Tuesday’s startling report that USC practice participant Bronny James had a heart arrest shocked the basketball world. Thanks in part to the USC staff members who rushed immediately to assist the adolescent, Bronny is now, happily, in stable condition.
In fact, it was the second year in a row that they had to act quickly to save an athlete who was in the middle of a workout. Vince Iwuchukwu, a five-star freshman the previous year, had a heart arrest in July 2022; according to the LA Times, it was the staff’s fast response that day that saved his life.
“Then, midway through that July workout, Iwuchukwu came down with a rebound and something didn’t look right to Eric Mobley,” “The assistant coach watched closely as Iwuchukwu ran down the court in transition. He saw something in the freshman’s eyes that worried him.”
He continued to yell at the child and shake him in an effort to get his attention. In a flash, they were able to locate the automated external defibrillator (AED) and dispatch the proper personnel to save Iwuchukwu while escorting the other players to the locker room.
“Three USC trainers — Yonamine, Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford — all converged around Iwuchukwu within 45 seconds of his collapse, Enfield estimates. Time, in that moment, was precious. Yonamine unwrapped the AED, while Tillman, the women’s basketball trainer, and Crawford, the women’s volleyball trainer, administered CPR. They attached the pads from the AED to Iwuchukwu’s chest. The device measured his heart‘s rhythm and determined a shock was needed.”
Fortunately, everything is now well, and later on in the year, Iwuchukwu even started practising again. He made his USC debut on January 12 against Colorado and saw action for five minutes. He played 14 games and finished the season averaging 5.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, and 1.0 BPG.
Hopefully, Bronny will be able to return to the floor like Iwuchukwu did and his aspirations of playing in the NBA won’t be dashed.