USC basketball concludes European tour without any injuries
The USC Trojans concluded their three-game European summer tour on Sunday in Dubrovnik, Croatia. USC had played its previous two games of the tour in Mykonos, Greece, against Serbian team Mega Mis. This Sunday finale in Croatia was against SC Derby, a team based in Montenegro. SC Derby was playing shorthanded, but it had some players who challenged the Trojans and forced this team to work hard at the defensive end of the floor.
USC won the game over SC Derby, 96-87, and there is plenty to discuss with the Trojans’ overall performance up and down the roster. However, the first thing we need to emphasize at the end of this now-concluded tour: No one picked up significant injuries.
Isaiah Collier hit the deck late in the third quarter when bumped on a drive to the basket. He was on the floor for several seconds but was just shaking off the bruise, nothing more. He played the fourth quarter at full strength.
Boogie Ellis dove for a loose ball in the fourth quarter and was shaking off a stinging pain in one of his fingers, but it was nothing more than that. Trainers did not need to tend to him.
USC therefore avoided injuries and was able to play three games in a five-day span. Players were pushed hard, though Andy Enfield gave Isaiah Collier fewer minutes in this game after giving him heavy minutes in Greece last Wednesday and Friday. Backups got a lot of minutes in this game, and the coaching staff was able to see how different combinations of players functioned on the court.
Bronny James, recovering from his episode of cardiac arrest one month ago, did not accompany the team to Europe. Neither did Vince Iwuchukwu, who is making sure his back is fully healthy after encountering problems late last season. Bronny is highly unlikely to be available for the first few weeks of the season. We will see about Iwuchukwu when preseason practice begins in October.
