When USC Trojans freshman Vince Iwuchukwu suffered cardiac arrest in the summer of 2022, the doctors told him he wouldn’t be able to play basketball again.
In a video released by USC Athletics, Iwuchukwu detailed his incident and revealed that it was a tough pill for him to swallow.
“When I was rushing to the ambulance, I was like, basketball was done for me. The doctors told me it was done,” he said. “That was it. I told my mom and dad ‘It’s fine, I don’t have to play again.'”
However, it wasn’t that easy, and emotions overcame Iwuchukwu.
“And 10 minutes later, I started crying. It’s so hard to leave this game. It’s given me so much … I have so much respect for that orange ball that I’m willing to take whatever recovery road I have to to come back and play it. All the necessary precautions I’m going to do it.”
Iwuchukwu then spent seven months rehabbing, training, doing therapy, and working nonstop in order to return to the game he loves. On January 12, that dream became a reality. The Galen Center was full of fans. Iwuchukwu’s family was on hand for his USC debut against the Colorado Buffaloes.
It’s a lot to take in, but Vince Iwuchukwu is aware of just how much it means to him.
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