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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.
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Adam and Ryan Goldston, the twin brothers from Montclair Prep in Van Nuys who were walk-ons for basketball as freshmen in 2005-06, made the football teams as walk-ons for the spring. Adam is listed as a fullback and receiver while Ryan is listed as a receiver.
Fresh off a trip to the Sweet 16, USC added another player to a 2007 recruiting class already ranked No. 2 in the nation by rivals.com. Mamadou Diarra, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward from Stoneridge Prep of Simi Valley gave USC an oral commitment Wednesday after a three-day visit to the school, according to Stoneridge managing director Mike Mahoney.
The No. 65-ranked prospect by rivals.com joins a class that already includes prized guard O.J. Mayo, power forward Davon Jefferson and small forwards Leonard Washington and Marcus Simmons. Diarra, originally from Bamako, Mali, in Africa, averaged 8.1 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior. He chose USC over offers from Oklahoma State, Fresno State, Auburn and Baylor.
If USC made it to the Elite Eight and won -- which I had started thinking was a real possibility early in the second half against North Carolina -- I was holding out on the great angle that the team would have to push its awards banquet back. I wonder if it will be scheduled after the Final Four next year. Anyway, here, in advance, are the winners from tonight's banquet.
MVP: Nick Young
Top FT Percentage: Gabe Pruitt
Top GPA: Reed Doucette (3.978)
110% effort: Abdoulaye N'diaye
Sixth man: Dwight Lewis
Most Inspirational: Daniel Hackett
Coaches' Award: Lodrick Stewart
Top Rebounder: Taj Gibson
This USC team was a pleasure to cover for my first full season on a college beat. The main players really are good guys to deal with, not at all jaded like some standout athletes become. It will be interesting to see how the team dynamic changes next season with Mayo, Jefferson and the other newcomers. You could see how much veterans Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Lodrick Stewart enjoyed this season after the struggles they went through early in their college years, and that made the Sweet 16 run fun to follow. Thanks to all the readers for helping to make this blog a success. The offseason will have some interesting plot lines with Young and Pruitt, whether they turn professional or return for their senior years. Check back every so often and I'll have offseason notes when anything comes up.
North Carolina forward Brandan Wright had this to say about USC: "That program looks bright. They have a lot of talent. They're a team I see in the Final Four in the near future."
Wright, a freshman, scored a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds against the Trojans.
Now that the season is over, junior Nick Young must decide whether to return for his senior season or declare for the NBA draft. The Cleveland High of Reseda product, projected as a first-round pick in many mock drafts, said there is a big chance he returns.
``Oh yeah, there's a big chance,'' Young said. ``I love this Trojan family. We had a lot of success and, with the recruits coming in, it should be even better for us.''
Young is riding the high of USC's NCAA Tournament run, and the key will be how he feels in a couple weeks after talking to coach Tim Floyd, NBA personnel and his family.
The senior guard finished with 15 points and four rebounds on 6-of-15 shooting in his final game.
``Just knowing this will be my last time putting on this uniform with these great players around me, it is hard,’’ Stewart said. ``I wish coach Floyd could be my coach for the rest of my life.’’
Stewart finished his USC career with 1,466 points, ranking ninth on the school's all-time scoring list. He hit three 3-pointers Friday, extending his school record to 232.
Gabe Pruitt curled up on the bench, his jersey pulled over his head to hide the tears.
Even for a team that exceeded all expectations by making the Sweet 16, the end of a season hurts.
Seemingly on the way to another remarkable victory in this NCAA Tournament, USC fell apart in the second half Friday, blowing a 16-point lead in a 74-64 loss to top-seeded North Carolina at Continental Arena.
``We had the game,’’ Pruitt said. ``We had a big lead and we let it go. ... It’s tough to swallow that, knowing we had the game and we gave it up so easily.’’
The Trojans started the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 49-33 lead on the reeling Tar Heels.
Then, still half an hour before midnight Eastern Time, everything went awry.
North Carolina finally started taking advantage of its edge in size, pounding the offensive glass for tip-ins and second-chance opportunities to claw back in the game.
