USC Basketball

There are a lot of firsts that an athlete will experience over the course of their career, and Bronny James had one of those moments in USC's 72-64 loss to Washington State on Wednesday night.

James was held scoreless for the first time in his college career. He went 0-of-3 from the field with two rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes against the Cougars.

USC head coach Andy Enfield elected to go with a bigger lineup late in the second half, so James was on the bench for seven minutes starting with 7:31 left to play before checking back in with 29 seconds remaining.

Enfield was pleased with James' overall effort, despite not scoring.

"He made a couple nice plays tonight," Enfield said of James after the loss.

The 15 minutes were James' fewest in a game since Dec. 28 against Oregon. That was also the last time he didn't get to the free-throw line before Wednesday night.

James is struggling to find his shot right now. The 19-year-old has missed nine consecutive field-goal attempts since starting 4-of-4 against California on Jan. 3. He's scored a total of two points in the past two games combined.

Wednesday's loss snapped the Trojans' two-game winning streak and dropped their record back to .500 at 8-8. They will begin a three-game Pac-12 road trip starting on Saturday night against Colorado.

USC freshman guard Bronny James finished with two points, two steals, two rebounds and an assist en route to the Trojans' 93-79 home win over Stanford in Pac-12 play on Saturday.

James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, entered this matchup averaging 7.5 points on 50.0 percent shooting, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 16.8 minutes per game.

He's found his offensive groove of late, most notably scoring a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting on Dec. 30 in an 86-70 loss to Oregon State. James followed that up with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in an 82-74 win over Cal on Jan. 3.

Saturday was an off-night offensively for James, who missed his four shots (three from three-point range). He did make two free throws after making a steal and getting fouled on an ensuing shot attempt to put USC up 59-51.

USC is now 8-7 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play after two straight wins. The Trojans' next game will be Wednesday at home versus Washington State.

USC head men's basketball coach Andy Enfield suggested Wednesday night that the medical staff will continue to monitor Bronny James and his minutes for the foreseeable future.

Following the Trojans' 82-74 win over California, Enfield told reporters that James' minutes restriction will be "kind of a week-by-week type thing."

Bronny, who is the son of Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA legend LeBron James, has played in six games this season and hasn't been on the floor for more than 20 minutes in any of them after suffering cardiac arrest due to a congenital heart defect during a practice in July.

In Wednesday's win, Bronny enjoyed one of the best games of his young career, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while adding three assists, two rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes.

That showing came on the heels of a breakout performance in an 86-70 loss to Oregon State on Saturday when James scored a career-high 15 points with three helpers, one board and one steal in a season-high 20 minutes of action.

Prior to the Oregon State game, Bronny had not scored more than six points nor played more than 17 minutes in a single game.

Enfield seemed happy with Bronny's progress after Wednesday's contest, and he was especially pleased with the fact that James was able to provide a spark off the bench:

"He's a freshman, [and] this was his sixth game. He's developing as a player and it's nice to see and nice to watch. He's 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.

"His effort tonight was great on the defensive end and [he had] four deflections. ... So we need that bench production. Our bench players have to be productive and he was terrific tonight."

After starring at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles, James was tabbed as a 4-star recruit and the No. 28 overall prospect in the class of 2023 by 247Sports.

While Bronny likely has added pressure on his shoulders to be great since his father is in the G.O.A.T. conversation, he plays his own brand of basketball that differs significantly from LeBron.

At 6'4" and 210 pounds, Bronny isn't as big and strong as his dad, but he boasts a solid all-around game and excels at three-point shooting, playmaking and playing tough perimeter defense.

As the season goes on, Bronny figures to become a bigger and bigger part of the 7-7 Trojans' rotation, and if he is up to it physically, he could be one of their go-to guys come Pac-12 tournament time.

Another promising performance from Bronny James helped USC earn an 82-74 win over California.

Coming off a career-high 15 points in his last game against Oregon State, James dropped 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 18 minutes off the bench on Wednesday night.

The highlight of the game was James' finish on an alley-oop from Isaiah Collier in the first half.

James also showcased his passing ability with a no-look assist that Joshua Morgan was able to finish with an easy layup.

