In his first local media interview in nearly four months Thursday, Allonzo Trier said his 19-game suspension over a positive PED test βfelt like an eternity,β and praised his teammates for their support and performance during his absence.
"Iβm thankful for them and they played really well during my time of being out," Trier said.
Trier said he felt great to be back, but declined to offer any detail about the circumstances behind his suspension. UA issued a brief statement on Feb. 18 quoting him saying he took a performance-enhancing drug after an injury and wouldnβt be able to play until tests showed it has left his system.
After he was cleared on Feb. 20, UA did not make him available for comment and he also was unavailable after the Feb. 21 UCLA game, and during UAβs weekly news conference on Monday. (Iβve asked multiple times for interviews with Trier without success).
His six-minute postgame appearance Thursday along with Lauri Markkanen at the interview podium wasnβt the sort of environment that allows for in-depth interviews, which was probably fine with UA and the other parties involved, since the whole ordeal was opaquely handled.
As it was, Trier declined to comment when I asked about his injury and what happened.
βIβm not getting into that,β Trier said.
Trier did speak at length about what he did on the court during his layoff, however. He was allowed to practice the entire time and the NCAA approved him to travel with the Wildcats starting for their Dec. 3 game in Los Angeles against Gonzaga.
βIt was tough but I was in basketball shape,β Trier said. βI stayed around the game as much as I could. I was always in the gym, and I practiced with my teammates every day and I tried to make an impact any way I could. So even though I couldnβt play I just had to be there for my teammates and in practice I tried to do my part, practicing hard and helping these guys get prepared for the for games.β
Trier said that he believed he could make the Wildcats better β no doubt with his drives and also his passing.
βI can do a lot of different things,β Trier said. βBut, definitely, putting pressure on the defense and making them guard me is something thatβs tough and I can make my teammates a lot better when I do that. Just being another player on the court that they have to worry about makes it easier for Lauri and the rest of our guys and our team.β
Still, Trier said heβs not sure how long it will take to completely find his rhythm.
βI donβt know. Itβs a feel thing,β Trier said. βIβm two games in. Whenever it gets back, itβll get back.β
Trier also said: βIβm still really far behind. This is my second game in 10 months. Everybodyβs a lot farther ahead of me. Iβm still not in a lot of rhythm, but as I continue to play more, Iβll find my way and get back to myself. My teammates have been great telling me to just play through the kind of funny feeling.β
Trier said his teammates were also great playing without him for those 19 games, when UA went 17-2 and Sean Miller gave heavy responsibility to Markkanen and fellow freshmen Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins.
βI think the transition the guys made having to take on bigger roles and be ready early on was great,β Trier said. βWe have a lot of new guys. Thatβs what makes coach Miller such a great coach. I think he really solidified himself as coach of the year this year and heβs done a great job with our group.
βWeβre still working some things out. Implementing me to the team is gonna make this team feel funny. Weβre still a ways from reaching our ceiling from where weβre gonna be at.β
Trier added:
βWe went through a lot of adversity. Whether itβs me being out or Parker (Jackson-Cartwright) injured, having another guy who can make things happen really helps us. It was different because in practice, we were a totally different team. We had that extra person and it was really highly competitive but when you don't go to the game you missing that one link. That kind of makes it tough. We did a great job of being able to get to 17-2 without me, so Iβm proud of the team and the guys.β
While he was out, Trier said he tried to help bring along UAβs freshmen.
βThey had a bigger role than they might have had if I was playing right (away) all year. But they did a great job and theyβre learning. And theyβre eager to listen. I just did my best to help them, be positive with them and teach them you have your ups and downs but if you stay the course you follow through.β
In the long run, Miller was bullish on what Trier will do to the Wildcats.
βAllonzo played great. Seven assists and one turnoverβ against WSU, he said. βThis is a player who had 31 assists all last year and now has 11, so he has a third of last yearβs assists in two games. Heβs a much better player. You see that he adds a dimension to our team weβre grateful to have. But everybody else has to learn their role, he has to learn his and as it moves forward itβll even out, as it always does.β
βEvery game that goes by in the next couple of weeks, heβll eventually settle in. If you look at the start of the season, it usually takes a couple of exhibition games, which he didnβt even have, a few of regular season game, a game on the road, and all of a sudden you see that everyone settles in. And thatβs where weβre at right now β weβre in that settling in process. But again he played a very good game tonight.β
Miller also said:
βNo question itβs nothing but a positive for us especially because weβve had a lot of players develop confidence and experience because theyβve had such big, big roles. They still have a bigger role but with team success, individual goals become realized. Youβre not going to get those rewards if youβre just OK. So everybody has to sacrifice. And with that sacrifice, we hope we can reach a higher ceiling, and maybe achieve more than we otherwise could have.β
Of course, regardless of Trier, the Wildcats were due for a letdown of some sort after their big sweep in L.A. this weekend. Also, they were playing a Washington State team that was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 and doesn't get much respect but has already won three conference games and features an experienced group of players that probably weren't afraid of McKale (and actually may have enjoyed playing in front of a big crowd for a change; WSU is averaging only 2,203 fans for home games so far this season).
But Miller said he thought the UCLA aftermath wasnβt too big a factor.
βA little bit,β he said. βBut if youβre trying to be an excellent team, those are the teams that have that part figured out. Over the long haul of a 31-game regular season itβs not going to be perfect. Thereβs times when itβs going to be sloppy. Thereβs going to be times where even though youβre a good free throw shooting team, youβre not gonna make them.
βEven if youβre a great defensive team -- weβve had some great defensive teams that have had bad defensive games. Tonight I donβt think was a byproduct of us overlooking Washington State. It as that we werenβt at our best. Credit Washington State, and also weβre trying to work through some things. If you watch us a few weeks from now, weβll be that much further along.β
Apparently, there was some national commentary that Miller noticed in which Markkanen wasnβt mentioned as one of college basketballβs best freshmen.
He said it's βa jokeβ to not include his Finnish big man in such a conversation.
βOnce in a while you just pay attention even if youβre not trying to and you look at `Hey, hereβs the best freshmen in the countryβ (without Markkanen being mentioned) and Iβm saying 'are you serious?β β Miller said. βItβs not even close. And Rawle and Kobi (Simmons) are also outstanding but just watching Lauri play, I think he deserves a little more credit than heβs getting.β
Turns out, a Finnish reporter was on hand Thursday (there have been others already this season), and he asked Miller what he thought about Markkanenβs future.
βExtraordinarily bright,β Miller said. βThe thing about him that stands out is he loves the game, he works as hard at the game as any player that weβve had. And although heβs very talented, heβs a great teammate and unselfish. Those three things usually donβt accompany somebody youβre talking so glowingly about. He helps team chemistry. Heβs a winner and his teammates enjoy being around him and playing. Heβs willing to do anything that you ask him to do as a coach.β
There's no doubt NBA folks like his future a lot, too. Draft Express has Markkanen as the No. 9 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and this week broke down his game at length here.
Our full coverage is attached to this post as are the box score and updated UA stats.
Oregon remained in a first-place tie with Arizona at 8-0 by winning at UtahΒ despite Utes fans booing the newly returned Dillon Brooks.
The Pac-12βs unbalanced schedule is allowing the unique possibility of both teams being 10-0 when they meet on Feb. 4 at Eugene, since UA and Oregon are not playing during the first half of conference play.
