We have told you on numerous occasions that if USC basketball was struggling during this 2023 season, it’s because the Trojans didn’t have their full roster, the roster Andy Enfield expected to have.
The plan was for the returning veterans, Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, to complement big man Vince Iwuchukwu. The formula was going to be similar to what the Trojans had in 2021 with Tahj Eaddy and Isaiah White (and others) complementing Evan Mobley.
Active perimeter and wing defenders could use their length to bother guards and small forwards. They could be aggressive and take chances, knowing that if they took away the 3-point shot and allowed their man to drive to the basket, the big man was there to deter the shot and protect the rim.
On offense, Eaddy and his 2021 USC teammates knew that as long as the Trojans avoided turnovers and were able to collect a lot of shot attempts, Evan Mobley could crash the glass and put back the miss. Having a big man to protect the rim on defense and crash the glass on offense enabled the rest of the team to function without too much pressure or an overly small margin for error. The big man enabled the other four players on the court to breathe.
We saw this same reality in evidence on Saturday night, with Vince Iwuchukwu showing us what was always possible for this team if he could play.
Iwuchukwu, in 14 high-impact minutes, showed why he was a five-star recruit out of high school. He has “jump out of the building” athleticism, a high motor, and intense energy. After not being able to play for USC for the first two months of the season, Iwuchukwu — whose minutes are still being appropriately regulated due to having had a health scare — was able to play 14 minutes instead of five or six. Those added eight minutes proved valuable, because Iwuchukwu began to show real signs of getting into the flow of a game for the first time all season.
In 14 minutes, Iwuchukwu was unleashed. His instructions from Andy Enfield are simple, as they should be. There’s no need to overcomplicate anything about his tasks: Protect the rim and the paint. Rebound. Be the last line of defense. Grab missed shots. Go get ’em!
That’s exactly what Iwuchukwu did.
He scored on a couple of putbacks. He was a force near the rim and on the glass. He collected 12 points and 5 rebounds in his limited playing time. In 14 minutes, he showed USC what it had been missing.
Imagine if he had been able to play just 14 minutes against Wisconsin or Tennessee.
USC probably wins at least one of those two Battle 4 Atlantis games in late November. The Trojans might have been able to guard the perimeter better against Washington State, the game they lost on New Year’s Day. USC might have been able to get the big rebound it failed to get in the final 20 seconds at UCLA.
It’s pretty clear to see: With Vince Iwuchukwu, USC becomes a much, much better team. The other four players on the floor don’t have nearly as many responsibilities. Their burden is a lot lighter. Everyone can relax and play according to his role, much like the 2021 team with Evan Mobley cleaning up so many messes on defense.
Now we’ll see if Vince Iwuchukwu can sustain this. If he can, it’s an obvious game-changer for USC.
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