At UCLA, They Bring Passion

They begin the game on the UCLA bench, doing a slow burn that builds to a raging inferno of rabid defense and vocal leadership when finally they are inserted into the lineup.

Carly Funicello and Michelle Greco were Times Valley players of the year in high school, go-to producers who led their teams in scoring, rebounding and headlines.

But times change, and players adjust.

Funicello and Greco will be reserves tonight when UCLA plays Colorado State in an NCAA West Regional women’s basketball semifinal at the Sports Arena.

Which is not to say they won’t be in the middle of things.

Funicello might play second fiddle to center Janae Hubbard and power forward Maylana Martin, but she brings the bang of a bass drum. The 6-foot-4 junior post player from Alemany is a loud and aggressive inspiration to her teammates.

Greco is the only freshman to crack the Bruin rotation, but she plays with the confidence of a veteran. The 5-9 guard from Crescenta Valley is an accomplished ballhandler, slashing scorer and blue-collar defender who averages 25 minutes.

Although neither player starts, they often both finish close games.

“You need strong defense and confident players down the stretch, and Michelle and Carly bring those qualities,” UCLA Coach Kathy Olivier said.

UCLA tied for the Pacific-10 Conference championship and no game was more important than a 64-61 victory over Arizona State on March 6. The Sun Devils led by nine points with 5:39 to play when Greco stepped up, making a shot from the baseline. Three minutes later, she made another jumper to pull UCLA within one, and she put back her own miss with 1:18 to play for a 62-61 lead.

Funicello took over from there, diving for a loose ball that created an Arizona State turnover and blocking a shot into the seats with nine seconds left.

UCLA is 25-7 after defeating Wisconsin-Green Bay and Kentucky in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Colorado State (33-2) relies on All-American guard Becky Hammon and senior forward Katie Cronin for scoring, giving Greco and Funicello ample opportunity to make a difference on defense.

“Cronin likes to step outside and shoot, so Carly could very well be the one who defends her,” Olivier said. “And Greco will have time guarding Becky Hammon.”

From doing it all in high school to doing what it takes in college, Funicello and Greco are integral parts of a winning team.

UCLA’s best recruiting class swept in three years ago. Funicello was part of it.

So was Martin, an all-conference forward who is the Bruins’ leading scorer, and Hubbard, a 6-4, 220-pound center. All-conference point guard Erica Gomez, a recruit from four years ago, and forwards Melanie Pearson and Marie Philman were among other juniors who developed a tremendous chemistry.

Funicello started all 27 games as a freshman, averaging 6.8 points and four rebounds. But nagging injuries and the dramatic improvement of Hubbard cut her playing time last season to 12 minutes a game.

“It got frustrating going from being a top player in high school to sort of getting lost,” Funicello said. “Not in the sense of wanting to be a star, but in wanting to find a role. I wanted to contribute the best way I could and I wasn’t sure how.”

Olivier urged Funicello to be less intense in game situations and more intense during off-season workouts.

“I tend to put pressure on myself,” Funicello said. “Kathy said to take my time and slow my game down.

“I worked hard this off-season, running and lifting a lot more than in the past. I wanted to prove to myself that I belonged at UCLA.”

Funicello suffered another setback in November when she had arthroscopic surgery on her left knee. But three weeks later she was back in action, and in December she recorded the first double-double of her career, against North Carolina.

Next came a seven-of-10 shooting performance against San Diego State and strong games against Duke and Pepperdine. By the time conference play began, it was clear Funicello was contributing more than talk.

Not that her chatter diminished.

“I’m always talking, I’m always loud,” she said. “My teammates make fun of me for it. On defense I’m letting people know where everyone is. In practice, if we’re dragging, I keep talking until people get into it.”

Funicello is shooting 56.9% from the field and 75.5% on free throws, a vast improvement over her first two seasons. She averages 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.6 minutes.

Those statistics won’t win her any awards, but she has helped her team win.

“She’s the first to dive for a loose ball, she blocks out and does all the things that don’t show up in the stats,” Olivier said. “I think of Maylana, Janae and Carly as a unit. They all bring different strengths.”

Greco made an even greater adjustment than Funicello. At Crescenta Valley, she was an All-American and twice was state player of the year.

“She did what she wanted,” Olivier said. “It was the Michelle Greco show.”

Greco averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds as a high school senior, but in order to fit in with a UCLA nucleus beginning its third season together, she focused on defense and passing.

To wit: She has 90 assists and a team-high 72 steals.

“Even if I’m not [scoring] in double figures, I have a great game if I contributed defensively, made some assists and had no turnovers,” Greco said. “In previous years, I would frown if I only had 10 points.”

A play in UCLA’s 87-63 victory over Kentucky on Monday proved to Olivier that Greco’s transformation was complete. The coach called for everyone to clear out so Greco could take her defender to the basket.

Greco found an opening, turned to the basket . . . and passed.

Olivier called timeout, touched Greco’s forehead and said, “Michelle, are you OK? You turned down that shot!”

Proving herself unselfish was essential to fitting in with a veteran team.

“I didn’t come in and try to be the big, bad freshman,” Greco said. “This junior class has been together. They were really nice to me.”

And why not, after they witnessed early on what Greco added to their already potent mix? In her second game, Greco scored 17 points against Connecticut in UCLA’s home opener.

She also wasn’t intimidated in a loss to defending national champion Tennessee, scoring 16 points on seven-of-eight shooting. Greco averages 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds and is equally comfortable spelling point guard Gomez or shooting guard LaCresha Flannigan.

“Michelle learned a lot playing with Erica Gomez in practice,” Funicello said. “She comes in every day and works her little butt off.”

The effort has accelerated Greco’s improvement.

“Sometimes it seems like this season has gone by fast and at other times it seems like ages ago we played Notre Dame in our opener,” she said. “In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m not the new kid any more.”

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AREA ROOTS

Season statistics for Michelle Greco and Carly Funicello of UCLA. The Bruins play Colorado State tonight in the West Regional semifinal, at 9 p.m. Greco attended Crescenta Valley High and Funicello went to Alemany.

Michelle Greco

5-9, Fr., Guard

32 games

25.0 mins. per game

7.8 ppg

3.4 rebs

90 assists

Carly Funicello

6-4, Jr., Forward

29 games

16.6 mins. per game

5.8 ppg

4.2 rebs

56.9% FG