Arizona junior guard Allonzo Trier has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA after testing positive for a banned substance, the school announced Thursday.
“In late January 2018, Allonzo participated in an NCAA student-athlete drug screening,” a school statement said. “The results of that test, confirmed today, revealed the reappearance of a trace amount of a banned substance. The amount detected was miniscule 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 6-foot-5 Trier is Arizona’s second-leading scorer at 19.6 points per game while averaging 3.2 assists per game.
Allonzo Trier HAVE MERCY ? @ISO_ZO @APlayersProgram pic.twitter.com/tudmdp0Ut6
— Overtime (@overtime) August 18, 2017
Trier failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs before the 2016-17 season, leading to him to getting suspended for Arizona’s first 19 games. He appealed the decision and won the appeal, but the NCAA prohibited him from playing until the drug was completely out of his system. He returned in January 2017.
At the time, a source close to Trier confirmed to ZAGSBLOG an ESPN report that Trier “was in a serious car accident over the summer, and the Trier camp told the NCAA that someone close to his family gave him the drug — without his knowledge — to help him recover from injuries suffered in the accident.”
“I have never knowingly taken a banned substance,” Trier said in a statement in January 2017. “After finding out that I was given a banned substance by a well-intentioned, but misguided person not associated with the University after an injury, I presented this information to the NCAA. The NCAA agreed that I had no knowledge of receiving the substance and my eligibility was restored. Although I can practice and travel with the team, I am not allowed to resume playing in games until the substance completely leaves my body even at a trace amount. Unfortunately, I am unsure of when that time will be, but I hope it is soon.”
Trier is currently projected as the No. 46 pick in the NBA Draft, per ESPN.com.
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