USC Athletics Shares Incredible Story of Vince Iwuchukwu's Return from Cardiac Arrest
The USC Trojans shared a video of the incredible story of true freshman Vince Iwuchukwu. The 7-foot, four-star big man was supposed to be the centerpiece of USC’s No. 7-ranked incoming recruiting class. But that plan was derailed on July 1, when Iwuchukwu went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout.
Assistant coach Eric Mobley shared the story of how he noticed something off with Iwuchukwu when the freshman didn’t control a rebound with his usual ferociousness. Mobley called for a water break and mentioned to head coach Andy Enfield that “something didn’t look right” with Iwuchukwu.
Iwuchukwu remembers sitting on the sideline, holding a cup of Gatorade and a water bottle. He remembers saying, “Bro, I’m so dizzy” before it happened.
“Bam,” he said, motioning dropping to the floor. “That’s all I remember.”
Mobley said the USC training staff started CPR immediately as he kept yelling his name and telling him to wake up.
Iwuchukwu came to and was rushed to an ambulance. He said his first thought was that his basketball career was over.
“It’s over,” he said. “Basketball is done for me.”
He said doctors told him that and he relayed that information to his parents, adding that it was fine that he didn’t play again. He’d focus on school.
“Ten minutes later, I started crying,” Iwuchukwu said. “Because it’s so hard to leave this game. I’ve only played this game for four or five years, but it’s given me so much. I’ve dedicated so much time going to prep schools, not having a summer because I was playing basketball…For me to say it’s over, I tried to accept it. But I love this game too much to just do that.”
Iwuchukwu heaped praise on his coaches and the USC training staff for their reaction and work that day. He gave special attention to Associate Athletic Trainer Jon Yonamine. Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford are credited in the video for their work as well. Iwuchukwu called them all Superheroes.
“Superheroes save peoples’ lives,” he said.
Iwuchukwu’s Return to the Court
On January 12, Iwuchukwu returned to the court during a home game against Colorado. The USC doctors were understandably cautious about Iwuchukwu’s return to basketball but he had been a consistent participant in pre-game warmups and practices leading up to that moment.
“It was exciting for me as a coach to know what he’s been through physically and mentally,” head coach Andy Enfield said. “It was just a great accomplishment to see him leave the bench, go to the scorer’s table and go into the game.
Iwuchukwu called it a “long seven months” to get to that point. He said the walk to the scorer’s table and then toward the free throw lane for the first play took forever. Then, a few moments later, he was back on the bench, abiding by a minutes restriction.
Vince’s Big Impact
USC fans are starting to get more and more of a sense of what the Trojans were missing with Iwuchukwu sidelined.
He played 14 minutes in a win against Utah, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. Against UCLA, he scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes.
USC fans will enjoy every minute that Iwuchukwu is on the court. But not as much as he will.
“It’s so rare for someone to say, I came back from this and now I’m playing,” he said in the video. “I’m more grateful for the game than I’ve ever been.”
