He was supposed to be one of the main cogs in the Wildcats machine this season, but instead Allonzo Trier sat out of the game 19 times in a row. Having passed up the opportunity to declare for the NBA draft after his freshman season, he spent the first three months unable to play, and nobody knew why.
It was finally revealed that Trier was held out because of a violation of PED’s.
Arizona coach Sean Miller, who remained tight-lipped throughout the entire affair, finally dished on some of the deets.
“It’s a process that had no history,” he said at his press conference Monday. “I think the NCAA did the best they could. They were extremely fair. I think they really had the student-athlete welfare at the forefront of a lot of things. It might not have felt that way to the outside, but they were very communicative, very direct, vert cooperative, trying to hold to the standards that they need to hold these types of issues to.”
Trier was forced to sit out until he drugs were out of his system. He was able to be clear and free of any traces in time for the Wild Cats matchup against UCLA. He finished with 12 points and provided Arizona with another explosive element.
The Wildcats were doing just fine without him, though. At 18-2, they’ll be considered one of the favorites for the tournament in March. This win moved the Wildcats up seven spots on the AP top 25, and they now stand at No. 7.
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Arizona coach Sean Miller details Allonzo Trier's suspension
