MATTHEW KREDELL

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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Alex Stepheson

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.’’

Posted by Matthew Kredell on March 22, 2007 5:31 PM |

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