Arizona Basketball: Allonzo Trier, should he stay or should he go pro?

Now that Arizona Basketball has landed a top 20 recruit in Rawle Alkins, the discussion turns to Allonzo Trier and if he should stay another year, or go pro and why.

As soon as Rawle Alkins announced he was coming to the University of Arizona, Wildcats fans started including Allonzo Trier in next years team in the social media debates on the quality of next years Arizona Basketball team.

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ZonaZealots asked their followers if Zo should stay or declare to the NBA draft. The answer may surprise you because it seems quite clear his eye is on the NBA. Why wouldn’t it be? Isn’t that what motivated him to come to the UofA in the first place? That’s the reason Rawle is coming to the NBA; he stated just that in his USA Today blog:

“I think I’ll bring a toughness that they don’t see as much and, the bottom line is that I feel like I have my best chance of becoming a pro at Arizona. The other thing is that I love the Wildcat For Life program because if I’m lucky enough to go pro early, I can always come back and finish my degree.”

Sean Miller prides himself on being able to prepare his players to play in the NBA, even though he hates to see the players go and would probably enjoy his job a little more if he didn’t have to recruit each year heavily to replenish the talent. It’s a double edge sword. On the one hand, he can attract the best talent because he is so good at molding pros.

Allonzo Trier with the dunk! #LBSUvsAZ #APlayersProgram https://t.co/y6IsXaSZZ8
— Arizona Athletics (@AZATHLETICS) December 23, 2015

On the other hand, the best talent has their minds set before they start college on getting to the final four, winning NCAA Championship, then be taken in the top 25 of the NBA draft. These top-ranked high school recruits have the option to play overseas or go to college for one year; most opt to go to college, and have every intent to be a ‘one-and-done.’

A typical ‘one-and-done’ scenario goes a lot like this:

Stellar first couple years in High School and AAU ball
Transfer to a Prep or boarding school with top notch and touted basketball program to get noticed by coaches
Get recruited as a sophomore or junior by a ton of schools
Be awarded a spot on the McDonalds All-American team
Play for the USA in the Olympics
Earn four to five stars
Take unofficial and official visits
Make a decision, but let everyone in the world know on Twitter which schools are in their top 3 to top 5
Set up a way to declare and commit verbally to a university by:
1. Jumping out of a plane (Deontay Anderson, football commit)
2. Getting a spot on ESPNU (Rawle Alkins – Tie reveal)
3. Or the Local News (Stanley Johnson – Arizona Wildcats Air Jordan reveal)
4. Or at the McDonalds All-American game (Aaron Gordon – hat with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in attendance)
5. Or announcing on Twitter through an online sports broadcaster (Allonzo Trier told Evan Daniels on Scout.com) or directly.
Play in college for one year
Declare for the NBA Draft
Get Drafted

We’re sure Arizona head coach Sean Miller fully expects or plans for Zo to declare for the draft. What is different for Zo than Wildcats of his caliber before him, is that he got hurt mid-season which stunted his statistics and didn’t help him get many awards. He did get on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, so that’s something, but is it enough to declare? Only time will tell.

The majority of fans we spoke to do not think Allonzo is ready for the NBA, mostly because of his injury and maturity, and partially because Wildcats fans hate to see their players only play for one year.

Here are some of the responses from our Facebook page:

Nicole L. – “I hope he stays… It obviously gives him another year to grow, with him in the lineup next year plus out frosh skies the limit, and with so many good players going in this years draft, it hopefully gives him a better opportunity of being drafted higher next year.”
Brian B. – “He missed some time with his broken hand and with the seniors leaving, he should be the lead dog next year.”
A.J. – “Zo should stay. I think he will. It’s a fun ride. Why go next year when we have some exciting commits [coming]?”
Michael D. – “He needs to have a FULL year to showcase his true talent.”
Tom A. – “Stay Another Year Develop Your Game More #Beardown Allonzo.”