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.
Gibson adding weight
Taj Gibson said he has put on eight pounds so far this offseason, going from 214 to 222 pounds. The forward has been hitting the weight room three times a week at Galen Center.
Strength and Conditioning coach Rudy Hackett thinks the work Gibson is putting in will help him avoid tiring midseason like he did as a freshman.
``Last summer, he’d be like, `Is this really going to help me?’’ Hackett said. ``Now he knows, and he knows the intensity he needs to work at. That additional strength will help him get through the season.’’