Bronny James’ return takes edge off USC’s loss to Long Beach State
It’s not just the name that’s familiar.
Watching Bronny James sprint down the court for a right-handed chase-down block brought immediate flashbacks to his namesake father’s highlight-reel plays. But on Sunday, less than five months after collapsing on the court during a workout, the moment belonged to Bronny.
The USC freshman made his much-anticipated college debut Sunday after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest in July. James had four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 16 minutes, but USC (5-4) blew a 15-point halftime lead in an 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State, squandering a chance to capitalize on the growing momentum around the program with James’ return.
No. 11 Gonzaga dominated the start of each half and USC could not overcome the deficits, falling 89-76 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“We recruited Bronny James because he’s a very good basketball player,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “He went through a very unfortunate situation. He’s done an incredible job with that. So extra eyeballs or spotlight, sometimes that comes with a guy like Bronny, but we have to get better as a basketball team.”
Despite limited practice time after being cleared for basketball activities just two weeks ago, James found himself on the court for the last 3 minutes, 32 seconds of regulation as the Trojans tried to fend off the Beach (7-4). He came up with a clutch steal that helped USC preserve a one-point lead but split two free throws that left the door open for Long Beach State’s Marcus Tsohonis, who tied the game with 3.9 seconds left on a turnaround jumper in the paint.
Tsohonis led the Beach with 28 points, including 11 of 13 free throws. USC struggled from the line, missing 13 free throws in the second half and overtime.
Freshman Isaiah Collier had 15 points, three rebounds and five steals and senior guard Boogie Ellis had 14 points and four assists.
Signing Collier, the top recruit in the country, energized interest around the program this season, leading to more than 6,000 people attending USC’s home opener this season, but James’ much-anticipated debut brought it to a new level. The announced attendance of 9,806 is the most for a nonconference game at Galen Center since 10,017 against Kansas in 2007.
USC added a second row of courtside seats. The VIPs included Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. Media seating overflowed into two additional rows of seats. A line of students snaked down Flower Street hours before the game. Sprinkled among the cardinal and gold USC shirts were LeBron James Lakers and Cavaliers jerseys.
But one night after adding to his incomparable NBA resume by leading the Lakers to the first NBA Cup championship, the elder James looked like a normal proud dad as he took out his phone, stood up from his seat and recorded the moment his son checked into the game for the first time.
The shadow of his famous father has followed James’ entire career, blowing expectations sky-high for the 6-foot-4, 210-pound freshman. But he didn’t shrink from the spotlight Sunday, throwing down an effortless one-handed dunk during warmups right before the game.
“He’s built for it,” Ellis said.
Fans yelled each time James touched the ball. He quickly established himself as a defensive presence by causing a deflection on his first defensive possession. On the possession after his soaring chase-down block, James notched his first assist, lobbing the ball to Vince Iwuchukwu for a two-handed dunk. LeBron James popped out of his seat and pumped his fist.
The basket was a connection between teammates who shared similar harrowing experiences. Iwuchukwu suffered cardiac arrest July 1, 2022 during workouts at USC. The former five-star prospect returned to the court five months later and finished with 15 points and six rebounds Sunday.
“Unfortunate that we both had to go through similar circumstances,” Iwuchukwu said, “but I know it’s made him stronger.”
James had participated in only two full-contact practices before making his in-game debut after collapsing during an on-campus workout on July 24. The 19-year-old underwent surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. He made a statement after the game thanking his doctors at the Mayo Clinic, his family, coaches and teammates, but did not take questions from reporters in the standing room-only news conference.
Enfield tried to temper expectations for the freshman this week, acknowledging that it would take James time to solidify his role in the rotation. Fans were not as patient. With USC trying to avoid the upset late, fans were clamoring for the Sierra Canyon alumnus.
“Put in Bronny!” one yelled.
“We love Bronny!” another shouted.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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