Bradshaw Feels Burned by Coaches

A vendetta against the Simi Valley High boys’ basketball team and Coach Dean Bradshaw has led to unfairness in choosing the All-Marmonte League team, according to Bradshaw.

Bradshaw made the assertion Wednesday after Simi Valley sophomores Branduinn Fullove and Brett Michel were not named to the all-league first team in a vote by coaches Tuesday night.

Bradshaw, in his 10th season at Simi Valley, contends the majority of coaches in the eight-team league failed to vote for the 6-foot-4 Fullove or the 6-6 Michel because they’re upset that Simi Valley has had a series of high-profile players transfer into its program over the past three years.

Agoura Coach Bill Sanchez said he didn’t vote for any Simi Valley players because he is “disgusted with what has gone on over there for the past three years.”

But Steve Johnson of league champion Newbury Park, Gary Abraham of Channel Islands, Gary Grayson of Westlake and Larry Wiksell of Royal said Bradshaw made a mistake by nominating Fullove, Michel and Rafael Berumen for three of the six first-team selections. A most valuable player was also chosen.

“It would have been unprecedented for a second-place team to get three first-team players,” said Johnson, whose team finished three games ahead of Simi Valley. “I think if [Bradshaw] had just nominated two, they both would have made it.”

Johnson, Abraham, Grayson and Wiksell contend Bradshaw split the votes for Fullove and Michel by nominating both.

They said he should have nominated the 6-9 Berumen, who made the first team after averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the regular season, and either Fullove or Michel. Fullove averaged 17 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while Michel averaged 16.3, 4.9 and 4.4.

“He went for the whole enchilada on the first team and it backfired on him,” Wiksell said.

Bradshaw, who withdrew Fullove and Michel from second-team consideration, said nominating two players instead of three wouldn’t have mattered.

He pointed out Michel received only three of a possible eight first-team votes and Fullove had two. Each player received a vote from Bradshaw.

The first-team players received between five and eight votes.

“It’s obvious that the coaches in this league are not capable of choosing an all-league team,” Bradshaw said. “If any of those guys [were] all-star coaches and they had to play a team from another area . . . they would choose [Daniel Bobik of Newbury Park], Berumen, Fullove and Michel.”

Camarillo Coach Mike Prewitt seemed to side with Bradshaw.

“I think we were there last night for all the wrong reasons,” Prewitt said. “I asked the guys, ‘What are we doing here? Are we here for the kids or are we here for our own agenda?’ ”