Daniel Hackett Class: Sophomore Hometown: Pesaro, Italy High School: St. John Bosco (CA) Height / Weight: 6-5 / 205 Position: Guard Birthdate: 12/19/1987

THE BREAKDOWN: Daniel Hackett, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound sophomore guard, is a versatile player with great court awareness and leadership skills. Originally a recruit for the 2007-08 season, Hackett completed his high school work in the summer of 2006 and was granted entrance to USC by the NCAA clearinghouse a year early. Helped lead the Under-20 Italian team to a bronze medal at the European Basketball Championships this past summer and was selected to the preliminary roster on the Italian national team. Suffered a broken jaw in late September which required his jaw to be wired for six weeks. Will miss an undetermined amount of time.

2006-07: Hackett stepped into a tough position for the Trojans, earning the starting point guard job at the beginning of the season, filling the void left with the tragic shooting of Ryan Francis in May of 2006 and the academic ineligibility of Gabe Pruitt for the first semester. Scored 13 points and converted two key three-point plays down the stretch in USC's season opening loss to South Carolina. Scored a season-high 18 points, all in the second half, to key USC's comeback win vs. George Washington on Dec. 9 as the Trojans overcame a 20-point deficit in the second half. Was 11-for-11 from the free throw line against GW, the most makes without a miss from the charity stripe by a Trojan since Brandon Granville also was 11-for-11 on Jan. 19, 2002. Had a season-high seven assists in the game vs. Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14 and matched that total on Dec. 19 vs. Longwood. Scored 14 points, hitting 3-for-4 from the field and all eight free throws on Dec. 22 vs. Kansas State at the Las Vegas Classic. Began the season wearing No. 11, switched to No. 25 on Jan. 13 the day Bill Sharman's number (No. 11) was retired, then the next game (Jan. 18) switched to No. 13 as Paul Westphal's number (No. 25) was retired. Scored six straight points down the stretch, including the decisive layup with 17 seconds left in the 76-73 win at Cal on Jan. 27. Second to Gabe Pruitt in assists for the Trojans with 103, fifth most ever by a Trojan freshman. Appeared in all 37 games, making 16 starts. Started the first 12 games, then again on Jan. 18 vs. Arizona and March 3 at Washington State. Started vs. Texas in the NCAA second-round game on March 18 and scored a career-high 20 points and the NCAA game vs. North Carolina, scoring five points and dishing out three assists.

HIGH SCHOOL: Hackett played high school basketball at St. John Bosco. Was a first-team selection on the Division 2A All-CIF team in 2004 and 2005. Named to the Press-Telegram Dream Team as a first-team selection. Averaged just better than 20 points a game. Averaged a triple-double in the final three regular season games and during St. John Bosco's two playoff games. His high school coach Chris Madigan said this about Hackett, "...he sees the game two steps ahead of everybody else. His court awareness is amazing." Was ranked the sixth-best 2007 prospect in California by Rivals.com. Helped lead the Southern California All-Stars to the Reebok Big Time Tournament championship in Las Vegas last summer and to an undefeated season. Was named MVP of the tournament. Also played at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and finished as the second-leading scorer at the camp (13 ppg). Was a 2003 member of the CIF All-Academic Team.

PERSONAL: Hackett was born on Dec. 19, 1987. Grew up in Italy where his father Rudy (USC strength and conditioning coach) was a player and coach. His family moved back to the United States three years ago. Speaks Italian fluently. Is an undeclared major at USC.