The Lions of Fairfax will always be a tough out as long as coach Harvey Kitani paces the sidelines but this year he has a team that fills out the jerseys very well.
The Lions Have a Den Full of Guards
Fairfax returns three starters and it starts with the guards. Lindsey Drew ‘15, the younger brother of Larry Drew (UCLA) and Landon Drew (Cal State Northridge) is the point guard needed to run the team that will have several options at guard.
Arizona State, Fresno State and UTEP have all offered the 6-3 senior guard. Drew was an All-Los Angeles City Section guard last year in a section not lacking in quality guards.
Others in the Lion’s Den
Two other guards who will help run the guard oriented Lions are 6-3 Lorne Currie Jr. ’15 who is quick and 6-3 Donald Gibson ’16 who can drain the long ball.
6-7 junior power forward Babacar Thiombane ’16 brings credibility to the Fairfax front court for who will need others to step in order for Fairfax to have a balanced attack.
Kitani Hopes State Championships Stay in Sacramento
Coach Kitani is very superstitious. The Lions won the school’s first state championship in 2004 over De La Salle (Concord, CA) 51-35 and the team stayed at the Hyatt Hotel in Sacramento and had dinner at the Buca di Beppo restaurant.
So when Fairfax returned to their second state title game in 2007 the team stayed at the Hyatt and had dinner again at the Italian restaurant and defeated McClymonds (Oakland, CA) 54-29. Fairfax is 2-0 all-time in state championship games and Coach Kitani probably hopes the state title games stay in Sacramento.
700 Wins and Counting
Kitani won his 700th career game in 35 seasons earlier this year vs. El Segundo in a 70-17 win in the El Segundo Tournament.
National Division Preview
On December 6 Fairfax defeated Loyola (Los Angeles, CA) 78-66 in the El Segundo Tournament championship. The Cubs of Loyola are the defending champions of the National Division who open vs. Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, CA) at 2:15 pm on December 26 at Torrey Pines.
Fairfax opens the National Division vs. Bellevue (WA) at 12:40 pm on December 26th at Carlsbad (CA).
Fairfax Lions at a Glance
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Established: 1924
Type: Public school
Head Coach: Harvey Kitani
2013-14 Season: 29-4, State Division I Finalist
Key Players
# 14: 6-3 Lindsey Drew ‘15
# 23: 6-3 Lorne Currie Jr. ‘15
# 2: 6-3 Donald Gibson ‘16
# 34: 6-7 Babacar Thiombane ‘16
Last Fairfax National Division Appearance
1st Round: lost to Newark Memorial (Newark, CA) 50-34
Consolation: lost to McClymonds (Oakland, CA) 37-36
Consolation: lost to Mesa (AZ) 60-57
Consolation: lost to Ironwood Ridge (Tucson, AZ) 68-45
Prominent Fairfax Alumni
Steve Adler, Guns N’ Roses
Byron Allen, talk show host
David Arquette, actor, director, producer
Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Danny Everett, 1988 Olympic Gold medalist, 4x400
Larry Gelbert, television writer/producer (M*A*S*H)
Az-Zahir Hakim, NFL
Timothy Hutton, actor
Jackie Jackson, Jackson Five
Jermaine Jackson, Jackson Five
Marlon Jackson, Jackson Five
Tito Jackson, Jackson Five
Jack Kemp, politician, football player
Lenny Kravitz, musician
Lenny Krayzelburg, 2000, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist
Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mila Kunis, actress
Carol Lombard, actress
Chris Mills, NBA
Demi Moore, actress (dropped out at age 16)
Ricardo Montalban, actor
Mickey Rooney, actor
Ann Rutherford, actress
Larry Sherry, 1959 World Series MVP
Joe Shipp, Cal basketball
Josh Shipp, UCLA basketball
Slash, Guns N’ Roses
Hillel Slovak, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Phil Spector, record producer