Orange County Prep Player of the Week : She Makes Headlines After Collecting Them

Whoever took Carrie Egan to the seventh-grade dance, don’t feel bad.

Though she left you in a mid-twirl, understand her reason: A girls’ championship basketball game, featuring Cheryl Miller of Riverside Poly, was being televised.

Basketball always has come before dancing--not to mention everything else--for Egan, a senior forward at Brea-Olinda High School.

Throughout junior high, Egan studied the sports sections, scanned statistics and memorized the best players’ names.

Egan clipped all the articles she could find on the USC women’s team and went to its games. She kept special track of Miller, whose career she had been watching since Miller’s days at Riverside Poly.

Egan, with her father’s help and a lot of practice, made her sixth-grade team. By eighth grade, Egan was spending weekends shooting with some of Brea’s seniors. They taught her a jump shot.

After a USC game, Miller autographed Egan’s high tops. She knew she was on her way.

Egan, The Times’ Player of the Week, continues to study the best players. But these days, more people are studying her.

Egan set an Orange County scoring record last Tuesday with 56 points against Anaheim. She broke Magnolia’s Michelle Carter record of 55 points, set last season against Anaheim.

Egan scored 21 points in the first quarter, 33 in the second. Her record-breaking shot came 15 seconds into the third quarter. With Egan’s approval, Wildcat Coach Mark Trakh then removed her from the game.

Why not try to reach Miller’s single-game state record of 105 points, since she had 54 points by halftime? Egan said she wasn’t looking for further acclaim.

“It didn’t feel right,” she said. “I’m not that kind of player.”

Said Trakh: “People asked me, ‘Gee, why didn’t you keep her in for Cheryl Miller’s record?’ I know she could have gotten it. (But) that wouldn’t be her style. Carrie is a very unselfish person. She totally works for the team.”

This season, Egan averages 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists per game. She is shooting 58% from the floor, 56% from the free-throw line.

“She could average a heck of a lot more a game,” Trakh said. “But she doesn’t keep the ball. When we win by 20 points, she’ll score 4. But when we win by 2 or 3, she scores 30.”

Egan has signed a letter of intent to attend Cal Poly Pomona, though recruited by UCLA, Texas and USC.

“USC was it for me before,” Egan said. “I had scrapbooks of Cheryl Miller and photos. But her style started to change when she was a sophomore. I didn’t like her attitude on court. She was too flashy. That’s why I didn’t clip (them out) anymore.

“I’ve been a fan (of Cal Poly Pomona) since eighth grade. Their program is a lot like Brea. Real structured and disciplined. (And) I didn’t want to go big time.”

May be a little late for that.