Andy Enfield discusses overcoming slow start vs. Utah

It wasn’t always pretty, but Andy Enfield was satisfied with USC getting a huge victory over Utah on Saturday.

The Trojans were off to a slow start, but their bench came in and helped them right the ship, leading to a 71-56 victory. Speaking with the media afterwards, Enfield had praise for some unsung players, detailing how they helped USC pick up the pace.

“They made about three or four threes early, and [Branden] Carlson got hot. Made three in the first half. But that’s what I said, the bench came in and gave us — each guy contributed something,” stated Enfield. “Malik [Thomas] had those offensive rebounds, or one offensive rebound, and had an assist. Everybody came in. Oziyah [Sellers] came in and had a play where he talled up on a shooter and missed the shot.

“So we’re getting better. We need that depth moving forward.”

Now, USC is at 13-5 on the season, winning back-to-back games with a date against the Arizona Wildcats on the docket. If the Trojans can capture a victory, they could make some noise on a national level.

Time will tell, but Andy Enfield is liking what he’s seeing from his team at the moment.

Andy Enfield discusses Vince Iwuchukwu’s progression, health

Highly-touted USC center Vince Iwuchukwu is slowly getting back on the court for the Trojans, and head coach Andy Enfield has been impressed with what he’s seen so far. 

Iwuchukwu collapsed during an informal team workout over the summer, as he suffered a cardiac event in July that forced him to miss the beginning of this season. He still hasn’t been fully unleashed yet, but Iwuchuwku has now played in two games this season for USC as he works his way back to full speed. 

After USC defeated Utah 71-56 on Saturday, Enfield has great things to say about Iwuchukwu’s progression. 

“I think health wise, we’re confident that he’s able to play and he’s been doing very well,” Enfield said of Iwuchukwu. “He will get better as will his cardio with more playing time, more practices, running up and down the court. He’s going to be stronger and be able to play more minutes. He’s on a minutes restriction. 

“But I thought he was terrific defensively in the second half in that three-minute stretch, because he just challenged shots at the rim in the lane and they missed about four shots over him.”

Iwuchukwu made his college dbut on Thursday, playing five minutes in a victory over Colorado. Against Utah on Saturday, he played six minutes. But even though he might not be playing a lot, Enfield has seen plenty to like as his coveted young big man continues to get back on track. 

Iwuchukwu was one of the top recruits in the 2022 class, coming to USC as a four-star prospect, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 31 overall recruit and the No. 5 center in the 2022 cycle. 

Getting Iwuchukwu back to full speed is great news for USC as the Trojans continue to get deeper and deeper into Pac-12 play. After defeating Utah, the Trojans sit at 13-5 overall, including a 5-2 conference record. 

A challenging stretch awaits USC, with a road trip to a ranked Arizona team set for Thursday night. USC then hits the road again on Saturday to take on Arizona State before returning home the following Thursday to host another highly-ranked team in UCLA.