USC Basketball: Why Andy Enfield Kept Little-Used Freshman On The Floor Vs UCLA

It seemed to work out!

6'11" USC Trojans men's basketball power forward/center Arrinten Page saw himself playing an outsized role in the Cardinal and Gold's unexpected Pauley Pavilion victory over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday.

Per Luca Evans of The Orange County Register, longtime USC head coach Andy Enfield explained why he felt he could play Page major minutes in the winning effort.

"Well, the other guys had foul trouble," Enfield joked. "No, he played well, he played hard, he’s a freshman, he does makes some mistakes, but he helps us with his size, his length, his athleticism."

Across 25 contests during his first collegiate season, the Wheeler High School product (where he was a teammate of fellow freshman Trojan Isaiah Collier) is averaging a modest 3.3 points on a .492/.313/.533 slash line and 2.2 boards across 11.2 minutes.

He appeared for 12 minutes in the 11-16 Trojans' 62-56 victory over the 14-13 Bruins Saturday, scoring two points, using up three enthusiastic fouls on defense, grabbing one board and swiping one steal. Sure, the counting stats were pretty underwhelming yet again, but the fact that Enfield trusted him to not be a minus while out on the floor against a better Bruins team is testament to the kid's growth. Here's hoping he can take a leap in 2024-25.