Any resistance USC had inside took a big hit when forward Taj Gibson picked up his fourth foul with 12:25 remaining and the Trojans ahead 57-45.
As soon as he took the bench, the Tar Heels began an 11-2 run. Six of the points came inside from Brandan Wright.
With 8:23 remaining and the lead down to 59-56, USC coach Tim Floyd took a chance and put back in Gibson.
The boost didn’t help as North Carolina scored the next 11 points after Gibson returned, extending is run to 22-2. All 22 points either came inside or from the free-throw line.
``There was nothing we could really do,’’ said Nick Young, who scored 15 points in what could be his final game as a Trojan. ``They’re a great team. They were knocking down their shots and we weren’t. We were making turnovers and misses. ... They just played great down the stretch. That’s what you should expect from a No. 1 team.’’
The Tar Heels took their first lead of the second half 60-59 on a tip-in by Danny Green following a missed layup. A few minutes later, on a reverse layup from Wayne Ellington around Gibson, North Carolina was up by eight points.
Despite the loss, USC players had little to be disappointed about after setting a school record with 25 victories.
Expectations will be higher next season, especially if Young returns. USC is expected to add the top recruit in the nation in Huntington, W.Va., guard O.J. Mayo.
``I think as long as Tim Floyd is coach, this is going to be a national powerhouse,’’ Lodrick Stewart said. ``This is going to be one of the elite teams in the country and only going to get better.’’
Leaves game 12:25 left USC up 57-45.
When Brandan Wright started dominating inside, USC moved Taj Gibson onto him, put Wilkinson on Hansbrough and, when Wright got the ball, doubled him with Hackett. Gibson has 12 points and nine rebounds at the break.
10:52 left in first half. USC up 18-12. Terry in for Hansbrough, but Hansbrough back in game at 9:02 mark with score 22-18 Trojans.
Taj Gibson is guarding Tyler Hansbrough. Nick Young is on Brandan Wright.
Hackett starting for USC. Terry not starting for North Carolina. Marcus Ginyard starting in Terry's place.
and online, after paying $30 to the NCAA for one day of wireless use. The same wireless that is already in place and given for free at Nets and Devils games. That's the blood-sucking NCAA for you.
If the rise of Trojans basketball started a year earlier, Alex Stepheson might be starting for USC tonight in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament instead of coming off the bench for the Tar Heels. The freshman could have helped the Trojans lessen North Carolina’s advantage inside.
``They really made a big turnaround this year,’’ Stepheson said of USC. ``I still think my decision would have been the same, but who knows. I’m happy to see them succeed.’’
The former Harvard-Westlake High of Studio City standout grew up in a USC household. His mother Diane and sister Erin graduated from the university.
Once his recruitment started, Stepheson’s first unofficial visit was to USC when Henry Bibby was still coach. He’d work out at the school with Trojans players when visiting his sister.
Tim Floyd took over as coach, and Stepheson took another visit to give him a chance. The Trojans had a desperate need for a post player.
But Stepheson wanted a school with rich basketball tradition, one with a proven winner as coach and the possibility of being national champion every year. For that, he went to Chapel Hill.
``I was trying to get him to come to SC last year but he had already made his mind up about going to North Carolina,’’ said USC forward Nick Young, the former Cleveland High of Reseda player who was teammates with Stepheson in AAU travel ball. ``We had no big men. We didn’t know Taj (Gibson) was coming in. It would have been good to have him and Taj out there.’’
Stepheson is averaging 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game in his first season at North Carolina. He’s played 11 minutes in the Tar Heels’ first two tournament games.
For now, he’s stuck behind three forwards considered future NBA players in Tyler Hansbrough, Brandan Wright and Reyshawn Terry.
``He would have gotten a lot more playing time here,’’ Young said. ``With his height, he would have come in and made a good impact, especially with his rebounding.’’
While he has to wait his turn in North Carolina, Stepheson is getting invaluable experience -- especially going against those guys in practice.
``I feel I’ve improved a whole lot playing against them every day,’’ Stepheson said. ``You can’t help but improve against them. It’s great competition.’’
Stepheson remembers watching his mom and sister coming home from USC football games decked in Trojans colors.
