Matthew Kredell broke into the Daily News in 1998, working part time
at the paper while going to USC. The basketball team’s Elite Eight
run in 2000-01 was USC’s athletic highlight in his time at the
school, when the football team was stuck in the Paul Hackett-era.
After graduating in 2001, he started writing for the Daily News full
time. He’s in his second year covering USC, which coincides with the
rise of the program. He’ll take credit for the success, though Tim
Floyd may have more to do with it. A third-generation Los Angelean,
he grew up reading the Daily News while at El Camino Real High School
in Woodland Hills.
Rodrick regretful
Lodrick Stewart said that he and his twin brother often talk about how it would have been if Rodrick had stayed at USC. Rodrick transferred to Kansas after his freshman season. He is a little-used reserve on the Jayhawks, averaging less than a point a game. Lodrick had signed release papers after his sophomore year but opted to stay at USC when he heard Tim Floyd was coming in as the new coach. He is second on the team with an average of 13.8 points as a senior.
Rodrick could have been a big contributor on the Trojans at the beginning of this season when USC was in need of a point guard because of the death of Ryan Francis and the academic ineligibility of Gabe Pruitt.
``We talk about it all the time,'' Lodrick said. ``He'll say, `Man, what if I just would have stayed.' ''