Greco, Prince Honored as Top Southland Players

Michelle Greco of La Crescenta Crescenta Valley has won her second consecutive Cheryl Miller Award, presented annually by The Times to the top girls’ basketball player in the Southland.

She is joined by Tayshaun Prince of Compton Dominguez, who has won The Times’ George Yardley Award, presented annually to the top boys’ basketball player in Southern California.

It is the latest in a series of postseason awards for the 5-foot-10 Greco, who will attend UCLA.

Last week, she was named a third-team Parade All-American, the only state player named on the magazine’s four-team list.

Earlier, Greco had been named state player of the year by both Cal-Hi Sports and a major soft drink company.

“They just seem to keep coming,” said Greco of the awards. “It’s very flattering.”

She finished her prep career with 2,397 points, sixth on the Southern Section’s all-time list.

Miller, who played at Riverside Poly from 1978-82, is the leader with 3,446 points.

Like Miller, Greco was an All-Southern Section choice in each of her four seasons.

She led Crescenta Valley to three consecutive Pacific League titles. As a junior, she scored 54 points in one state playoff game.

“Michelle Greco has been the cornerstone of our foundation and has shown us how to win here,” Crescenta Valley Coach Damian Scribner said.

Only one award eluded Greco at Crescenta Valley: the Southern Section championship.

The Falcons fell to El Toro on a last-second shot in the Division I-AA quarterfinals.

Prince, a 6-foot-8 senior at Compton Dominguez, committed to Kentucky in November.

He signed an official letter of intent last week and is looking forward to his first midnight madness practice as a Wildcat in the fall.

But there is still some activity at the high school level to attend to.

On Sunday night, he will play in the Eddie Jones All-Star Classic at the Great Western Forum. The game features West Coast players against players from the rest of the country.

Prince averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds this season. He was selected to the McDonald’s and Parade All-American teams.

Among Prince’s season highlights was a 24-point performance in the Dons’ 71-62 victory over eventual Division I state champion Los Angeles Westchester in the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Challenge at Pauley Pavilion in January.

He also led Dominguez to its fourth consecutive Southern Section Division II-A title.

Prince scored 22 points in an 80-69 championship-game victory over Redondo Union, but missed most of the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury.

Unfortunately for Prince--and two-time defending Division II state champion Dominguez--the knee remained sore the following week.

Prince played sparingly and was scoreless in his final game for the Dons, a 67-54 loss to Compton in the semifinals of the Southern California regional of the state tournament.