Harvey Kitani has coached the Fairfax High School boys’ basketball team for 30 years and has won three city championships and two state championships in that span, the last coming in the 2006-07 season. Last year, the Fairfax Lions had a mix of seniors and young players who finished with a 17-11 record and lost to Washington High in the quarterfinals of the CIF City Section Division I playoffs.

Fairfax High guard Reggie Theus is one of the standouts on the Lions basketball team. (photo by Rafael Guerrero)

The Lions lost their three top scorers and six seniors from last season to graduation or transfer and, while this year’s team is young with nine underclassmen, they have plenty of experience and Kitani expects them to compete for another Western League title.

“We are a young team,” Kitani said. “But they have grown with another year of experience and maturity.”

The Lions have started the season 9-3 and scored an early Western League victory against LACES High School on Dec. 15. As the Lions get into the thick of the Western League schedule this week, including a game tonight against Westchester High School at Fairfax, Kitani is preparing his team for a tough road to the playoffs.

“The league has always been one of the best in the city if not the state,” Kitani said. “But this year there is a lot of parity and it’s more wide open than it has been at any time. A strong, mentally disciplined team is going to win this league.”

Kitani attributes the parity to the league getting younger and the other teams getting better.

“There’s always Westchester,” Kitani said. “But there is also Palisades, University and Venice is coming up. Anybody in this league can beat you on any given day.”

The Lions have a lot of talent this year, led by Laik Carter. The six-foot-seven senior was the team’s starting center last season and has become one of the key components of the offense this year with the departure of seniors Donte McFrazier (Western Oregon), Jordan Weathers (Norfolk State), and Ray Barry.

“They did the bulk of our scoring,” Kitani said of the departed players. “They were all good outside shooters and made a lot of three-pointers for us.”

Kitani said Carter had picked up the scoring void during the first 12 games. Carter knows his role on the team but also recognizes that he has plenty of help.

“I’m the post guy but I look for the outside shooters when the defense tries to close on me,” Carter said.

Landon Drew is one of those perimeter players Carter will be passing to. The junior guard transferred to Fairfax High this year after playing on Taft High School’s varsity team in his freshman and sophomore years.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came here,” Drew said. “But after our first twelve games together, I’m satisfied with how we are doing. We have been a very good defensive team.”

The Lions have held their opponents under 50 points in seven of the 12 games. Drew knows the team is inexperienced, but hopes his two years on varsity at Taft will help with that deficiency.

“He has the potential to be one of the best guards in California,” Kitani said. “He is very knowledgeable of the game and, combined with his athleticism, is a tough combo to defend against. He is a total team player.”

Drew said he was honored by Kitani’s praise and added that playing for “one of the most well-known and well-respected coaches in California” is a big reason he came to Fairfax. Drew is also used to the high expectations his last name put on him. His father, Larry Drew, is the current head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and his brother, Larry Drew II, is in his junior season playing guard at the University of North Carolina. He was a member of the Tar Heels’ 2009 NCAA National Championship team.

Having a brother who plays for one of the top Division I programs in the country can cast a big shadow, but Drew takes it as a challenge.

“It’s something you can’t look at as a big deal,” Drew said. “You just have to try and make a name for yourself and that’s what I am trying to do.”

Another Lions’ player to watch will be Reggie Theus. The sophomore is ready to take on a bigger role after spending much of his freshman year relearning how to play basketball.

“I had to learn how to play basketball at the high school level,” Theus said.

Theus said he needed to get used to the speed of the high school game and how to work hard.

“I thought I was working hard,” Theus said. “But coach Kitani showed me what hard work really is. Getting low on defense, the fundamentals, everything I already knew, I just have to do it better.”

Theus also carries a famous last name. His father, Reggie Theus Sr., is currently an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and played 13 seasons in the NBA. Theus knows he is lucky to have a former NBA player as his father.

“It’s a blessing,” Theus said. “I understand that I am getting NBA advice.”

Theus gets a lot of calls from his father and even goes to the Timberwolves’ practices when he is not in school.

“What he and the NBA players tell me is what they did to get to the highest level of basketball and I’m taking advantage of that,” Theus said.

Theus also brings a few of his Fairfax teammates along when he works out with his father.

“He gives them the same advice he gives me,” Theus said. “And if I see that I know something about the game that my teammates may not, I definitely help them with that.”

Kitani knows he has a talented group and is focused on the upcoming challenges in the Western League.

“Our goal is to win the league and then we can go from there,” Kitani said. “Then we can maybe get to the city championship game and then hopefully get a trip to the state championship game.”