One of the oddest roster issues in the Sean Miller era at Arizona is over for the season, and maybe for good.
Miller said after UA’s 99-61 win over ASU that junior forward Elliott Pitts has left the team because of personal reasons, after Pitts has missed 18 games with what Miller initially called a “personal issue” when he didn’t play against Fresno State on Dec. 9.
Pitts has since attended UA games, practice and traveled with the Wildcats, but he did not show up Wednesday. UA issued no statement about Pitts before the game so I asked Miller afterward if Pitts’ no-show meant anything was up.
Here’s what he said in full:
“Elliott has stepped away from our team for personal reasons. He’ll step away from our team for the remainder of the year. I can’t elaborate on that.”
I asked if he could at least clarify if this was Pitts’ choice.
“Yes,” Miller said. “Him and I have had a number of talks over the past couple of weeks, and him and I both felt that it would be in his best interest to focus on the task at hand academically and obviously remain here at the University of Arizona and finish his academic work.”
Miller has called Pitts a “great kid,” and Pitts is also known to be a good student. Miller has said it was not a disciplinary issue by him, and the fact that Miller kept him involved suggested he wasn’t the one holding Pitts back.
I have been told issues such as Pitts’ take about a month to resolve but he’s been out over two months now, suggesting there are still complications.
Since his issue is still going on, leaving now ends the continued sight of having him on the bench when he’s unable to play and, in the postseason, it could avoid a potentially even bigger distraction.
Without him on the team, Pitts will avoid the possibility that he will be approached by media crowds that tend to grow after every postseason round. While UA selects the players allowed to be interviewed during the season, team locker rooms are mandated to be open to media following Pac-12 Tournament and NCAA tournament games.
In any case, Pitts is gone for the season and possibly for good. Even though he played in only seven games this season, he won’t get the year back of eligibility unless he files a successful waiver, so he will have only one year left to play at UA or elsewhere.
Twenty points, eight rebounds and – perhaps most tellingly – nine trips to the free-throw line say Allonzo Trier is back fully after breaking his hand on Jan. 9.
Trier has played in four games since returning but averaged only 13.0 points while shooting 28.5 percent until Wednesday.
On Wednesday, he made 5 of 6 from the field and hit 8 of 9 free throws.
“I’m still finding my way, still kind of getting back to things,” Trier said. “Just memorizing how I used to play on the court. I’m happy to be back playing. When you sit out that long, it makes you not take basketball for granted and it puts everything in perspective. I’m just excited to be back playing with my teammates.”
Miller called Trier one of three Wildcats who were playing with a high level of confidence Wednesday, with Kaleb Tarczewski (15 rebounds) and Parker Jackson-Cartwright (seven assists, no turnovers, some defense on 3-for-11 Tra Holder) being the others.
“In fairness to Zo, you miss four weeks as a freshman, you don't just all of a sudden put the uniform on, walk in and resume where you were,” Miller said. “It’s taken him a couple of games to get back into the flow. But tonight he played an unselfish game. And it’s amazing when you’re unselfish. All of a sudden you get 20 points. But that’s how it works.”
Jackson-Cartwright’s play, and Miller’s comments afterward, suggested he has taken a firm hold on the starting point guard spot, regardless of Kadeem Allen’s health (which is fine now, by the way).
“Parker is playing the best basketball of his career,” Miller said. “He’s running the team and making players better, but it’s his defense that we’re the most proud of. He’s a much better defender right now than he used to be this season and that’s what you hope (happens) with young players as they continue to work.”
While Miller has often spoken of the issues that have adversely affected his roster all season, Jackson-Cartwright has been a rare constant.
“Parker has not missed one day,” Miller said. “Has not missed one practice, not any time, from the beginning of school until now, and it’s that consistency, that effort, that has allowed him to grow and really play at a very crucial time for our team at the highest level.”
Later, Miller added:
“Parker has improved as a defensive player,” he said. “It started a couple of weeks back and he’s really responded to a bigger role and he’s our starting point guard right now.”
On Tarczewski, who is averaging 11.8 rebounds in his past four games, Miller gushed again.
“I have never seen him rebound the ball like he’s rebounding,” Miller said. “You look at him; he looks like an NBA center paying college. Fifteen rebounds in 25 minutes? There aren’t a lot of players who are going to get 15 in 25 minutes and his shot blocks -- four -- I thought he could have had six. Couple of tough calls there could have gone either way. But he’s really established himself in a significant manner.”
Justin Simon hadn’t in UA's last three games before Wednesday, and Miller said it was just a matter of getting everyone back in the rotation ahead of him, more than anything Simon did.
Smith played a much bigger role in Trier’s absence but did not play at Washington or against UCLA or USC games last weekend. He played six minutes Wednesday against ASU.
(Center Chance Comanche also played Wednesday but he had been sidelined with a concussion against the L.A. schools).
“Justin’s doing fine; it’s just that we’re settling into a pretty solid eight-man rotation right now, and both him and Chance are ready, working hard every day,” Miller said. “You can see their talent out there, their talent for our future. We count on those guys. We believe in them. It’s just right now coming down the home stretch that’s their role. They’re 9-10 and the other eight are able to play.”
With Jackson-Cartwright in the starting lineup now, that means Kadeem Allen, Dusan Ristic and Mark Tollefsen are 6-8 at the moment.
For the record, UA's 38-point margin of victory was its second-biggest against ASU, next to a 99-59 UA win at McKale Center during the 1987-88 season. It was the Sun Devils' 10th-worst loss ever, as defined by the margin of defeat.
Our deadline coverage from Wednesday: A game story, column, sidebar, notes and a photo gallery.
The Republic had a column on UA and a game story.
The box is attached as a PDF.
Colorado blew a 15-point lead in a loss at USC.
Three Pac-12 games today:
Utah will play at UCLA, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Stanford at WSU, 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Cal at Washington, 9 p.m., Fox Sports 1