Even though it didn't show up on the stat sheet, James was also involved in some key defensive plays for the Trojans and shows a knack for knowing when to be aggressive on that end of the floor.

Head coach Andy Enfield has been keeping James between 14-20 minutes per game since he debuted on Dec. 10. The 19-year-old is taking a more active role on offense with 17 field-goal attempts in the past two games after 16 total in his first four games.

The results are starting to improve, as James has scored 25 of his 45 points in these last two games.

USC is still trying to find consistency with a 7-7 record after Wednesday's win. If the chemistry between James and Collier continues to develop, the Trojans could put themselves in the mix as tournament team over the final two months of the regular season.

Next up for USC is a home game against Stanford on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.

Bronny James turned in the best performance of his young college basketball career on Saturday, and the best is yet to come if his famous father is to be believed.

LeBron James hyped up the USC guard while pointing out Bronny is "starting to return to form after the layoff" while on a minutes restriction.

James tallied 15 points and three assists on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range during Saturday's 86-70 loss to Oregon State. It was his fifth game of the season and the first time he has scored in double figures.

He arrived at USC as a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but suffered a cardiac arrest during a summer workout.

The freshman missed the start of the season but is now working his way back into the rotation.

If he continues to play like he did Saturday, it will help the Trojans bounce back from their slow start. They are 1-4 in games he has played and 6-7 overall.

Next up is a home game against Cal on Wednesday.

USC dropped to 6-7 on the season Saturday night, losing to Oregon State 86-70 on the road.

Despite the loss, Bronny James continued to show growth and dropped a career-high 15 points. He also added to his highlight reel in the first half of the game, throwing down a LeBron James-esque tomahawk dunk on a fast break off a steal.

The freshman is still coming off the bench for the Trojans, playing in just his fifth game of the season, but James could see his minutes go up if he continues to add valuable scoring for USC.

USC couldn't get much going on Saturday, heading into halftime with a nine-point deficit. Coming out of the break, the Trojans didn't have an answer for Oregon State, and the Beavers managed to build a big lead late in the second half.

The Trojans managed to put together a comeback — thanks in part to a late surge from James.

USC's late efforts weren't enough, however, and the Trojans came up short.

After a quiet start to his collegiate career, James managed to have a breakout game on Saturday. His big game had fans impressed and excited for what's to come for the freshman.

USC has struggled early on this season. After heading into December at a respectable 5-2, the Trojans limped through December, winning just one of their five games, including an upset loss to Long Beach State. Now in conference play, USC has dropped its first two Pac-12 games and will take on Cal next.

Perhaps James' coming out game will spark some confidence in the Trojans moving forward.

There may be better days ahead for Bronny James and the USC men's basketball team, but they didn't start with the opening of Pac-12 play.

Oregon defeated the Trojans 82-74 in Thursday's contest, which was the first conference game of the season for both teams. Kwame Evans Jr. led the way for the victors with 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals, while Jackson Shelstad added 21 points.

DJ Rodman (14 points and four rebounds) and Joshua Morgan (14 points and seven rebounds) spearheaded the scoring for USC in a losing effort.

While the Trojans had high expectations coming into the season, they are now just 6-6 with losses to UC Irvine and Long Beach State on the resume. Making the NCAA tournament at this point will be an uphill battle and will require better play as the Pac-12 schedule continues.

To their credit, they played much better in the second half than the first.

Oregon built a commanding 17-point lead by intermission, but the visitors closed the gap to single digits early in the second half. However, they could never quite get over the hump before the Ducks put the game away on the free-throw line.

Whenever USC takes the court, attention will naturally be on James.

Yet Thursday was just his fourth game back as he recovers from the cardiac arrest he suffered during a summer workout. The son of NBA legend LeBron James came off the bench against the Ducks and wasn't a significant factor, but he is also working his way into the rotation for a new team as a freshman.

He finished with five points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting from deep.

Next up for James and the Trojans is another road matchup against Oregon State on Saturday.

Bronny James and the USC Trojans bounced back from a disappointing loss to Auburn with a 79-59 victory over the Alabama State Hornets on Tuesday night.