``They’re always cheering for SC, pulling for them,’’ Stepheson said. ``Now that were here, they were joking like, `Oh, we want USC.’ They’re torn a little bit, but not really. But if SC wasn’t playing against us, they’d be cheering for them.’’
Stepheson was sitting in the Sports Arena stands with his mother last year when USC upset North Carolina, the team to which he had already given his commitment.
``Last year, I was really kind of impartial,’’ Diane Stepheson said. ``Sometimes, it’s kind of relaxing to be able to watch a basketball game and it doesn’t really matter who wins. Now, of course, I support my son.’’
Building up to the Texas game, everyone was talking about how USC would defend Kevin Durant. But the key to the game ended up being Gabe Pruitt's defense on point guard D.J. Augustin.
This game could be a similar situation.
North Carolina has a small, speedy guard similar to Augustin in the 5-foot-11 freshman Ty Lawson. If Pruitt can shut him down the way he did holding Augustin to six points and six turnovers, it would go a long way toward a USC victory.
``Lawson handles the offense and runs everything,’’ Pruitt said. ``I feel if I can shut him down, and take them out of their offense, that is the key.’’
Pruitt is a taller point guard at 6-4, but he has shown the ability to stay in front of the smaller guys in getting the best of Augustin, Oregon’s Aaron Brooks and Arizona’s Mustafa Shakur this season.
``I’ve got a lot of confidence in Gabe,’’ Nick Young said. ``He goes out there and plays defense like Ryan (Francis) last year. He really gets the team going.’’
It wasn't lost on North Carolina coach Roy Williams how USC used a surprising strategy of putting 6-foot-5 guard Daniel Hackett on 6-9 player of the year favorite Kevin Durant in the Trojans' win over Texas.
``We have tried to prepare for things that we have seen Tim’s teams in the past do,’’ Williams said. ``Try to prepare them for unusual things.’’
There’s no risk for USC in this Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, only reward.
The Trojans, predicted by the media to finish sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference and perhaps make the NIT, have already gone further than anyone expected.
The season is a success no matter what happens tonight against top-seeded North Carolina.
``We’re going to go out and take the attitude we did last year against them, that we don’t have anything to lose,’’ USC guard Lodrick Stewart said. ``We’ve accomplished all the goals we set for ourselves.’’
Though the Trojans are loose, they still have a purpose.
``There’s no pressure, but I’m still expecting more things,’’ guard Gabe Pruitt said. ``I’m still expecting to win a national championship. There’s no pressure, but I’m not ready to stop playing. I think our team is talented enough to win this game.’’
``I think it's slowly becoming that type of rivalry,'' Gabe Pruitt said. ``Given what we have done this year and what UCLA has been doing last year and this year. With the guys coming in for both programs, I think eventually it will live up to that type of rivarly.''
Tim Floyd is scheduled to be on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
``The facility changed us,'' Tim Floyd said. ``This staff has not had to go into home visits and start by apologizing or explaining because of what other recruiters had put in kids' heads.
``We are the beneficiaries of walking in with great timing, unlike my days of walking into the Chicago Bulls. My timing wasn't very good there.''
``Pete's a basketball guy,'' Tim Floyd said. ``He plays noon ball every day. He watches practice on occasion, he comes to games and I've had him speak to the team before a couple of key games this year. Every recruit we have on campus sits down and visits with him. He pulls like heck for us.''
Most of this is known already. The most interesting part is that every basketball recruit that visits USC meets with Carroll.
Lodrick Stewart practiced Wednesday after taking a day off when he got a root canal done on a wisdom tooth Tuesday.
After leading USC in scoring over the first two NCAA Tournament games, Nick Young's NBA stock is on the rise.
Previously thought of as a borderline first-round selection, Young now projects as going ninth overall to Minnesota on the Web site nbadraft.net.
``I haven't seen that, I've just been concentrating on practice,'' Young said. ``But hopefully I can improve on that. The more national attention we get, the more everyone is in the spotlight.''
While that prediction may be high, there is no doubt that Young has helped himself in March. With plenty of NBA personnel in attendance Sunday to watch Texas forward Kevin Durant, Young scored 22 points.
