Vince Iwuchukwu’s first start can’t fix USC’s frontcourt woes in win over Washington

Seven months ago, hours after suffering sudden cardiac arrest on the court, Vince Iwuchukwu sat waiting in a hospital bed, wondering through welled-up tears if he’d ever play basketball again. The talented 7-footer had been slated to step in as USC’s heir apparent underneath, but the incident last summer would leave that future in doubt, delaying the figurative torch-passing until Saturday, when Iwuchukwu emerged from the sideline for the first time with USC’s starters, trotting to the tipoff as if he’d belonged there all along.

The less poetic truth was he’d been elevated of necessity. An ankle injury had forced starting center Josh Morgan out of the lineup, leaving the Trojans down to the freshman and a few reserves in the frontcourt, none of whom had ever contributed more than a handful of minutes in a handful of games.

The consequences of that arrangement became painfully clear early on against Washington, even as the Trojans fought their way to an 80-74 victory, their sixth in seven tries.

They’d need a career-best effort from freshman Tre White and another stellar showing on both ends from sophomore Kobe Johnson to make it happen. Both finished with season highs Saturday, as White scored a season-high 22, adding eight rebounds, while Johnson scored his own career-high of 21, while stuffing the stat sheet with five assists and four steals.

Both would have to shoulder more work than usual, with the Trojans left paper-thin on the interior.

Depth in the frontcourt had been a major concern even before Morgan was lost to injury. But never had it seemed so pressing as it did Saturday.

Iwuchukwu lasted all of two minutes before he was pulled by coach Andy Enfield, having twice been caught out of position defensively. He was replaced by Iaroslav Niagu, who struggled to do much better, as Washington big man Braxton Meah ran roughshod in the paint early on.

Enfield would experiment with his frontcourt throughout, rotating in Harrison Hornery and Kijani Wright as well. But none seemed to find their footing for long enough Saturday. At one point, Enfield shirked his frontcourt altogether, playing five guards at once while his four big men sat next to each other on the bench.

Iwuchukwu, who remains on a minutes restriction, would lead the way among that group, tallying six points and two rebounds. Though, in spite of earning his first start, he’d play fewer minutes (10) Saturday than he did Thursday, when his two late blocks would give USC a major lift late against Washington State.

He wasn’t nearly as sharp against the Huskies, a reminder of how far he still has to go before he’s at full strength.

He wasn’t the only one who struggled Saturday. Drew Peterson shot four of 14, one of his worst shooting performances of the season. Boogie Ellis bricked an array of open looks, also finishing four of 14. The Trojans two leaders combined for 25 points after scoring 43 in their previous outing.

USC was especially anemic from behind the arc, where it’d made a point of improving in recent weeks. That wasn’t the case Saturday, as the Trojans shot 4 of 22, their worst showing from deep this season.

Two of those deep shots, though, would come when USC needed them most.

With less than four minutes remaining and the game tied at 60, Johnson was left wide open in the corner. After hitting a critical 3-pointer just two nights earlier, he hit another, giving USC a lead it wouldn’t relinquish from there.

A minute later, he hit another, handing USC a victory, even on a night when its perilously thin frontcourt proved to be a problem.