The Weekly Wrap

It was another busy week in the world of USC sports. Daniel Hackett returned to the court, Vontaze Burfict committed to USC and the football team has been working hard at the players-only workouts. SCPlaybook gets you caught up on all the USC news of the week.

Daniel Hackett Returns to Action

USC sophomore guard Daniel Hackett returned to the court for the Trojans last week after missing time with a stress fracture to his lower back.

Hackett’s return, coupled with a healthy Marcus Simmons, gives the Trojans some much needed depth on the perimeter heading into the final stretch of the season.

Hackett scored 5 points in the Trojans 70-58 win Thursday against Arizona and scored 4 points in USC’s 80-66 loss against Arizona State.

Burfict Makes it Official

Corona Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict became the tenth player to commit to play for Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans in the 2009 recruiting class.

Burfict makes the big hit.

 Burfict, who is considered the best  linebacker in California, let it be known  weeks ago that he wanted to be a Trojan  and made it official with a visit to USC last  week.

 The 6-2, 235-pound linebacker is a high- energy player and is known as one of the  hardest hitters in state.

 As a junior in 2007 Burfict recorded 162  tackles and lead his team to the CIF Inland  Division Championship.

Kaluka Maiava to Miss Spring Practice

According to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News USC linebacker Kaluka Maiava will undergo surgery on his wrist and will be sidelined for spring practice.

Maiva is the frontrunner to replace All-American Keith Rivers at weakside linebacker in 2008.

With Maiva sidelined Malcolm Smith and Jordan Campbell will get a chance to play with the first-team in spring.

Bonds Gets USC Offer

Four-star defensive end prospect Chris Bonds became the latest player from the south to get an offer from USC.

"I am very excited about this offer, I'm ecstatic! Anytime a school of this caliber offers you, you have to be excited," Bonds said.

The 6-4, 275-pound defensive end from Columbia, South Carolina is one of the most sought after defensive linemen in the nation and already has offers from USC, Auburn, Tennessee, Miami, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, and Louisville.

Bonds is very high on USC and plans to visit in March. "I have my spring break on March 3rd. I am going to spend a week-and-a-half in Los Angeles and will visit the campus then and meet with the coaches," said Bonds.

USC Basketball Splits in Arizona

The Trojans headed to Arizona last week with their NCAA tournament fate uncertain and came away with an impressive win against the Wildcats and a bad loss against the Sun Devils.

On Thursday, the Trojans got a huge road win in a hostile environment by limiting Arizona’s star players, Chase Budinger and Jerryd Bayless, to a combined 15 points.

OJ Mayo had a team-high 20 points and Davon Jefferson added 15 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

The Trojans dominated the action all game and never trailed.

Saturday’s game against Arizona State was a much different story. The Trojans were tied at the half, 25-25, but lost their poise and the game in the second-half.

Davon Jefferson, Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett and Keith Wilkinson all fouled out in the sloppy second-half as the Trojans watched the game slip away and lost 80-66.

USC’s OJ Mayo scored a career-high 37 points in the loss.

Offseason Workout Notes

Cornerback Kevin Thomas is healthy and has been very impressive during offseason workouts. Thomas has more than held his own in one-on-one drills against USC’s receivers. Thomas should make a big impact in 2008 and add depth to the secondary.

Kevin Thomas.

Mark Sanchez has been the vocal leader during players-only workouts at Howard Jones Field. Sanchez has taken it upon himself to make sure that everyone lines up in the right spots and stay focused.

Kevin Ellison has emerged as the veteran leader of the secondary. Ellison doesn’t get the national attention that he deserves, but make no mistake he is one of the top defensive backs in the country.

Mitch Mustain has shown he has all the tools to push Mark Sanchez for the starting quarterback position. Mustain’s strong arm has been on display this offseason.

Wide receivers Ronald Johnson and Damian Williams have been the most productive receivers in workouts. Both players can stretch the field and have been the favorite targets of both Sanchez and Mustain.

USC wide receiver Travon Patterson will be able to run full-speed today for the first time since undergoing surgery on his foot.