Fullove Kept Pioneers on Course

Ask Branduinn Fullove of Simi Valley High what he’ll remember most about the 1999-2000 basketball season and he’ll fail to mention that the Pioneers advanced to a Southern Section title game for the first time in his four-year varsity career.

Nor will he bring up his selection to all-state and all-section teams.

But he will mention his friendships with senior teammates Anish Sharda, Peter Boon and Saunray Winchester and the Pioneers’ ability to overcome a tumultuous regular season in the playoffs.

“The adversity that we had to overcome and deal with . . . is something I’ll remember,” said Fullove, The Times’ Ventura County player of the year.

Simi Valley (28-4) was 24-2 during the regular season and 12-0 in Marmonte League play for the second consecutive season, but the Pioneers were racked by internal strife and squabbles.

It appeared Simi Valley’s hopes of making a deep run in the playoffs were dashed when point guard Shaun Michel quit the team before the last regular-season game, following a run-in with Coach Christian Aurand.

But the Pioneers didn’t fade away. They played with more unselfishness and joy than they had displayed in the regular season, advancing to their first section final since 1993.

Simi Valley lost to Mater Dei, 54-39, in the championship game at The Arrowhead Pond and was overwhelmed by host Clovis West, 100-64, in a Division I opener of the Southern Regional. But that did little to diminish the Pioneers’ postseason run or the best season of Fullove’s career.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard, who signed with UC Santa Barbara, posted career-high averages of 24.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 steals while shooting a career-high 62.8% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range. He shot 72.7% from the field and 50% from three-point range in league play.

Fullove’s 767 points moved him to second behind Don MacLean (1,008 in 1987-88) on Simi Valley’s all-time season scoring list. His 2,216 career points moved him to second on the all-time Ventura County list behind MacLean’s 2,343 from 1985-88.

“I don’t think I worked any harder over the summer than I had in previous years,” Fullove said. “But I did a lot of fine tuning on my game. I really worked at sharpening my game and adding some aspects to it.”

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Christian Aurand / Simi Valley

Coach of the Year

28-4

Assistants: Jose Hernandez, Craig Griffin, Mike Pugh.

Led the Pioneers through an unbeaten Marmonte League campaign to a 28-2 record before consecutive losses to Mater Dei in the Division I-A title game and Clovis West in a Southern Regional opener.

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Player of the Year: Branduinn Fullove

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Mike Derse / Ventura

6-3, Forward

Senior

He helped the Cougars (18-9) to a runner-up finish behind Santa Barbara in the Channel League by leading the team in rebounding (6.7) and ranking second in scoring (13.8).

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Branduinn Fullove / Simi Valley

6-5, Guard

Senior

Player of the year.

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Matthew Merricks / Oxnard

6-1, Guard

Senior

The Pacific View League player of the year averaged 13.3 points and his school-record 146 steals keyed a tenacious defense for the Yellowjackets, who were 8-0 in league play for the second consecutive season.

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Dustin Villepigue / Simi Valley

6-9, Center

Junior

Villepigue played his best in the biggest games, averaging 15.8 points--while shooting 69.8% from the field--and 9.3 rebounds in the playoffs. On the season, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.8 rebounds.

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Brett Michel / Simi Valley

6-6, Forward

Senior

The four-year starter posted career-high averages of 19.6 points and 6.8 rebounds and made a career-high 78 three-pointers as the Pioneers (28-4) advanced to the Division I-A final. He scored 2,051 career points to rank third on the Ventura County list.

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Kyle Kegley / Thousand Oaks

6-4, Guard

Junior

After missing the first nine games because of a back injury, he averaged a team-high 18.2 points to help the Lancers (18-10) finish second in the Marmonte League and advance to the third round of the Division I-A playoffs.

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Nicholas Curtis / Oxnard

6-6, Center

Junior

The two-year starter helped the Yellowjackets (22-5) win their second consecutive Pacific View League title by averaging a team-high 14.4 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.

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Adam Segal / Royal

6-1, Guard

Senior

Segal averaged a team-high 20.8 points to help the Highlanders (14-12) to a surprising third-place finish in the Marmonte League and to the second round of the Division I-A playoffs.

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Todd Tomlinson / Moorpark

6-1, Guard

Senior

Tomlinson averaged a team-leading 24.7 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 steals as the Musketeers (19-10) advanced to the Division II-AA quarterfinals. His 716 points and 92 three-point baskets were school season records.

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Jeremy Murphy / Oak Park

6-4, Forward

Junior

The Tri-Valley League player of the year averaged 20 points and 8.6 rebounds as the Eagles (20-6) won their fifth league title in seven years and advanced to the Division IV-AA quarterfinals.

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Second-team chart, final standing and statistical leaders on Page 15.