Ex-Husky Tsohonis Leads Upset of USC in Bronny James' Debut

The former UW guard leads Long Beach State with 28 points.

Dan Raley | Dec 10, 2023

Ex-Husky Tsohonis Leads Upset of USC in Bronny James' Debut /

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Washington Huskies

In a much anticipated game in which USC freshman Bronny James made his college basketball debut, cleared to play five months after suffering cardiac arrest, former Washington Husky guard Marcus Tsohonis grabbed the spotlight in Los Angeles.

On Sunday, Tsohonis came off the bench to score a game-high 28 points to lead Long Beach State to an 84-79 upset of the Trojans — the Big West school's first victory over USC in 36 years.

Tsohonis, a Portland product who played for the Huskies during the 2020 and 2021 seasons before transferring, connected on 7 of 14 shots, including 3 of 6 behind the 3-point, and hit 11 of 13 free throws in 28 minutes of action for the Beach (7-4).

James, 19, is the son of NBA standout LeBron James. He was on a minutes restriction for the Trojans (5-4) and played 16, coming up with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.

The younger James was hospitalized for three days in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest during a USC practice on July 24. He underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect.

Tsohonis is one of several accomplished players who left the UW in recent seasons, first transferring to Virginia Commonwealth for a year before joining Long Beach State, which is coached by Dan Monson, who helped turn Gonzaga into a powerhouse.

Now a senior, the 6-foot-3 Tsohonis averages 18.3 points per game, with his season high of 35 coming in a 94-86 victory at Michigan last month in which the Beach came rushing back from 16 points down.

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Published Dec 10, 2023

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.