FANTASY HOOPS; DOES 1999 TEAM EQUAL MACLEAN'S TITLE-WINNING SIMI VALLEY TEAM OF '88?

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

They showed up at Simi Valley High the same year, three impact players who instantly established the Pioneers as a Southern California basketball power.

A sweet-shooting, dominant big man. A gutsy, high-scoring forward. A long-range sniper.

And, no, we're not talking about Rafael Berumen, Branduinn Fullove and Brett Michel, who have fueled Simi Valley's surge into tonight's Division I-A semifinal against Mater Dei.

More than a decade ago, the Pionee welcomed a sophomore talent infusion consisting of 6-foot-8 center Don MacLean, 6-5 forward Shawn DeLaittre and 6-1 point guard Butch Hawking.

That was in 1985. Over the next three years, the Pioneers lost to Muir in the Southern Section 4-A title game, were upset in a bitter 4-A semifinal by Santa Monica and then, finally, triumphantly, won the 1987-88 championship in an overtime classic against Todd Marinovich and Capistrano Valley at the Sports Arena.

As this year's group dreams of winning its own title Saturday at the Pond in Anaheim, it's difficult not to reflect back 11 years to the days when Simi Valley ended the MacLean era.

It's nearly impossible not to appreciate the similarities, and the differences, between this year's team and that one.

And in a game of our imagination, who wins a game between these two Simi Valley dynasties?

``Not to take anything away from this year's team, but I doubt they've missed as many shots as me and Don and Shawn made just practicing ogether,'' said Butch Hawking, now an assistant coach at Kansas State. ``We lived in the gym. That team had an unbelievable work ethic.''

The matchups are titanic. MacLean, who went on to play at UCLA and is now with the Seattle SuperSonics, against Berumen, who moves on to New Mexico next year; Fullove, the present team's emotional leader, against DeLaittre, who averaged 25 points in 1987-88.

Then there's Brett Michel, a gifted long-range shooter, matched against defensive stopper Darren Aurand. At point guard, Hawking faces Sean Michel, Brett's sophomore brother and an emerging force. At the other forward spot, present sophomore Dustin Villepigue, at 6-9, hooks up with Gerald Pickett, an underrated player who sacrificed personal stats to play an important, though unsung, role.

Who wins?

``Boy, that would be a heck of a battle,'' said Simi Valley coach Dean Bradshaw, an assistant under Bob Hawking in 1988. ``That's a game I'd like to see.''

The key matchups

Much likeLean's group, this year's Pioneers are built around a three-player core. But both teams' big men are the difference.

MacLean, like Berumen, took over games with his scoring and sheer will. He's the standard by which contemporary San Fernando Valley-area forwards are measured, and though Berumen comes the closest, he isn't quite the player MacLean was.

``Don went on to become the leading scorer in Pacific-10 history, and then averaged 18 points a game in the NBA in his second year,'' Butch Hawking said. ``That's big-time stuff.''

OK, so MacLean has the edge over Berumen, but it's close. After all, consider that Berumen recently eclipsed MacLean's single-game school scoring record with 53 points against Agoura.

MacLean saw this year's team play in December during the NBA lockout. He was struck by the parallels.

``They're a lot like us in that they've got a big guy in the middle and talented guys around him that do a lot of things. I know Rafael does most of the scoring, but thher guys seem to be OK with that and they're willing to play their roles,'' MacLean said. ``And like us, they're so well coached.''

This year's team has an advantage in the Fullove-DeLaittre matchup. Fullove is an outside threat, open-court finisher and defensive stopper. Even though DeLaittre would get his points, Fullove does so many other things that he'd win that battle.

``I really, really like Fullove,'' said David Pump, a local basketball scout who also saw MacLean's Simi Valley teams play. ``He's the heart and soul of that team.''

Butch Hawking, the son of coach Bob Hawking, was the perfect point guard for the 1987-88 team. First, he made sure MacLean and DeLaittre got their looks, which was essential. Unlike Berumen, who can help Simi Valley even when he doesn't score much, MacLean had to get his 25-35 points for the Pioneers to win.

But when things broke down, Hawking could knock down the 3-pointer, then in its infancy.

Give the nod to Hawking over Shawn Michel, alth in two years, when Michel is a senior, that will probably change.

At forward, the present Simi Valley team enjoys a big advantage. With Brett Michel and Dustin Villepigue, this year's team overwhelms MacLean's in size and talent.

Michel and Villepigue would square off against Aurand and Pickett, respectively. The nod in both cases goes to the contemporary Pioneers. And that gives them the overall advantage in terms of starting players.

