Arizona sophomore guard Allonzo Trier was tabbed to be the leader and main scoring threat for the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team this season—that may soon change.
Trier did not play in Arizona’s exhibition against College of Idaho on Tuesday night and his prospects for this season are even cloudier after weeks of speculation about his standing within college athletics. What we do know is this: Trier did not suit up in Arizona’s first exhibition and if that is any indicator, we know he won’t hit the court until his situation has cleared through whatever process within the team or externally.
Head coach Sean Miller declined to comment about Trier on Monday during Miller’s weekly press conference, but that has only fanned the flames after denying several questions about the standout sophomore’s situation.
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In addition, sophomore center Chance Comanche has been ruled out academically. Miller released a statement shortly before the Wildcats’ exhibition game Tuesday night:
“Chance Comanche will not play in tonight’s game due to his own lack of academic responsibility. As a member of our basketball program, you are a student and an athlete, and you are expected to do the best of your ability in both areas. It is not an option to compete and be held accountable on the court but not in the classroom. This suspension is indefinite.”
The losses of Trier and Comanche and the extent of time they may miss is the biggest concern to the Wildcats. The two were expected to make big contributions to this years’ team, but now Arizona will face the 2016-2017 season already dealing with depth issues. It is not an enviable position for the team to be in to start the season.
All comments about the two after the game were deferred to the posted statement by Miller before the game, and he would still not discuss Trier’s status.
Trier returned this season after foregoing an opportunity to enter the NBA draft after discussions with his family and Miller. The 6-foot-5 guard out of Washington averaged 14.8 points per game for the Wildcats and was viewed to be a potential breakout star on the national scale.
Comanche improved over the course of last season, adding valuable minutes in the last games of the year. He was in position to compete with junior Dusan Ristic for the starting spot and received praise by Miller for his hard work and significant improvement over the course of the offseason just a day prior to his suspension.
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