Pioneers a blue-collar bunch

STRONG TO THE BUCKET— Nick Bruen, right, leaps around teammate Anthony Mullinax to score during a Pioneer practice. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers CJ Faulwell was the last player remaining in the Pioneers’ locker room.

The Simi Valley High boys’ basketball team wrapped up a Wednesday afternoon practice, but Faulwell, a second-year team captain, was hanging around.

He was waiting to catch a ride with assistant coach Ryan Moore so they could scout an opponent.

Nobody can tell Faulwell that the senior and the Pioneers don’t try hard.

“Sometimes we don’t execute the best,” Faulwell said, “but we work hard every day. That’s one good thing about us.”

There are actually a lot of good things about Simi Valley.

Boasting a senior-laden team with six returning varsity players, the Pioneers hope to contend with reigning section champion Thousand Oaks for Marmonte League supremacy.

SCORER—Simi Valley High junior Jon Davis averaged a teamhigh 16.7 points per game through the Pioneers’ first six contests. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers “They’re eager and hungry to prove themselves,” said Simi Valley head coach Christian Aurand.

The Pioneers play a frantic style of basketball—pressing, trapping and running for 32 minutes or more, if necessary.

It’s the only way they know how to play.

“I played on an AAU team this summer and we played slow. That’s boring for me,” Faulwell said.

With the departure of scoring machine Brad Lewis, now a walkon at UC Santa Barbara, Aurand wants the Pioneers to win with a balanced approach.

Simi Valley counts on junior Jon Davis, a versatile 6-foot-7 center/forward who can block shots, rebound, pass and score in a variety of ways.

“Obviously he’s crazy athletic and he looks like the stereotypical basketball player,” Faulwell said of Davis. “But he’s more than that. If we need a basket, we give him the ball. If we need a defensive stop, he can make the play.”

Davis, who was averaging 16.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game entering Thursday’s matchup against Flintridge Prep at the Crescenta Valley Falcon Invitational, called this Pioneer team “scrappy.”

“We rely on getting a lot of steals and taking charges,” Davis said. “We do the little things.”

Simi Valley also likes to spread the floor on offense.

“We like threes—and we love layups,” the junior said. “We try to get to the basket a lot. If a guy’s open for three, we’re going to shoot. Right now we’re in a shooting slump. That’s part of the game. We’ll get that going.”

Aurand wants Davis to maximize his skills. The coach thinks Davis could average 20 points, 12 to 15 rebounds and three to five blocks per game.

“He’s such a nice kid. But I told him it’s okay to be selfish for the good of the team,” said Aurand, who has coached 18 years at SVHS, 11 as head coach.

“For the first time, he’s starting to feel comfortable in his own shoes. He’s been way more aggressive.

“He’s going to carry us a long way. It’s time for him to step up.”

Danny Cox and Faulwell are returning starters, while Grant Keller and Davis have earned starts in previous seasons.

Cox and Keller are four-year varsity players.

Nick Bruen, Joey Brinton and Brandon Behne solidify the regular rotation.

Sophomore point guard Austin Hawk has filled in admirably in the starting lineup for Cox, who is nursing a sprained ankle.

Matt Matulaitis, Iain Mitchell and Anthony Mullinax are all expected to contribute.

“We play well together, and we enjoy playing with each other,” Brinton said. “This year looks really promising.”

The Pioneers, 5-1 entering Thursday, have won blowouts, close games and comebacks.

“We could be playing way better, but we’re finding ways to win,” said Faulwell, an AllMarmonte League third-team selection in 2008-09.

“We know we can win close games, and we know we can come back. We need to step it up a little bit and build some momentum.”

Simi Valley begins its league schedule Wednesday at home at 7:30 p.m. against Moorpark.

Aurand, a 1985 Simi Valley graduate, thinks highly of this close-knit team but knows the Pioneers will need to keep working hard to challenge the Lancers as well as compete with Calabasas, Agoura, Newbury Park, Westlake, Moorpark and Royal.

“I still think we’re finding our identity,” Aurand said. “Brad Lewis carried us offensively. We’re going to have to win with more balance. In many ways, I think it’s better with more balance.

“We’re definitely not satisfied. We want to win every game. We’re greedy. We feel we should win every game. In the last 30 years of the program, every player who plays here feels that pressure to win every game. We have high expectations. We’re not always perfect, but we try to get as close as we can to perfection.

“The guys feel a sense of tradition and expectation. They feel it. I feel it. The coaches feel it.”