Though he went up high for a slam dunk that put an exclamation point on the game during USC's 19-3 second-half run, his most impressive play for scouts likely was when he came up to grab a rebound over Durant in the lane and made a quick turnaround jumper.
North Carolina is another team with top draft prospects in forwards Brandan Wright, Reyshawn Terry and Tyler Hansbrough, meaning Young will be in the spotlight again Friday.
But after going through tough times at USC, including a last-place finish in the Pacific-10 Conference two years ago as a freshman, Young is too ecstatic to be in the Sweet 16 to be thinking about draft status right now.
``Me and Gabe (Pruitt) have been talking about this all day, that it hasn't hit us yet that we're really in the Sweet 16,'' Young said. ``The Trojans are in the Sweet 16.''
Young, who played high school ball at Cleveland High of Reseda, didn't have any family make it to Spokane, Wash., last weekend. However, his father Charles, mother Mae and brother Terrell have made their plans to be in East Rutherford, N.J., for Friday's game.
It seems Paulette has changed her mind and decided to attend Friday's game in East Rutherford. Paulette, who hates to fly, said Thursday that she wouldn't go to New Jersey.
``She's going,'' Tim Floyd said. ``She doesn't have a choice. She told me she might lose her job. I told her we could get her a new job. She's coming.''
Lodrick Stewart did not practice today because he had a root canal done on a wisdom tooth earlier in the day. Coach Tim Floyd wasn't sure if Stewart would be available for Wednesday's morning practice.
I'll have updates from practice between 6 and 7 p.m.
The team will watch a little film today but not practice.
``He's been winning all these games for us,'' Nick Young said of Ryan Francis. ``He's like our guardian angel up there just keeping an eye on us.''
USC improved to 25-11, the most wins in the program's 101-year history.
``I just heard that we broke the school record, but we're not done yet,'' Gabe Pruitt said. ``There's still many games left to be played and we can win all of them.''
Taj Gibson took an elbow from Damion James early in the second half that left him in immense pain, constantly grabbing the right seed of his jaw. Gibson said he lost hearing in his right ear until about five minutes left in the game. He thought the elbow pinched a nerve. X-rays following the game were negative.
``I wasn't intimidated. I knew I was going to handle him right from the start. It was fun. It was like a dream trying to go against a player like him. He's probably one of the best players college basketball has ever seen. I knew he was going to get his points. He still got his 30, but it was a good job.''
Durant finished with 30 points on 11-of-24 shooting with nine rebounds. But with Hackett and Lewis on Durant, it allowed Taj Gibson to stay out of foul trouble and deny penetration to the basket.
``I think the real key was the job Gabe Pruitt did on (D.J.) Augustin,'' Tim Floyd said.
``That was my main focus coming into the game, to shut him down,'' Pruitt said. ``I wasn't even thinking about scoring. I knew if I could take him out, they'd struggle offensively.''
Augustin had as many turnovers, six, as points. He made one of eight shots. He entered the game third on the team averaging 14.6 points per game.
USC's masterful plan to guard 6-foot-9 forward Kevin Durant with freshmen guards Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis was devised by assistant coach Phil Johnson.
``Phil Johnson wanted to do it so I did it,'' coach Tim Floyd said. ``... Phil's been doing 16, 18 hours of film work on every team that we have prepared for all year long, and 95 percent of every plan is his.''
``It's hard to guard him with a bigger guy because, in the end, he wants to go off the dribble,'' Johnson said.
Hackett got the start and spent most of the time guarding Durant, projected as one of the top two picks in the next NBA draft. When Durant got inside, USC double-teamed with forward Taj Gibson.
``We knew Daniel was going to give a great effort,'' Johnson said. ``... We wanted to start him on Durant because we didn't want Durant to have 20 points in the first eight minutes. We thought Daniel would try to keep him from catching the ball as much as possible, and he did.''
I don't think stopping Durant is the key. I think it's the small Texas guards. USC needs to keep them from using their advantage in quickness to penetrate and get open shots. On the other end, USC's guards should use their size advantage. However, none of USC's guards have shown the ability to post up.
