Stronger Gibson pays off

Taj Gibson endured his own maddening version of the “Freshman 15” last season.

After compiling eight double-doubles over USC’s first 16 games, the forward had none over the Trojans’ next 15 games while battling fatigue and tendinitis in his left knee.

A year later at the midpoint of Pacific 10 Conference play, Gibson appears to be getting only stronger. The 6-foot-9, 226-pound sophomore has averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds over his last four games, and his 19-point, seven-rebound performance against Arizona State on Saturday prompted Coach Tim Floyd to say Gibson had played “as well as he’s played since he’s been here.”

Gibson is shooting 72.5% in his last 11 games and 57.9% for the season, sixth best in the Pac-10. He leads the conference with 2.24 blocked shots a game.

“He’s rebounding the ball better on the offensive board, which is leading to easier putbacks,” Floyd said. “He’s sustaining concentration on his finishes. He missed a lot of layups earlier in the season.”

Skinny as a freshman, Gibson probably wishes he could have put on the 15 pounds that many students do in their first year of college. Instead, it took him an off-season of weight lifting to add 15 pounds of muscle.

Before the season, Gibson said he lost 10 of those pounds after suffering a sprained ankle that appeared to hinder his ability to elevate and finish around the basket. But he has regained the weight -- and vigor -- since conference play started.

“I’m just staying poised, looking for the right shot,” said Gibson, averaging 10.4 points and eight rebounds overall. “I’m not getting beside myself, just being patient and worrying about getting my other teammates open and then the game will just come to me.”

--

Sophomore guard Daniel Hackett did not practice Monday to rest his bruised pelvis and may sit out today’s practice, Floyd said.

“He still has a lot of swelling, but he says it feels a little better than it did Saturday,” Floyd said. “I’m sure he’ll try to play [against Washington], but there’s no need to get him out there and get him banged up right now.”

Floyd said he did not know whether Hackett would be able to play more against the Huskies on Thursday than the 18 minutes he played against Arizona State on Saturday because playing against the Sun Devils’ zone defense was less taxing than the challenges Washington will present.

“Washington’s got great quickness and great speed and they present a lot of problems for you defensively on the perimeter,” Floyd said.

--

Players met with a USC compliance officer, but Gibson said the subject of free NBA tickets did not come up. Freshman guard O.J. Mayo had to pay $460 to charity last month after accepting two complimentary tickets to a Lakers game.

“It was just going over the normal rules every year they normally do,” Gibson said. “[We] had a little fun game about eligibility. Say, for instance, [Kansas State star] Michael Beasley takes a ride in an agent’s car. They just quizzed us on certain things” and whether they were acceptable.

Floyd said the Trojans usually hold their compliance meeting before the season “but we couldn’t work it in, so we’ve got to do it now.”

--

ben.bolch@latimes.com