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.
Pruitt academically ineligible
Gabe Pruitt, who recently hired an agent to make it impossible for him to return to USC basketball, did so after finding out he was academically ineligible based on his spring semester grades, according to coach Tim Floyd.
Floyd said that Pruitt could have applied for reinstatement and likely used summer school to regain his eligibility for the fall.
``He felt he was far enough along with the NBA that he would be taking away from his preparation for the draft and elected to sign with an agent and move on,’’ Floyd said.