Six months after he suffered cardiac arrest during a summer workout, USC is hopeful that freshman 7-footer Vince Iwuchukwu could make his long-awaited debut as soon as this weekend.
Iwuchukwu’s status remains uncertain for Thursday’s home meeting with Colorado, but a source not authorized to speak publicly about the matter told The Times that the former five-star prospect has “a chance” to return as early as this weekend. USC also plays Utah at home on Saturday.
A top-25 recruit in the 2022 class, Iwuchukwu arrived at USC with the expectation of becoming the latest in a line of star Trojans big men, following in the footsteps of Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley and Onyeka Okongwu before him.
But on July 1, Iwuchukwu collapsed during an informal team practice after suffering sudden cardiac arrest. He spent the next several days in the hospital.
When he returned to USC, coach Andy Enfield made it clear that the team would exercise extreme caution in handling Iwuchukwu’s return. Enfield indicated at the start of the season that he was “very hopeful” the freshman would play at some point during his first year at USC.
“Vince had the issue this summer, and everyone rallied around him,” Enfield said in November. “He bounced back very quickly. If you would’ve seen Vince, you’d never know he had an issue — shortly after it happened and now. He’s such a vibrant personality.”
How USC might work in the 7-footer remains to be seen. But the fact that he’s able to return at all, let alone this early in the season, is certainly tremendous news for Iwuchukwu and the Trojans.
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