Another week has gone by in the Arizona Wildcats' season, which meant another week of speculation swirled around UA guardΒ Allonzo Trier, with the current trend suggesting his pending eligibility issue will be resolved soon.
It was on Oct. 14 that UA coach Sean Miller first said he wouldn't discuss "rumors" about Trier, and Miller declined to comment when Trier didn't show up as expected at the Oct. 21 Pac-12 MediaDday and when he didn't make UA's trip to Hawaii for its season opener with Michigan State.
UA has since opted to announce before every news conference that Trier questions won't be addressed, while he has now missed two exhibition contests and three regular-season games.
Arizona AD Greg Byrne also has declined comment, and a number of people at UA and around Trier have declined to comment or respond to messages.
This sort of reaction is "certainly not normal," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said earlier this month, while Arizona Republic columnist Paola Boivin wrote the following Sunday:
"Rumors are swirling, and it's frustrating for fans hungry for a little transparency. The challenge for athletic programs are laws that protect a student's privacy. And if it's a situation that involves an investigation and possible appeal, it could drag on.
"In those circumstances, the silence makes complete sense.
"But if Trier made a mistake, I hope the time comes when he says, 'This is what I did. I screwed up and I'm sorry.
"Sports fans are a forgiving bunch, especially when there is true remorse. And maybe it's not the case here, but there are so many circumstances when athletes could serve themselves well by getting in front of the story."
