Arizona announced on Thursday that star guard Allonzo Trier has been ruled ineligible after traces of a banned substance were found in his system during a January drug test. They also said that they are appealing the decision in hopes that Trier will be made eligible again.
Here is the statement from the Wildcats:
“Earlier today, the University of Arizona was notified that the NCAA has declared Allonzo Trier ineligible. In late January 2018, Allonzo participated in an NCAA student-athlete drug screening. The results of that test, confirmed today, revealed the reappearance of a trace amount of a banned substance. The amount detected was minuscule by scientific standards and appears to be a remnant of a substance, which the NCAA agreed, Allonzo had unknowingly ingested in 2016. The University is appealing the decision and is hopeful that Allonzo will regain his eligibility soon.”
The whole thing sounds somewhat bizarre. Trier missed the first 19 games of last season after testing positive for a banned substance and did not return to the court until he passed a drug test showing the substance was out of his system. It seems a little odd that a banned substance from a year ago would still be in his system without him having ingested anything new. That will be something the NCAA needs to decide.
The junior is averaging 19.6 points per game this season and has improved on his shooting percentages across the board.
