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.
Tough times for Stewart
Not only did Lodrick Stewart find out yesterday that his great-grandfather back in Mississippi, Pompie Randle, had died at age 98, but also that his mother, Lisa Stewart, had been hospitalized for a nervous breakdown.
``We're not down there so she's got five kids she don't get to see and it's kind of lonely for her,'' Lodrick Stewart said of his mother. ``I know it's hard for her.''
Stewart plans to leave for Mississippi on Friday to attend his great-grandfather's funeral, at which time he will also see his mother for the first time in six years.
``I'm going to get a lot of stuff off my chest when I go down there,'' Stewart said.
Stewart said the difficult period and participating in just one day of practice won't affect him for Wednesday's game at UCLA.
``I just have to keep playing,'' Stewart said. ``I look at it like this is the only way out for my family, me playing basketball. As long as I'm doing good and keeping my grades up, it will keep a smile on her face and my family members' faces.''