Once called the most unstoppable scorer in high school basketball, Allonzo Trier did not start his college career as he may have liked. Trier scored just eight points and shot 1-for-10 from the field, missing five 3-pointers in 26 minutes against Pacific.
For an individual who averaged 26.4 points per game in his senior year at Findlay College Prep, that just doesn’t cut it.
His teammates told him to just be himself and not to let the first game get to him.
“Never been so impatient to get to a Monday ever in my life,” Trier wrote on Twitter, anticipating his upcoming game against Bradley.
To all who knew Trier, vengeance would only be a matter of time. That’s when Allonzo Trier 2.0 broke loose.
The 6-foot-6 freshman guard out of Seattle, Washington, proved why he was the No. 18 recruit in the country Monday night against Bradley, when he dropped 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and made all 14 of his free throw attempts.
“The thing I love about Allonzo is he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever been around,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “No one is in the gym earlier, no one stays longer and no one is more consistent than him. You think [when] he went 1-for-10 he must [have been] really worried. Nope. If he had an 11th shot, he would have taken it.”
What a compliment. Miller has seen his fair share of stud athletes and hard workers in his time in the game of basketball and as head coach at Arizona.
Aaron Gordon, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, T.J. McConnell, Nick Johnson, Stanley Johnson, Solomon Hill and Derrick Williams: what a list of players Miller has coached at Arizona, just to name a few.
Interestingly enough, Trier did not attempt a 3-point shot against the Braves. Instead, he scored eight points in the paint and his other 14 came on freebies.
He was a big reason why McKale Center became foul call central and the Wildcats managed the most free throw attempts (52) at home in program history. His 14-for-14 mark from the line was the second best in McKale Center history.
“I think you guys see the value of Allonzo Trier offensively,” Miller said. “He has a knack of being able to get to the line.”
There’s a reason why his Twitter handle reads @ISOzo_LOE, and he proved it to Wildcat fans as he got the basket often and crossed up countless Bradley defenders.
“If you just follow him around for a week, he is on a mission to be a great player,” Miller said.
Trier has come off the bench in the Wildcats’ first two games of the season. That won’t last much longer if he keeps up this scoring pace. Whose place would he take in the starting lineup? That depends on Miller. Perhaps Trier could be left as the x-factor for Arizona in the sixth-man role, sort of like Gabe York last season.
Trier has shot 95 percent from the charity stripe in his first two games in an Arizona uniform.
Now, the comparisons have to come into account. In three years, three different freshmen have made the difference for Arizona basketball. With all things considered, those are Gordon, Johnson and now Trier.
“We’ve had so many good players that have rolled through here since I’ve been here,” fourth-year Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski said. “He did a really good job pushing the tempo for us and leading the break. If he can continue to do that, the sky is the limit for him and our team.”
And with that, Trier has potential; it’s why Miller recruited him in the first place. He is an explosive scorer and has the ability to get to the basket, make defenders miss and hit big open shots. But every day has been a day of learning, as they have to be when playing at Arizona.
“Learning every day in practice,” Trier said. “The practice is the most important thing for me. The best way to learn is from experience. Every time I take the court, whether it is practice or a game, I’m learning.”
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