``He's a great player,'' Kevin Durant said of Taj Gibson. ``He's an inside/outside type of player. He's a very long player, athletic, and it's going to be a tough matchup for us.''
On how USC will try to defend him: ``From what coach has said, they might double when I get in the post, and they might face guard. But I've been through so much this year, I don't think it will be anything I haven't seen before.''
``He's going to score, we understand that,'' Taj Gibson said. ``We just have to contain the guards and try to contain him as much as possible. He's one of the top big guys I've faced so far. He's more versatile than most.''
``We see Texas all the time on ESPN,'' Gabe Pruitt said. ``You hear Kevin Durant's name whenever you talk about college basketball, and we have an opportunity to play against him. ... We are getting another opportunity to show how good we are, and I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to do that.''
``We can't put too much emphasis on Durant,'' Pruitt added. ``Obviously, he's a great player, but there's other guys around him that can also play. We can't put too much attention on him and allow the other guys to go off.''
``Teams have talked about playing him physical, teams have talked about playing him soft,'' Tim Floyd said. ``I know that I'd probably would rather see him shoot threes than get to the foul line all night long, because he's shot 92 percent from the foul line over the past four games.''
USC players gathered around a locker-room television cheering on Washington State. The Trojans erupted when Cougars forward Ivory Clark blocked a shot with 25 seconds left in regulation and a tie game. USC had to leave midway through the first overtime to begin practice. Washington State ended up falling 78-74 to Vanderbilt in double overtime.
Gabe Pruitt tweaked a hamstring late in Friday's game against Arkansas but didn't think it would affect him heading into today's practice.
``Just a little tweak.'' Pruitt said. ``I did a lot of stretching today with the trainers, and I'm fine.''
RIP
I'll have updates from USC starting around 5 p.m.
Coming off its worst defensive performance of the season in an 81-57 loss to Oregon in the Pac-10 final Sunday, USC held Arkansas to 36.8 percent from the field. Instead of using their size advantage, the Razorbacks were forced to jack up 3-pointers that rarely connected, making 3 of 20 attempts from long range.
``It was as good of defense as we’ve played this year,’’ Tim Floyd said.
Taj Gibson, the freshman forward who struggled midseason after a hot start, had one of his better games with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Gibson made sure the Razorbacks’ perceived advantage inside never materialized. After rarely outrebounding teams in Pac-10 play, USC held a shocking 39-26 edge on the boards.
``Coach said if we wanted to win this game, we needed to play defense and get as many rebounds as we can,'' Gibson said.
Down 14-6 to start the game, Gibson scored eight points during a 12-0 USC run.
Early in the second half, he came up behind Arkansas guard Gary Ervin to block consecutive shots.
With his mother in the crowd, Ryan Francis was on the minds of USC players during their first NCAA Tournament victory in six years. Francis, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in his hometown of Baton Rouge, La., last May, would have turned 20 on Saturday.
``He's been on our minds all year,'' Nick Young said. ``It's great to be able to do this for him. We went out there and used him as our sixth man.''
USC fans gathered in the lobby of the Doubletree Hotel, organizing two lines with a walkway in the middle for the Trojans.
Then the team bus arrived, and all the pre-planning gave way to unbridled excitement as people decked in cardinal and gold rushed out the sliding doors and onto the sidewalk to mob the players.
The fifth-seeded Trojans got a heroes' welcome Friday night after dominating No. 12 Arkansas 77-60 in a first-round NCAA Tournament game at Spokane Arena.
USC’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in five years produced its first post-season victory in six seasons, a long wait for Trojans fans and players alike.
``There was a lot of hunger out there,’’ junior guard Gabe Pruitt said. ``We’ve been through so much, we didn’t want it to end now.’’
It won’t. USC advances to face Texas in the second round Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The fourth-seeded Longhorns, led by national Player of the Year candidate Kevin Durant, were 79-67 winners over New Mexico State.
USC (24-11) tied the school record for wins, equaling the total from 2001, 1992, 1974 and 1971.
Cromwell is starting for USC. Michael Washington is starting at forward for Arkansas in place of Charles Thomas.
