COUNTDOWN TO THE CIF PLAYOFFS : Cleveland Asks Greer to Press the Point : If the Young Guard Takes Control, Crenshaw Might Have to Take Cover

Having tamed Fremont and San Pedro in his last two starts, Damon Greer takes on a more ferocious, less forgiving animal this week.

It’s the Crenshaw press, which seems like a tall order for a sophomore point guard. The ‘Shaw’s suffocating, trapping defense produces so many turnovers that the defending state champions have scored 100 or more points in 22 of their last 48 games.

“They do things that nobody else does,” said Taft Coach Jim Woodard. “They can get into a zone press off a missed shot, and nobody else I’ve ever seen does that.”

Cleveland (16-7) plays Crenshaw (22-2) for the City 4-A championship Friday at 9:15 p.m. at the Sports Arena.

But if Cleveland Coach Bob Braswell is worried about sending a sophomore against Crenshaw’s pressure, he isn’t letting on.

“The sophomore’s been playing like a senior,” Braswell said of Greer, who has emerged as a force in the playoffs.

The 6-foot guard scored a season-high 18 points--about 10 more than his average--in Cleveland’s 93-78 quarterfinal victory over Fremont last Wednesday night, then topped himself with 19 points in the Cavaliers’ 72-65 semifinal win over San Pedro last Friday night.

Greer attributes his emergence to a better understanding of his role. Braswell defined it for him after Cleveland’s 87-58 first-round victory over Gardena.

“I just said, ‘Damon, I’m giving you the basketball,’ ” Braswell said. “ ‘I’m giving you control out there. . . . You have to take that responsibility.’ ”

And now, Braswell said, “we have somebody at the helm who is willing to take charge and has the ability to take charge.”

Against Fremont, Braswell said, “he was a threat to score from the outside and the inside. He ran right through Fremont’s press.”

It was more of the same against San Pedro, whose coach, Jack Kordich, said of Greer: “I think he was the key to the game because he broke our press.”

And now Greer gets a chance to prove himself against the City’s most celebrated team.

In the 16 years since Greer celebrated his first birthday in 1970, Crenshaw has reached the City final 13 times. The Cougars will be trying to win their third straight City championship--and ninth overall--Friday night.

But Greer said those numbers won’t intimidate him.

“They have a very aggressive press,” he said of the Cougars, “but I’m not going to let it psych me out.”

Greer was more nervous last year, playing on the varsity as a freshman, he said.

He spent the season backing up All-City point guard Tyrone Mitchell, who is now at Arizona State. “It was kind of a challenge,” he said. “At first, it was very intimidating.”

Greer began this season as a starter, but not at the point. He was the off-guard, with Andre Anderson at the point. Greer then missed seven starts after coming down with strep throat and bronchitis. When he returned to the starting lineup, he was the point guard, Joey Manliguis was the off-guard and Anderson was on the bench.

“Joey’s shot was falling, and I wasn’t putting too many points on the board, so Joey moved to the wing and I moved to the point,” Greer said. “I felt a lot more comfortable.”

Anderson has since replaced Manliguis, but Greer is still in charge--at Braswell’s insistence.

Shy and soft-spoken by nature, Greer was reluctant to assume a leadership role. “I’m not really a tough guy,” he said, “but if I’m told to do something, I’ll do it.”

And so, prodded by Braswell, Greer has “stepped up” in the past week, in his coach’s words.

His biggest step comes Friday.