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USC Basketball: Potential impact if Bronny James isn’t available for 2023-24

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 11, 2021; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sierra Canyon High School guard Bronny James looks on against Perry High School at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2021; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Sierra Canyon High School guard Bronny James looks on against Perry High School at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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A scary situation emerged at practice for USC Basketball, with incoming freshman Bronny James suffering from cardiac arrest.

The big news of the week that everyone knows about already is Bronny James, the top-30 incoming freshman guard at USC Basketball. The son of NBA superstar LeBron James reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest at practice and had to be rushed to the hospital. The most important news is that he’s out of the ICU and is recovering as we speak.

Players and heart issues are something the Trojans are unfortunately not new to. Around a year ago, Vincent Iwuchukwu, a 7’1 big man and former five-star prospect, had a similar situation where he collapsed at practice due to s similar heart program. The good news is that he was able to not only recover but be cleared to play last season, participating in 14 games as a freshman in the final half of the year.

Hopefully, James can come back even sooner for the 2023-24 campaign. And the Trojans certainly have big plans for him, whether as a starter alongside top incoming freshman Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis or as a 6th man off the bench. But from a roster standpoint, this injury does spotlight a potential weakness when it comes to a lack of bench depth.

Guards Reese Dixon-Waters, Tre White, and Malik Thomas all transferred out. Only Oziyah Sellers (1.1 ppg in 5 mpg) is the other true guard on the roster, while wing Kobe Johnson would likely start once again for USC. If James is out for any extended period of time, Collier would have to be the real deal in order for the team to be a Pac-12 contender and one that can do damage on the season overall.

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Let’s hope that the prognosis for Bronny James continues to be good in the coming months for a speedy return to the court. Regardless of who he’s related to, this is still a High School McDonald’s All-American and someone USC Basketball is relying on for big contributions next season, and one of the top two-way prospects in the entire incoming freshmen class.

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