Here’s the fourth round of answers.

Q: The basketball team finally found a way to win without Daniel Hackett. Taj Gibson is turning into a monster. Floyd also emptied the bench and there were surprise contributions by the likes of Keith Wilkinson and Ryan Wetherell. With the strong possibility of an NCAA tourney bid, wouldnt it be wise keep Hackett on the bench until the tournament?

A: It would be wise to rest Hackett until he is fully recovered. But the problem is if you wait until the NCAA Tournament, his role will be compromised because he will be rusty. Ideally, he will be healthy enough to get a run of games at the Pac-10 Tournament.

Q: How is Mitch Mustain a different football player today than from when he first enrolled at USC?
A: He is more confident with his teammates and able to exert more leadership than he did in August. The fact he knows the receivers better also improves his decision making along with the fact he knows the offense.

Q: There have been some hyped recruits recently that have come to USC that never really lived up to the hype. Guys like Patrick Turner, Whitney Lewis, Keith Rivers, and Darnell Bing have all come to USC with a ton of hype and never really lived up to their expectations. Is this something that could be blamed on the coaching staff for not developing these guys or using these guys more effectively or should more blame go to the recruiting services who overrate these guys?
A: When a recruit is a bust, there are three possible reasons. 1). The player himself did not improve or work hard enough. 2.) The recruiting services overhyped him. 3.) The coaches did not develop him.
Each player is different. With Lewis, I would say he was most responsible for what happened. With Bing, I believe he could have been pushed harder by the coaches, but that he also needed to push himself harder.