Tag: Vincent Iwuchukwu

Vincent Iwuchukwu comes to life in USC’s loss to Arizona State

Vince Iwuchukwu plays great in Tempe, for whatever reason. Two of his best games at USC were against ASU.

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team lost once again. This time, they lost to Arizona State on the road, 82-67.

Without Isaiah Collier, this USC team looks very different. Boogie Ellis also didn’t play in the game, so the stars were missing for Andy Enfield’s team.

However, one bright spot was the emergence of Vincent Iwuchukwu. The USC big man led the way for the Trojans, scoring 14 points with 12 rebounds in a huge performance.

This marked just the second time Iwuchukwu has scored in double figures. It gave him his first double-double of the season. It was also his first double-double of his young career. You will note that Iwuchuckwu played one of his best games of the 2022-2023 season in Tempe against Arizona State. Coincidence or not, Iwuchukwu has played great basketball in Tempe.

With the Trojans now dropping to 8-11 on the year and losing their fourth straight game, Iwuchukwu provided a glimpse of the future for this team.

USC has some time off before its next game against UCLA at home, where the Trojans begin a three-game homestand. If Iwuchukwu can continue to play at this level, it will be a breath of fresh air for Andy Enfield.

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USC basketball assistant Eric Mobley has witnessed many traumatic events

Before he saw Vince Iwuchukwu and Bronny James suffer cardiac arrest, USC’s Eric Mobley saw Hank Gathers collapse in 1990.

Are sudden cardiac traumas a modern-day problem in college basketball? USC basketball assistant Eric Mobley would tell you otherwise, for the simple reason that he was right on the court when a memorably and painfully traumatic incident occurred over 30 years ago.

Yes, Eric Mobley was on the court when Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers collapsed in 1990.

(h/t Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times)

“(USC assistant Eric) Mobley had witnessed an unsettlingly similar incident decades before as a senior captain at Portland. He was matched up against Hank Gathers in March 1990 when the Loyola Marymount star suffered cardiac arrest during a West Coast Conference tournament game. Gathers was rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive. An autopsy later revealed he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. As Mobley laid Iwuchukwu down on the Galen Center sideline more than 30 years later, he couldn’t help but think of that moment and of Gathers.

“‘Things were happening so fast,’ Mobley said. ‘I was just yelling at him and shaking him and slapping him in the face, like, ‘Stay with the light!’ You could tell he was fighting. You could tell he could hear me, but it was like he couldn’t do anything.’”

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Absence of Vince Iwuchukwu hurt USC against Michigan State

#USC missed Iwuchukwu in the loss to Michigan State, just as they missed him in two previous games. Don’t blame Enfield.

All week long, the health of freshman center Vincent Iwuchukwu was a major point of discussion for the USC Trojans. With the Michigan State Spartans using center Mady Sissoko, the Trojans needed Iwuchukwu to have a shot at winning.

Unfortunately, Iwuchukwu was unable to go despite being a game-time decision, and the loss of the talented freshman hurt Andy Enfield’s team in a number of ways.

The Spartans won the game, 72-62, and the absence of Iwuchukwu loomed large for USC. Somehow, USC won the rebounding battle, 35-34, but Iwuchukwu’s defense and presence down low were severely missed.

In Iwuchukwu’s absence, Joshua Morgan stepped in, scoring 14 points (a team-high) on 7-9 from the field with 5 rebounds. Spartans center Mady Sissoko had 4 points with 5 rebounds and a pair of blocks, and the presence of Sissoko was a problem all game long for USC — something that would have helped if Iwuchukwu was in the game.

If Iwuchukwu was healthy, it would’ve been a much different game for both teams, although the poor offensive outings from Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson also hurt this team a lot.

Nonetheless, the future is bright for the talented freshman, especially after his promising play and unreal return to the court following a traumatic cardiac arrest incident over the summer.

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USC gets updates on Drew Peterson, Vince Iwuchukwu for Michigan State game

Drew Peterson is good to go for #USC – #MichiganState. Vince Iwuchukwu’s status is less certain. #MarchMadness

The USC Trojans face the Michigan State Spartans on Friday morning in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans have a bad taste in their mouths after a tough loss to Miami last year in March Madness. They just lost to Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament.

As USC prepares for the NCAA Tournament, the statuses of Drew Peterson and Vincent Iwuchukwu are two situations to monitor. Iwuchukwu missed the last two games with an injury.

However, Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times provided an update on both players, and there is optimism that both can go on Friday.

Peterson suffered a back injury at the end of the regular season, and USC needs him healthy if the Trojans want any chance to beat Michigan State on Friday.

As for Iwuchukwu, he missed the past two contests, and his absence was evident at the Pac-12 Tournament, when USC had trouble defensively, especially down low.

There is no denying that the Trojans need him for this game, but as a game-time decision, it would be a little surprising if Iwuchukwu doesn’t at least give it a go for a few minutes against the Spartans.

USC-Michigan State is on Friday, March 17, at 9:15 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time in Columbus, Ohio.

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Trojans need Vince Iwuchukwu’s defense, rebounding for NCAA Tournament

USC lost to Arizona State as Vincent Iwuchukwu missed the game. They absolutely need him for the NCAA Tournament.

The USC Trojans went into the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas feeling terrific about their NCAA Tournament hopes. Unfortunately, their first game was a loss to Arizona State, 77-72, on Day 2 of the tourney.

The Trojans scored just 25 points in the first half, and really this game wasn’t anywhere as close as it might seem (though making the score closer still matters). One important factor was the absence of freshman center Vince Iwuchukwu, who missed his second straight game with a back injury.

Iwuchukwu’s stats don’t jump off the page — he averages 5.4 PPG with 2.5 rebounds. However, his presence down low and on defense is exactly what USC has been missing.

Arizona State and USC both had 34 rebounds, but the Sun Devils won the battle on the offensive glass 14-8, and they shot 39% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point land.

When these teams met for the first time this year in January, Iwuchukwu had 12 points with 5 rebounds and a block in a 77-69 USC win. His absence was evident on Thursday night as well as on Saturday in the Pac-12 regular season finale against the Sun Devils.

It remains to be seen what Iwuchukwu’s status will be for the NCAA Tournament — assuming USC makes it — but Andy Enfield’s team needs him on the floor to have a better chance.

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USC athletic trainers receive due recognition for saving Vince Iwuchukwu

#USC’s brilliant athletic training staff was honored with a prestigious award. Trojan coaches and athletes are very grateful.

The Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament is next week, and there will be plenty of eyes on the USC Trojans and whether or not they make the NCAA Tournament.

One of the biggest storylines of the season will always be the miraculous return of freshman center Vincent Iwuchukwu. The talented big man suffered cardiac arrest during the offseason, and it was unclear whether he would be able to play basketball again.

However, he made his much-anticipated debut on January 12 against Colorado, and he has been a massive plus for the Trojans this year. None of that would have been possible if it weren’t for the “superheroes”, the trainers who saved his life and worked tirelessly with him to make sure he was okay.

Now, the trainers have received a special honor.

USC trainers Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford were all recognized by the California Athletic Trainers Association for their hard work and incredible job in such a difficult situation.

The efforts they made shouldn’t go without recognition, and USC women’s coach Lindsay Gottlieb made sure to show her respect.

USC assistant head coach Beth Burns also paid tribute to the trainers after they received the honor.

In such a difficult situation, those trainers worked countless hours and were able to not only save Vincent Iwuchukwu’s life, but also get him back on the court to play the game he loves.

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Career-best game from Vince Iwuchukwu can’t prevent loss to Oregon State

The Trojans lost to Oregon State, but Vince Iwuchukwu performed well and flashed his talent on Saturday.

The USC Trojans’ hopes of an NCAA Tournament bid just took a major blow on Saturday. After losing to Oregon on Thursday, the Trojans lost to Oregon State in Corvallis, 61-58, and questions are swirling for the next few days.

Andy Enfield’s team struggled offensively, but there was one bright spot: Vincent Iwuchukwu. The freshman center battled cardiac arrest and defied the odds to return to the court in January, and he shined brightly for USC on Saturday.

Despite a tough USC loss, it was all about Iwuchukwu. He finished the day with a game-high 19 points and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes, going 5-10 from the field and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.

This was the best game of Iwuchukwu’s young career at USC, and the second time this year he finished in double digits. He scored 12 against Arizona State, but his strong performance on Saturday could be a sign of things to come.

With Joshua Morgan still sidelined and Reese Dixon-Waters out as well, Enfield needed somebody to step up, and Iwuchukwu played well on a poor offensive night to give USC even a fighting chance.

The freshman center caught plenty of eyes on Saturday, and that should be a massive point of encouragement for USC going forward.

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