The comeback of Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, from cardiac arrest in July is a remarkable story.
But James and his Southern California teammates are now focused on getting back into the win column.
The Trojans will try to snap a three-game skid Tuesday night in Montgomery, Ala., in a nonconference contest against Alabama State.
USC (5-5) couldn’t crack the code in a high-profile matchup Sunday at Auburn, losing 91-75 in a game that wasn’t that close. The Tigers led by 23 with less than 10 minutes left and cruised, as the Trojans made only 40 percent of their shots and coughed up 15 turnovers.
James, playing his second game after being cleared for competition earlier this month, contributed five points and two rebounds in 14 minutes.
“He’s come back and he gave us good minutes. He plays very hard,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “He’s just a freshman and he’s been out five months. It’s very, very challenging for him but we anticipate he’ll be a much better player by the middle of the season than he is now.”
Boogie Ellis, who scored 22 at Auburn, is averaging 21.4 ppg for the Trojans.
Alabama State (4-5) is coming off a 74-56 defeat Wednesday night at LSU. After leading 34-30 at halftime, the Hornets were stomped in the second half, foiling their hopes of upsetting a Power 6 team on the road.
TJ Madlock scored 18 points for Alabama State, upping his team-high scoring average to 16.1 ppg. CJ Hines is averaging 12.4 points and Isaiah Range is scoring 12 points per game. The Hornets average nearly 75 points despite making just 38.8 percent of their field goal attempts.
Alabama State has been competitive in losses at unbeaten Ole Miss and Memphis, both of which are in this week’s Top 25.
This is part of the second year that Pac-12 schools have committed to nonconference games at SWAC schools as part of the Legacy Series.
–Field Level Media