Harrison Hornery, Malik Thomas step up to replace injured players in USC win
The USC Trojans had to brace for a worst-case scenario on Saturday against Washington, and they definitely got it.
They already knew that Reese Dixon-Waters would not play due to an injury suffered at the very end of the Washington State game on Thursday. (We didn’t know that Dixon-Waters wouldn’t play until just before tipoff, but USC’s players surely knew well in advance.) This was in addition to the fact that Joshua Morgan, injured early in the WSU game, would not play.
The worst-case scenario USC received was that in light of its limited big-man options, Vince Iwuchukwu got into foul trouble. The Trojans wanted to avoid that precise plot twist, but that’s what happened. Iwuchukwu picked up two quick fouls in the first half, then an early third foul in the second half and a fourth foul midway through the second half. He played only 10 minutes.
No Morgan. No Dixon-Waters. Limited Iwuchukwu minutes.
USC had to find a lot of bench minutes to compensate for these absences.
Harrison Hornery and Malik Thomas were thrown into the fire.
Hornery played 18 minutes and Thomas 17. They weren’t spectacular, but that isn’t their job description. Their assignment was to hold the fort and not be a negative drag on USC’s overall performance.
Their job wasn’t to score, but to defend and rebound.
They did — under the circumstances — a very admirable job.
Hornery pulled down five rebounds and scored two points. Thomas came up with four points and three steals. That’s six points and eight hustle plays in a game USC won by six, 80-74.
Seems pretty significant, wouldn’t you say?
Tre White scored 22 points, Kobe Johnson 21. Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson were not at their best, but the dynamic duo still combined for 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. Those four players carried the scoring load for USC.
Hornery and Thomas just had to keep the defense coherent and functional. They did.
USC needed to call upon two of its less-proven players for important minutes in a crucial game. Harrison Hornery and Malik Thomas didn’t drown. They stayed above water and helped the Trojans win a very big game.
If this contest can lead to continued improvement for Hornery and Thomas, USC will have a better, deeper team heading into March. It’s an exciting thought for Andy Enfield and the rest of the program to contemplate.
