Small Guard Is a Big Shot on Court for Waves

Kristy Greenberg is an outsider--one of the best outside shooters in the West Coast Athletic Conference.

The 19-year-old freshman just finished her first year as a guard on the Pepperdine University women’s basketball team, which topped its successful 16-11 season with the defeat (73-60) of cross-town rival Loyola Marymount.

Last season it was a different story. Pepperdine’s offense was limited because it lacked shooters from the perimeter. The Waves finished with a disappointing 7-21 record.

“Our production from outside was terrible,” recalled Coach Ron Fortner. “This year, with Kristy, it’s definitely improved. She leads the conference in three-point shots, which tells you that our outside game has been a lot better.”

Considering Pepperdine’s poor record last year and the early-season injury of his best guard, Kari Christensen, who shot 60% from the field and 90% from the line, it’s fair to say that Fortner was blessed by signing Greenberg--especially since it was a last-minute gesture.

“I was after a big kid from Kansas, and when we lost her, I had a choice: Give the scholarship to Kristy or just keep it,” Fortner said.

“It boiled down to that last-minute decision because we hadn’t had a chance earlier to get into the picture with Kristy. She was committed to Chapman.”

The small forward from the San Gabriel Valley’s Walnut High School was set on Chapman College because it has one of the strongest Division II programs in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.

In 1985 the Panthers reached the finals of the Western Regionals with a 25-4 record, and the year before they tied for first place in the conference with national champ Cal Poly Pomona.

Greenberg wanted to be a part of that success.

But the Sierra League prep star was left with no place to go when she decided late last summer not to play for the Panthers because their coach, Brian Berger, had taken a job at Colorado State.

“When a coach leaves all of a sudden, you just don’t know what’s going to happen with the program,” Greenberg said.

At that point she had eliminated her chances with the other interested schools, which included UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge and Arizona. It was late and the scholarships had been handed out.

“She had a great high school career and a lot of schools showed interest in her, but once players make up their minds, coaches go and get other kids,” Walnut Coach Larry Holmes said. “After she committed with Berger, they left her alone.”

So the Sierra League MVP started making calls and writing to schools. Then a friend suggested Pepperdine.

“A friend called Ron and Ron called me and it just happened,” Greenberg said. “I couldn’t be happier. I love it here.”

After the most successful season in Fortner’s four-year career at Pepperdine, he’s happy with the turn of events.

“I can’t imagine what we would have been like this season without her,” he said.

The 5-9 off guard pulled Fortner’s eight-woman squad out of a scary situation in which a few players quit and Christensen tore knee ligaments.

Greenberg came off the bench in 23 of the 27 games she played. She averaged 10.7 points in conference and sank 82% of her free throws while making 37% of her three-point attempts. She scored in double figures in nine games.

“Starting doesn’t really mean anything,” said assistant coach Dave Schindler. “We didn’t start Kristy because we needed that scoring spark off the bench that she always gave us.”

And those who watched the Waves pound away at Nevada Reno in a conference match-up witnessed that spark. The freshman ended the evening with a career-high 21 points and a great defensive performance.

“Kristy adds a lot to the team because her mental preparation is always so great,” Fortner said. “She never steps on the floor without trying to do the best job she can. She always has her game face on.”

It’s got to be her “get down to business” look and professional attitude that make Greenberg stick out; it’s certainly not her mouth.

“She’s extremely quiet,” teammate Michelle Watson said. “To get her to talk you have to talk about things she likes, like golf and singer James Taylor.”

“The thing with Kristy is that she’s very pumped. She always pumps the rest of the team up, especially when we’re down or tired, and as a result we look up to her. I’m a freshman just like her, and I look up to her.”

And with the best outside shooting percentage in the conference, respect from teammates and a game face, who needs to talk? Greenberg doesn’t. She lets her actions speak.

“If I could find 10 more Kristy Greenbergs, I’d sign them all right away,” Fortner said.