza said of his goahead shot. "Then I thought, there's still 20 seconds left, we still need to get a stop. Dominguez tried to push the ball up, and we knocked it out of bounds. After that, they did call a timeout, and my team was rushing me. I was thinking, 'Why are we celebrating? We still got to get a stop'- although I was celebrating a little though, too."

The senior, who shoots 64 percent from the field and 88 percent at the free-throw stripe, has reached double figures in scoring in all but one game this season.

On Dec. 15 against 6-foot-11 center Stover Anthony and Renaissance Academy of La Cañada, Meza notched a seasonhigh 36 points.

Even though Meza would be undersized at center in college, many schools, including UC San Diego, the University of Denver and Cal Lutheran, have already reached out to him.

"I definitely know he's a college basketball player," Aurand said. "He's going to play somewhere."

He played varsity ball with his older brother, Tony, on the 200506 team. Their youngest brother, Joe, a sixth-grader at Chaminade, also likes playing hoops.

Meza credits Simi Valley's great start to its full-court pressure defense. The Pioneers use a press after made field goals and free throws, even missed shots.

That full-court frenzied press personifies the Pioneers' quest for a league championship. If Arkansas and former coach Nolan Richardson played "40 minutes of hell," then Simi Valley has 32 minutes of fire and brimstone.

"It's pretty much what helps us with our wins," Meza said. "We work on it all day, every day."

Even with the gaudy numbers, preseason adulation and impressive start, Meza and the Pioneers want more.

The quest to win a Marmonte League championship looms large, especially since Aurand, in his ninth year guiding Simi, hasn't won an outright league title since his first year as head coach. Last year, Simi Valley started 8-0 in league but finished third.

Simi Valley, at 2-0 in the Marmonte League, continues its league season tonight at 7:30 against Moorpark at home.

Meza, fresh off the New Year's Day practice, said he'll be ready.

"Everybody in the league gets up to play against us- it's like their Super Bowl. Everybody wants to beat Simi," Meza said. "Every practice, coach tells us teams are working hard and trying to find ways to beat us. We need to go that much harder and get that much better."