Why the first NBA season for Allonzo Trier was so meaningful
While getting to the NBA was always a dream for Allonzo Trier, the unorthodox path in getting there is one he truly appreciates as he reflects on his first season.
Becoming a professional athlete takes a lot of things. First off, it takes talent, but it also takes passion, commitment, hard work and a little bit of luck among other things. All those things couldn’t be any truer for former Wildcat, Allonzo Trier.
From a young age, people that knew Trier, realized he was going to be special. Taking to the sport of basketball early on, who knew it would pave the way for the rest of his life!
Arizona Wildcats
Knowing he always wanted to focus on and play basketball, Trier cites his mother as being his inspiration, his biggest supporter, and a huge reason why he is where he is today. Her support from an early age, would help to develop and shape Trier into becoming the man he is now!
That support allowed Trier to blossom from youth stardom, to college stardom and now to the big lights of the NBA. However, the road in getting there wasn’t always easy.
When he came to Arizona, there was plenty of hype surrounding Trier, as he was the No. 13 overall recruit in the class of 2014 according to 247Sports.
He was a star at Findlay Prep (Henderson, NV), and came with a unique knack for scoring!
As a freshman for the Wildcats, he would play in 27 games, averaging 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. But a hand injury would derail his season a bit, as Trier would miss seven games, ultimately pushing him to return to school for his sophomore season.
However, who knew that with him returning, it would set-up for a tough year.
Entering the season with plenty of hype again, things wouldn’t quite go as planned as Trier would miss half the year due to a suspension/ failed drug test. Despite a rather productive season in the 18 games he played in, he would ultimately decide to return to school again, this time setting up for a potentially huge, junior year!
With arguably one of the best seasons in Wildcat history, Trier would finish the season averaging 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
With that kind of production and the experience he would be bringing to the league, you would assume for him to be a shoe-in for the NBA Draft, right? Well, not quite!
Come draft night, plenty of names would be called, but the one perhaps most surprisingly not called was Allonzo Trier’s. The young with dream and a supreme fanaticism for the sport would be humbled, going the entire evening, not hearing his name!
Unfortunately for the the NBA, that would be bad news for several teams and GM’s that passed on him. The snub would only light the fire under him to prove those that doubted him wrong.
As we should all be aware of by now, it’s that Trier would make plenty of waves in his first year, finishing the season averaging 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He would even have a career high of 31 points against the Chicago Bulls early in the year!
All the trials and tribulations he went through, the hard work he learned from his mom would pay off in a big way. Everything that Trier has gone through has allowed him to adapt and help him to find his way.
Just listen to his amazing story!
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At Zona Zealots, we’re so incredibly proud of Trier and his accomplishments and can’t wait to see what season two has in store! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!