Greco Busying Herself With Scholarship Plans

She was selected Cal-Hi state sophomore player of the year last season after averaging 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. She was Cal-Hi’s state freshman player of the year after averaging 18.7 points and 10.9 rebounds.

This fall, Michelle Greco of Crescenta Valley High, an overachieving 5-foot-8 forward who last season led the Falcons (28-2) to a 10-0 record in the Pacific League and the Southern Section Division I-A semifinals, finally will face a majority of opponents her own age. However, few likely will be as talented.

Until then, the beat goes on for Greco, who will lead Crescenta Valley against Lynwood at Crenshaw High on Saturday at noon in the quarterfinals of the L.A. Watts Summer Games.

Greco scored 17 points in each game last week as the Falcons routed Morningside, 56-22, and Fullerton Rosary, 51-29.

Crescenta Valley also squeaked past Inglewood, 26-21. But, as Crescenta Valley Coach Marc Ward noted, “I didn’t have Greco that day.”

Greco skipped the Inglewood game because she was competing in a tournament in San Diego with the Southern California Women’s Basketball Club, a traveling team based in Cerritos.

Greco, in her third season with the team, will travel to Denver next week for a tournament.

“I am so busy these days,” Greco said. “On weekends, I’m playing with my high school team and my travel ball team. I try to make both games, but sometimes I can’t.”

Greco will complete her sophomore year of school this week, then play Saturday for Crescenta Valley against Crenshaw. With a victory, the Falcons will advance to the semifinals at 3.

Should Crescenta Valley advance to the championship game Sunday at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Greco will be unavailable. She departs for Denver that morning.

“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” Greco said jokingly.

The benefits of Greco’s labor undoubtedly will emerge over the next two seasons, during which she assuredly will develop into one of the region’s top college prospects.

“She’s starting to hit her jump shot and learn more about when to take the jump shot,” Ward said. “She’s becoming more of an offensive threat.”

Greco’s primary goal is to earn a scholarship.

“I want to go somewhere that’s a good basketball school,” Greco said. “After that, hey, if they have that women’s NBA league. . . . Hey, you never know.”

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A decision on Darryl Stroh’s replacement as baseball coach at Granada Hills isn’t expected until September. Steve Marden isn’t holding his breath.

Stroh, the dean of high school baseball coaches in the region, retired from coaching in May after 27 years and five City Section championships. Stroh, who remains a teacher at the school, immediately recommended his friend Marden as his successor.

Marden, who resigned in 1993 after 17 years as coach at San Fernando, said he is interested in returning to coaching and has been searching for the right position for the past two years.

Marden was close to being hired as coach at Victor Valley College but negotiations fell through, he said.

“I miss coaching enough that I would like to get back into it and challenge myself again,” said Marden, who led San Fernando to two appearances in the City Section final, winning the championship in 1991. “It would be nice to have the kind of success we had at San Fernando.”

Marden, a teacher at San Fernando, said he has spoken with administrators at Granada Hills and would be interested in making a move--if a teaching position was available.

Right now, one isn’t. And that might mean the end of discussion.

It is likely that Stroh’s replacement will be a walk-on, according to Bob Weinberg, assistant principal in charge of athletics at Granada Hills.

“Our real problem is, we are just about at capacity,” Weinberg said. “We are just straining our brain to get somebody in here who is quality. We’re trying to arrange it so we can create a staff position.”

Weinberg said Marden would be “a very strong candidate,” if the school were free to hire a teacher-baseball coach.

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Westlake will introduce its new baseball coach June 28, Athletic Director Joseph Pawlick said. Interim Coach Chuck Berrington, who replaced Dave Wilder in April and led the Warriors on a Southern Section playoff run, is a strong candidate, Pawlick said.

But that’s all Pawlick will say for now.

“We’re just not ready to fill it,” Pawlick said. “I just want to give it some time.”

One would expect Westlake to proceed carefully. And Pawlick is.

Wilder, a first-year walk-on, came under fire from parents for allegedly falsifying his resume and eventually was dismissed for misstating his employment history. Westlake suffered further embarrassment when Wilder subsequently was arrested on an outstanding warrant charging him with felony grand theft.

Under Berrington, Westlake (11-11) went 4-4, finishing fourth in the Marmonte League at 7-7.

Pawlick said he is pleased with Berrington’s performance but still is conducting interviews.