Planting a dream

Monday, June 8, 1998

Planting a dream

Michelle Greco’s childhood hopes of attending

UCLA may sprout into a position with the WNBA

By David Arnold

Daily Bruin Contributor

So the talented Michelle Greco is coming to play basketball in
Westwood; to what do we owe this honor?

Maybe we owe it to the parents that supported her in all sports,
whether it was basketball, soccer, tennis, softball or bowling.

Or maybe it was the brother what wouldn’t let her go to USC.

Perhaps it was the tenacious UCLA recruiting that started her
freshman year of high school, and culminated in her signing with
the Bruins last fall.

But those who know her best realize that Greco, from La Cresenda
Valley High School, has been a Bruin for a lot longer than that.
The All-American shooting guard’s roots in the UCLA athletic
program were sown way before she completed her new, complete
ensemble of BearWear.

To find where those grains were first planted, one must journey
back to Greco’s days in elementary school where, for most people,
basketball was still just a game.

Greco thought differently, though. All of the other kids wanted
to be an astronaut, or a fireman – the very ambitious might have
gone as far as president. But Greco was beyond that.

She wanted to play basketball at UCLA.

"I’ve always been a UCLA fan," Greco said. "I’m not sure why,
none of my relatives went there. My dad has more relatives that
went to ‘SC."

The Trojan alumni couldn’t sway the thoughts of this one,
though.

The UCLA coaching staff has been following her for a long time.
"My freshman year they were already interested."

Back then, Greco used to see the likes of assistant coach Pam
Walker in the stands at the tournaments she played in. "A couple of
days later I’d get a postcard that would say something like, ‘We
saw you play, and liked what we saw,’" Greco said.

"I didn’t want to go far, I wanted to stay close to home," she
said. "I really wanted my parents to be able to watch and come to
my games in college."

Even though the La Cresenda native really wanted to remain local
to Los Angeles, it wasn’t like USC and UCLA were the only ones
interested in her.

Quite to the contrary, she was voted an All-American by Parade
Magazine, and was in high demand. Arizona and even Colorado were
still in the races for the 5-foot, 10-inch shooting guard until the
last laps, as was UC Santa Barbara.

The two out-of-state schools grasped her attention for their
successful programs and interest in her. In fact, Colorado had the
added incentive of being the home state of several of Greco’s
relatives.

The Gauchos of Santa Barbara were able to seduce her with their
easy-access beach and had already succeeded in obtaining Greco’s
older sister.

After all, we are talking about an all-around athlete here, not
one of those one-sport-only deals. In Greco, one gets not only one
of the nation’s best high school two-guards, but a serious soccer
stud, a big-time bowler, a treat for team tennis and a softball
slingin’ sportswoman.

In fact, she had to choose basketball over soccer and tennis,
which she played for four years at the varsity level.

"I really never played basketball for a long time," Greco said.
"I kind of liked both (soccer and basketball)."

As anyone who has even dabbled in a single sport could probably
understand, a love of sports at this level takes up a considerable
amount of time and effort.

Greco, though a freshman starter in varsity basketball, admits
her decision to pursue hoops was, at least in part, due to the fact
that, "You don’t see many soccer players getting Division I
scholarships."

Yeah, she’s been an athletic kid, but that’s all in the past
now. What makes Greco newsworthy is her future, not her past, and
it will continue to do so over the next few years.

Sometime between the stressful practices and hectic schedule of
the student-athlete, she hopes to earn herself a communications
major, for a possible entry into sports broadcasting.

Over that time period, Greco will have the opportunity to carry
out that childhood dream of hers: playing on the hardwood of Pauley
Pavilion.

But don’t think she’s going to sleep-walk through her seasons as
a Bruin. No way, nobody around here is going to let her do that for
one second.

Does the fact that she was a High School All-American (following
in the footsteps of current Bruins Erica Gomez, Takiyah Jackson,
and Maylana Martin) bring extra expectations to campus with
her?

"Maybe it does," she readily admitted, "but I’m not going to
worry about that right now. My main goals are just to work hard and
improve my game."

Surely, one thinks, nobody goes to college just to improve their
basketball skills, especially not to exposure-friendly UCLA, and
especially not by someone who admits to pursuing a scholarship.

Think again.

Though the WNBA and ABL will be watching her with eyes peeled
over the next couple of years, they are not in her immediate future
or thoughts.

Two reasons: neither league will draft anyone who is younger
than 20, or does not have a college degree; but even if they did,
she’s not that kind of gal.

"It’s more tempting for the the men [to begin thinking about
going pro early]," Greco alluded to the starting salaries in the
professional women’s leagues. "Why would you want to skip college
for $40,000 a year anyway?"

Not that using her athletic talent later in her life is out of
the question for Greco. As she said, "I would love to continue
playing," which is one of the numerous driving forces behind her
decision to attend UCLA.

"This team, they’re on the rise. They’re up and coming," she
said, "and I want to be a part of it."

But "how big a part," and "what part exactly" are questions
which remain unanswered. Though Greco said she has "a lot of
confidence" in herself, she recognizes the difficulty many have in
adjusting to the college game.

"I was a starter as a freshman in high school, so sitting on the
bench and watching someone else taking the last shot isn’t
something I’m used to," Greco readily admitted.

Remember, though, that her goal was never to "make an immediate
impact," like so many recruits want to (and sometimes have to), but
to merely improve.

"I probably won’t be able to drive as much," she speculates on
her future games as a collegiate, "In college, everyone is quicker
and stronger. I just have to keep up with the bigger girls.

"I think that’s what puts an athlete over the top: winning in
the face of adversity."

Winning is one thing that will be expected of UCLA next year,
which will try to repeat its first NCAA Tournament appearance in
six years. With a talented class heading into its junior year, and
a positive attitude exemplified in Greco, next year’s team has all
the potential it can handle.

"I think we can win the title," Greco said about her first year
as a Bruin.

But which one, the Pacific 10 title or the NCAA
Championship?

"Well, both.

"I just want to take on a role for myself, though," she
said.

With that statement she becomes the team player that is every
coach’s dream.

And every fan’s dream too. For every time she suits up with the
the letters UCLA on her jersey, Greco has the chance to give credit
to all our dreams, by living out her own.GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily
Bruin

High school shooting guard sensation Michelle Greco will
showcase her talents next year in a Bruin uniform.