It was a much better showing for the Trojans, who saw every player on their roster score at least five points in the win.

Top Performers

• TJ Madlock, Alabama State: 17 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
• Arrinten Page, USC: 12 PTS, 4 REB, 1 STL
• Isaiah Range, Alabama State: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST
• Isaiah Collier, USC: 11 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL
• Bronny James, USC: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL

USC was dominant in the first half, taking a 39-18 lead into halftime, but the team's intensity was lackluster at best in the second half as they were outscored 41-40 as Hornets junior guard TJ Madlock was the best player on the floor, notching 17 points, one rebound, three assists, one steal and two blocks.

As for the Trojans, freshman forward Arrinten Page led the way off the bench with 12 points, four rebounds and one steal while freshman guard Isaiah Collier finished with 11 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal

James, who is also a freshman, notched six points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

USC improved to 6-5 with the victory, but it has been an incredibly disappointing start to the season for the Trojans as they don't come close to contending with the best in college basketball.

The Trojans have lost to UC Irvine, No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 15 Gonzaga, Long Beach State and Auburn. If they have any hope of making the NCAA Tournament, they're going to have to step it up over the coming weeks and months.

USC will be back in action for a road matchup against Oregon on Dec. 28 before facing Oregon State on Dec. 30.

Bronny James' college career hasn't exactly gotten off to a sunny start.

The much-publicized guard—who made his return to the basketball court last Sunday after suffering cardiac arrest in July—managed just five points, two rebounds and two turnovers while still on a minutes restriction in a 91-75 blowout loss against Auburn.

He finished 1-of-4 from the field and 0-of-2 from three in 14 minutes off the bench. He also hit three of his four attempts from the free-throw line.

The Trojans, meanwhile, have now lost three straight games.

Getting James—the son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James—back on the court has been the biggest storyline of the season for the Trojans, and he expressed his thankfulness last weekend for the support and care he received during his recovery from cardiac arrest.

"I just want to say I'm thankful for everything," he told reporters. "Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with, my parents, siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that's helped me through this. Also, my coach, my teammates, all my other coaches. They've been with me since the start and I just want to say I'm thankful for them."

The second biggest storyline of the Trojans' season, however, has been the team's overall struggles. Losses to ranked teams like No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 10 Gonzaga weren't huge surprises. But dropping games to UC Irvine and Long Beach State—alongside getting blown out by a talented but unranked Auburn team—hasn't been a good look.

This is a team with a potential top-five pick in point guard Isaiah Collier, while backcourt mate Kobe Johnson could potentially draw interest from teams in the second round and James himself might have an NBA future.

Suffice to say, it's been a disappointing start to the season for the Trojans.

Perhaps James eventually leaving his minutes restriction will help. But the Trojans have more than enough talent to overcome his limited role. The team will get its next shot on Tuesday in a road game against Alabama State.

Bronny James made his debut for the USC Trojans on Sunday, and his father and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is beaming with pride.

James paid tribute to his son with an Instagram post, writing in the caption, "Can't even tell y'all how EMOTIONAL today was for me! I'm literally drained and all I can say is @bronny you're simply INCREDIBLE!! Damn the wins and loses that will occur. You've already won the ultimate goal/championship and that's LIFE!!! Proud of you kid and today you've given me more life! Thank you and I love you."

Bronny James came off the bench and played 17 minutes in Sunday's game, scoring four points while adding three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. However, USC went on to suffer an 84-79 loss in overtime to Long Beach State, dropping the team's record to 5-4.

It was James' first game since suffering cardiac arrest in July. His minutes were limited while he continues to work his way back into playing shape, but he showed flashes of the athleticism that made him a 5-star recruit in the class of 2023. After the game, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be back on the court:

USC head coach Andy Enfield didn't confirm if James will be active for the team's next few games.

"We will continue to monitor that, that's not my decision," Enfield said. "He played his restriction tonight, his minutes restriction, and I thought he played well in those minutes."

The Trojans will have a week off before returning to action next Sunday against Auburn, which will be the first of four consecutive road games. The team will be back home on Jan. 3 in a matchup against Cal.

USC fans will certainly be hoping to see more of James as the team chases a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.