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Twenty years later, they remain Simi's greatest team
In 1988, the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up the second of back-to-back NBA titles; the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson, won the World Series and the Los Angeles Kings pulled off the biggest trade in NHL history by acquiring Wayne Gretzky. But in the Conejo Valley, no ticket was hotter than one that got fans inside Tom Harmon Gym to see the Simi Valley High boys' basketball team. The 1987-88 Pioneers won all 12 of their Marmonte League games en route to a 28-4 record that culminated in a 7064 overtime win against Capistrano Valley at the Los Angeles Sports Arena for the CIFSouthern Section Division 4A championship.
"So many fans wanted tickets that the school ended up selling extra tickets for people to watch the game on television in the multipurpose room on campus." Fans will be packed into the SVHS gym once again tonight, as the '87-88 team will be honored at halftime of the Pioneers' game against Calabasas High. For some players and coaches, the reunion will mark the first time in 20 years that they've seen each other.
"It's going to be really great to see all those guys again." For three years, SVHS was the last squad opposing Marmonte League teams wanted to see. From 1986 to 1988, the Pioneers lost only one league game and went 71-9 overall. The Pioneers were especially tough to beat in their home gym, where they won 40 straight games. Simi Valley was led by Don MacLean, the leading scorer in Ventura County history with 2,343 career points. MacLean, a three-time member of the All-CIF first team and a McDonald's AllAmerican, scored 1,008 points in 1988, a school record. His 1,120 career rebounds are also a team record. "I got to know (MacLean) at an early age because he was such a good friend of my son, Butch, who was in the same grade," former Simi Valley head coach Bob Hawking said. "When you saw him as a fourth-grader, you just knew he was going to be something special. He was never satisfied with where his game was, and he was a great learner. He was a big kid with extremely good coordination." MacLean would go on to have a stellar career at UCLA, where he became the Pac-10's all-time leading scorer. After the 1992 season, MacLean went to the NBA, where he played with teams such as the Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Washington Bullets. He was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in 1994. Still, one of MacLean's favorite memories was winning the title with Simi Valley. "We had been on the doorstep for so long, with a loss in the championship game my sophomore year and a disappointing loss to Santa Monica High in the quarterfinals my junior year," MacLean said. "So when we won the championship, it was a huge relief for us because we were ranked No. 1 all year long. It was a great feeling and something special for all of us." Delaittre, whose 18 points per game ranks sixth in Pioneer history, agreed with his former teammate. "We should have won the previous two years, so when the final seconds ticked off the clock at the Sports Arena it was more of a relief than anything," Delaittre said. "Coming into that championship game, we were all very confident. We just knew we were going to win." Handling the pointguard duties for the Pioneers was Butch Hawking, who was named to the All-CIF second team his senior year. Hawking's 438 assists rank fifth on the school's all-time list. "One of my greatest memories was being exhausted at the L.A. Sports Arena after winning the CIF title," Butch Hawking said. "I cramped up and cried tears of joy the whole bus ride home." He said a reason for the team's success was its grueling practices during the week. "Our practices were all-out wars," Butch Hawking said. "By the end of practice, we'd take off our jerseys and they'd just be soaked with sweat. It almost became a contest of who could squeeze the most sweat off their jersey onto the floor. "In a way, the practices where we played against each other was our toughest competition. We just loved it when we stepped onto the floor and got to take it out on another team instead." Although MacLean, Delaittre and Butch Hawking may have been the Pioneers' three biggest scoring threats, they were hardly the only stars. The rest of the team consisted of Jon Jones, John Hodges, Gerald Pickett, Mike Langford, Steve Carnes, Darren Aurand, Steve Barlow, Chris Wright and Tim Hall. "Our bench would've started for most teams," MacLean said. "When we were blowing out teams in the first half, Coach Hawking would put in our bench players, and they would play just as well. The majority of the time they would extend our lead." Steve Johnson, Simi Valley's sophomore head coach in 1988 and current Newbury Park High head varsity coach, has a vivid memory of Darren Aurand, who Butch Hawking called the "greatest defensive player in the history of Simi Valley." "In the championship game we were in need of a basket in the fourth quarter, and Darren hit a big shot for us," Johnson said. "He was always known as the defensive stopper on the team, so it was nice to see him contribute on offense as well." Bob Hawking said the championship wouldn't have been possible without every member on the team doing his part. "Everybody played their role perfectly on that team," Bob Hawking said. "We had defensive guys, rebounding guys- everything. All the spokes on the wheel were in place." The championship victory would be the last for Bob Hawking at Simi Valley, as the coach decided to move on after 14 years and 240 career wins at the helm. Hawking would go on to be an assistant at Pepperdine University and UC Davis before becoming the head coach at Cal State Fullerton and Anaheim High. "I had a lot of offers to go to other schools, especially at the college level during my time at Simi Valley," Bob Hawking said. "I'm very glad I never took any of those offers or else I would have never experienced the championship season of '88." During the past month, Butch Hawking has started a campaign to rename Simi Valley's gym Bob Hawking Court at Tom Harmon Gym. Prior to Bob Hawking becoming the head coach, Simi Valley's record was 44-89. "Our players were good, but I believe our coaches were even better," Butch Hawking said. "After every game they would get in the car and go scout another team. We were always prepared." Although the 198788 Pioneers still hold team records in scoring (87.4 per game), highest field goal percentage (.595), three-point percentage (.421), free throws (560) and assists (790), the current Simi Valley team is looking to break some of those marks. With an 18-1 record and by averaging 82.7 points per game, many people, such as Johnson, are drawing comparisons. "They definitely have that certain Simi Valley stamp, and I think that's because of their head coach, Christian Aurand," Johnson said. "They don't have a Don MacLean-type player, but they have a huge emphasis on the fundamentals and defense just like the '88 team." Although Christian Aurand appreciates the praise, he was quick to point out that his current squad is not on par with the championship team just yet. "I'd hate to go there because we haven't even won a Marmonte League championship, so I don't think it would be fair to compare us to the team of 20 years ago," Christian Aurand said. "Yes, we've had a great start, but the teams are like apples and oranges as far as styles of play." Tonight, fans can see a glimpse of both teams with tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m. Make sure to get there early because the lines have been known to reach Cochran Street. |
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