USC Basketball: Andy Enfield Provides Ominous Update on Injured Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson

Early-season injuries are never good.

Despite USC falling to the UC Irvine Anteaters 70-60 at home, it's hard to decipher much from the contest given how short-handed the Trojans were. 

Andy Enfield's group played without Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, two returning starters and All-Pac-12 selections last season. This was Johnson's second missed game in a row.

Regarding their status, here's what coach Enfield had to say, (per trojansports.com): 

"We don't like to play guys unless they feel great, it's not worth it," the USC head coach said. "But, we've had some unfortunate injuries. Even Isaiah Collier was hurt, and we weren't sure he was gonna play until late yesterday (Monday). We thought we'd be without all three of them. So, it's been frustrating."

Enfield's comments suggest that the injuries have been a recurring issue in the young season, as arguably the Trojans' three most important players have been banged up in some capacity. 

"Soon" was the term that Enfield used to describe when he thinks Ellis and Johnson will return, but he's also clearly adamant about not playing them unless they're at full health. 

Ideally, if the Trojans had enough cushion even in spite of them being out, they could ease them in ahead of their matchup against Gonzaga on December 2nd. With a loss already on their record, however, that seems unlikely, as they're set to face off against a solid Seton Hall team on Thanksgiving. 

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