``I think when you look back at this in a few years, you'll see that this year's team ended up having five Division I players on it,'' Pump said.

Advantage: This year's team.

Intangibles

MacLean's team was cocky, sometimes too much for its own good. On the road, opposing fans rode the Pioneers, and referees rarely gave them a break. In the semifinal loss in 1987 to Santa Monica, MacLean drew three fouls in the first four minutes.

But as MacLean points out, the key then, as it is now for him in the NBA, is confidence.

``Wtell you we were better than you before the game, during it, after it and at all times in between,'' MacLean said.

This year's team isn't as outwardly assured, but there's a definite confidence level developed over years of playing together in big games.

``We don't get fazed, no matter what,'' Fullove said Friday after the Ventura win. ``One of the things we do is stay composed. From the coaches to the players.''

MacLean's club was deeper, and the bench developed over the season because the key starters rarely played far into a game's second half. This year's bench isn't as steady, although role players like Calvin Bell and Tony Ward have made nice contributions recently.

Still, Hawking likes the 1987 bench.

``Put it this way, during the summer before my senior year, we formed a summer league team just of our bench players,'' Hawking said. ``And they went undefeated.''

Advantage: MacLean's team

And the winner is . . .

MacLean's team has the ultimate edge t now because it won a section championship. The current group has never advanced past the semifinal.

There are arguments for both teams. In 1988, Simi Valley had a hammer in MacLean and two other standouts in DeLaittre and Hawking, plus a deeper bench. But this year's team has the better overall starting five, a more effective inside game with Berumen and Villepigue, the two Michels, Fullove and superior size.

``MacLean would definitely be the best player on the floor,'' Pump said. ``But Rafael is going to play, then you've got Fullove, who I can't say enough about. I think this year's team just has a little more going for it. It would be a great game, but I think this year's team wins.''

SIMI vs. SIMI

1987-88 Pioneers

Key players: F Don MacLean; F Shawn DeLaittre; G Butch Hawking.

Biggest win: Defeated Capistrano Valley 70-64 to win the 1987-88 Southern Section Division 4-A Championship.

Biggest loss: Upset by Santa Monica 55-54 in the Division 4-A semifinal 1986-87

Fast fact: The seniors on that team lost only one Marmonte League game in three years.

Memories: ``It was a relief to win that championship, but I wanted to win it as much for my teammates as myself,'' Don MacLean said.

1998-99 Pioneers

Key Players: C Rafael Berumen; F Brett Michel; F Branduinn Fullove; G Shaun Michel.

Biggest win: Beat Long Beach Jordan in the Southern Section playoffs last year.

Biggest loss: Upset by Newbury Park last year to lose the Marmonte League championship.

Fast fact: Berumen scored a school-record 53 points on Feb. 12 against Agoura.

Memories: ``It'll be interesting when it's all said and done to see where this group of guys ends up to compared to (MacLean's) group,'' coach Dean Bradshaw said.

SIMI VALLEY vs. MATER DEI

Division: I-A

Site: Ocean View High in Huntington Beach 

Records: Simi Valley 28-2; Mater Dei 20-9

Mater Dei outlook: The Monarchs' loss column is not typical ofthe school's usual record, but the team is relatively young and played an arduous nonleague schedule. Starting forward Cedric Bozeman, a 6-foot-5 leaper, is out after hurting a knee in the quarterfinal victory over Moreno Valley.

Simi Valley advantages: Rafael Berumen will be matched up with a quicker player, but Berumen is far stronger than Mater Dei's Jamal Sampson and should be able to exploit him down low.

Simi Valley disadvantages: Depth. The Pioneers' starting five is in excellent condition, but the Monarchs can go nine deep with little dropoff.

What has to happen for Simi Valley to win: ``We are going to have to execute on offense and play tough defense,'' Simi Valley coach Dean Bradshaw said. Another big game from sophomore forward Dustin Villepigue, who had 15 rebounds against Ventura in the quarterfinals, would open up Simi Valley's offense and allow Branduinn Fullove to slash inside and leave Brett Michel open from the outside.

Directions: 405 south, exit Golden West, soto Warner Avenue, left to the school. School is at 17071 Gothard St.

- Jim Inghram

CAPTION(S):

Photo, 2 Boxes

PHOTO (Color) no caption (Don MacLean and Branduinn Fullove)

BOX: (1) SIMI vs. SIMI (see text)

(2) SIMI VALLEY vs. MATER DEI (see text)