Greco Makes Up Mind and Commits to UCLA

Michelle Greco of Crescenta Valley High, The Times’ 1996-97 girls’ basketball player of the year, announced Wednesday that she has committed to UCLA.

Greco, a senior guard, selected the Bruins over UC Santa Barbara and USC after visiting each campus during the past month.

She earlier eliminated Colorado, Oregon State and Pepperdine from consideration.

“It was awfully hard to pass up Santa Barbara and USC,” said Greco, who has averaged 20.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals in three years at Crescenta Valley. “UCLA has always been a lifelong dream for me and it was hard to give that up.”

The 5-foot-9 guard has been selected a preseason All-American by Street and Smith’s magazine and is listed among the nation’s top 50 recruits by Student Sports magazine.

Greco averaged more than 34 points per game in the playoffs last season, leading the Falcons to the Southern Section Division I-A final and the regional semifinals. She scored 54 points in a state tournament game against Porterville Monache.

At UCLA, Greco will join former Alemany High center Carly Funicello, The Times’ 1995-96 Valley player of the year.

The Bruins, fourth in the Pacific 10 Conference last season, will lose starting guards Tawana Grimes and Aisha Veasley after this season.

Greco, the only high school guard recruited by UCLA, should have an immediate chance to win a starting job.

Santa Barbara, Big West Conference champion, has no seniors on a team that figures to challenge for another title.

Among the projected starters for Santa Barbara this season are sophomore guard Tawnee Cooper, The Times’ 1995-96 Ventura County player of the year from Simi Valley, and freshman center Nicole Greathouse from Buena, who won the same honor last season.