WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers MARKED MAN—Simi Valley High's Brad Lewis drives to the basket Wednesday against Moorpark. Lewis is the county's top scorer. A chiseled physique, outstanding height, outofthisworld leaping ability and a chest-pounding mean streak that could make a small child fill the ocean with tears—Simi Valley High senior guard Brad Lewis possesses none of these qualities.

In fact, if he didn't have a number on his back when he walked into an opposing team's gym, there's a chance the opposition wouldn't have a clue, or even care, who Lewis was.

And then he'd go out and score 20, 25, 30, maybe even 35 points on the other team, and they'd know they'd just been hustled, like Woody Harrelson taking some poor sap's money in "White Men Can't Jump."

"Other teams probably see me as an average guy, someone who won't dunk or drive past anyone on offense," said the 6-foot-1, 175-pound Lewis.

"Obviously I'm not that big or scary. I'm just another guy."

Average? Not on the basketball court. Just another guy? He was first-team All-County last year. A superstar in the high school ranks? Now we're getting close.

"He's not an eye-popping guy that's going to athletically dominate people," SVHS head coach Christian Aurand said. "He's not an unbelievable athlete, but he's crafty. He's crafty, and he has a high basketball IQ. He's very savvy on the court, and he can really shoot the three."

Entering tonight's Marmonte League showdown at home against first-place Thousand Oaks, Lewis leads the county with a 24.4 points-per-game average.

He's already scored 30 or more points in a contest on six occasions, including a season-high 41-point effort against Calabasas Dec. 19.

In his second year on the Pioneer varsity squad—Lewis averaged 17.9 points per game as a junior while playing third fiddle to collegebound seniors Lorne Jackson and Michael Meza—Lewis has become the focal point for every defense the Pioneers face.

"Guys are out there now trying to prove that they can shut him down," Aurand said.

"Teams are always coming up with new strategies for what they need to do to try and stop him. We have to figure out ways to get him free and ways to use him as a decoy to get other guys open."

Aurand compares Lewis' game to that of Davidson guard Stephen Curry, one of the premier playmakers in all of men's college basketball and the nation's leading scorer.

"Ninety percent of our offense goes through him in some shape or form," Aurand said of Lewis, who turns 18 in March.

It's not as if Lewis just hit the switch and became a dominant player.

As a kid growing up, Lewis played on multiple travel teams, including the Simi Valley Vikings and Simi Valley Blue Devils.

After transferring from Royal following his freshman campaign, Lewis had to play a second season on the junior varsity level because of CIF rules.

Lewis dominated JV as a sophomore and, according to Aurand, would have been a shoein for the Pioneer varsity squad that year if he was eligible.

When he joined the varsity squad last year, Lewis became the team's best long-range shooter, hitting 70 shots from beyond the 3-point line, the seventh-best single-season total in program history.

Still, Lewis' junior season ended on a sour note when the Pioneers were upset in the second round of the playoffs by Long Beach Wilson.

"It was horrible," said Lewis, who admits that he hates losing more than anything.

"It was the worst bus ride home I've ever had in my life, just complete silence. That loss has been on my mind the whole year."

Simi Valley (16-5, 8-1 in league) can climb right back into a first-place tie in the Marmonte with a victory over Thousand Oaks (19-2, 9-0) tonight.

No one needs to remind Lewis how important the matchup is.

"It's probably the biggest game of our lives," he said. "It's huge for all of us."

As for college, Lewis expects to play at the next level, although he isn't sure if it'll be in Division I or Division II. Skeptics point to his lack of athleticism and height, and a need to improve on defense.

Aurand, on the other hand, believes Lewis can make an impact wherever he goes. The goal, as it stands now, is to find a perfect fit for Lewis both athletically and academically.

"A guy that can make threes at the percentage he shoots, has a mid-range game like him and can pass and handle the ball—he has skills to play shooting guard or the point as a combo guard—I know he's a college basketball player," Aurand said.