USC basketball head coach Andy Enfield spoke after the Trojans win over the Cal Bears Wednesday not just about the team, but about the performance of exciting freshman Bronny James. The oldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Bronny is still getting acclimated to playing basketball after suffering from cardiac arrest in July of last year.
Bronny James has been on a minutes restriction since his return in which Enfield revealed to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN that the playing time is decided by the medical staff and “that'll be kind of a week-by-week type thing.”
For James, it was his first win in USC basketball's conference of the Pac-12 and at the Galen Center where the Trojans play. He played 18 minutes where he scored 10 points, recored three assists, and collected two rebounds. Enfield said that James is “developing as a player” and acknowledged the road ahead for the freshman.
“He's a freshman, [and] this was his sixth game,” Enfield said to ESPN. “He's developing as a player and it's nice to see and nice to watch. [James is] a typical freshman but he had a little disadvantage over most freshmen where he was out for five months and had to come back in midseason. It's very hard to do.”
Bronny James getting recognition from teammates
Bronny James is seeming to be a staple of the USC basketball team's bench, even in his minutes restriction. Enfield said that James Wednesday was “terrific.”
“His effort tonight was great on the defensive end and [he had] four deflections,” Enfield said. “So we need that bench production. Our bench players have to be productive and he was terrific tonight.”
Besides his head coach, James' play is starting to resonate with his teammates. One specifically is junior guard Kobe Johnson who scored 14 points, collected seven rebounds, and recorded five assists in the starting lineup. The Trojan mentioned how “he's starting to be more confident as a player,” and “he's starting to play his game.”
Johnson revealed the mindset of James when he first returned to the team and in game-action. He mentioned how “antsy” James was, but as he is starting to get more comfortable, it could be a scary sight for opposing defenses in college basketball.
“When he first got back, he was on a [tighter] minutes restriction and he [was] kind of antsy about what to do. But now he's starting to get into his groove and starting to become the player that everybody knows he is.”
An all-around solid game for the Trojans
James was rolling to start the game as he made his first four shots. He contributed in a big way in the second unit, but it was an all-around exceptional game from the USC basketball team who get a much-needed win after dropping two straight games to Oregon and Oregon State.
A big emphasis for the Trojans and especially head coach Andy Enfield was cleaning up the sloppy mistakes. He had a strict approach to the media about sitting players.
“I'm tired of watching turnovers and no ball movement, no player movement,” Enfield said. “And if you're going to stand, you're going to come out of the game, so it's pretty simple.”
Up next for the Trojans will be a matchup against Stanford as they try to improve from their 1-2 conference record. As a whole, the USC basketball team is 7-7 on the season, which puts them eighth in the Pac-12.
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