USC-Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, a long-awaited game for many of USC's veterans. What's your score prediction and who do you think is the key player of the game for USC? I've always thought that if Lod was hot, USC could beat anyone. But after the way Gabe played against Stanford and WSU in the Pac-10 Tournament, I tend to lean to him as the key guy. He's also USC's best defender, and will have an important assignment going against Beverley and Ervin.
Ryan Francis' mother hates to fly. But with Tim Floyd calling to tell her she's part of the Trojans family and they needed her at the team's first NCAA Tournament game in five years, it was hard for her to say no.
``It's special to me that they remember him by keeping in contact,'' Paulette said. ``Most teams, if a tragedy happens, they'll pay respect for a short time but that's it.''
Francis, USC's starting point guard last season, always talked about making the NCAA Tournament. He was killed in a drive-by shooting when he returned home to Baton Rouge, La., for Mothers' Day last May.
``I can see him up there watching and yelling at them,'' Paulette said. `` ` Get your man!' `Hit the floor!' `Play defense!' ''
Paulette said it is difficult for her to watch USC games because she's always looking for Ryan on the floor. She made the trip to Spokane but said she won't go to New Jersey if USC advances to the Sweet 16.
The players feel Ryan remains with them, if only in spirit.
``I got his shirt on right now,'' Lodrick Stewart said Thursday of his undershirt. ``I wore it to warm-ups just so everyone knows that he is here with us and is going to help us get however far is meant to be.
``He's here with us always, so he made it. We still all made it together.''
USC players responded to Arkansas guard Patrick Beverley saying he thought the Razorbacks would ``make it to the Sweet 16 easy.''
``I heard about it,'' Nick Young said. ``It's just mind games. He's trying to start a feud. We're just going to go out there and play.''
Beverley leads Arkansas in scoring at 13.8 points per game.
Gabe Pruitt downplayed Beverley's comments but said, ``It's going to be lingering around'' during the game.
Arkansas forward Charles Thomas, who sprained his left ankle Sunday in the SEC Tournament final against Florida, practiced partially today and is expected to play Friday but likely won’t start, according to coach Stan Heath.
``He won’t be 100 percent,’’ Heath said. ``I don’t think he’ll be more than a 20-minute guy, somewhere between 10 and 20.’’
If Thomas doesn’t start, freshman Michael Washington would get the call. Washington scored 17 points off the bench against Florida after Thomas went down early in the game. Heath said he would make a final game-time decision on Thomas.
Adding the field-goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage of all players in the East Regional (min 10 pts, 30 3-pt attempts), Nick Young came in fourth (45.5+54.9+76.4=176.7).
Late note today because I had to rush to make my plane to Spokane. Here now. Crisp but clear night. Team has a view of the Spokane River outside their window, with the arena and their tournament hopes lying just on the other side.
A strong NCAA Tournament by Nick Young could go a long way toward getting the junior the guarantee of a first-round selection in the NBA draft that he desires.
But USC’s leading scorer is cautious not to put too much pressure on himself. He believes trying to impress NBA scouts is what led to struggles early in the season.
Young averaged 15 points over the first eight games. After taking a step back and deciding he was trying too hard, he averaged 18.1 over the last 26 games.
``They’re going to be looking for me to do something, but I can’t put that pressure on myself,’’ Young said. ``All I can do is try to win games. If we keep winning then everyone’s stock will go up, not just mine.’’
The Trojans play their first-round game Friday against Arkansas in Spokane, Wash.
Young said a recent talk with USC coach Tim Floyd has him thinking about returning for his senior year even if he is considered a first-round pick.
``Coach was talking about how the team could be top-5 next year,’’ Young said. ``That would bring a lot of national attention to boost me up even higher. So I don’t really know yet.’’
USC is expected to add top recruits O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson next season to a team that could only lose senior Lodrick Stewart, among major contributors, if Young decides to stay.
Young said he went to Floyd and asked if his role would change with the addition of Mayo.
``At first, I wasn't sure there would be a spot on the team for me.''Young said. ``But coach has a lot of confidence in me and he put to rest th