Allonzo Trier declared ineligible after testing positive for banned substance

Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier has once again been declared ineligible by the NCAA after testing positive for a banned substance.

The UA is appealing the decision.

Here is the full statement from the Arizona athletic department:

“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 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 has agreed, Allonzo had unknowingly ingested in 2016. The University is appealing the decision and is hopeful that Allonzo will regain his eligibility soon.”

Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports reports the substance is the steroid Ostarine, and here’s an informative quote Forde got from Trier’s attorney, Steve Thompson.

“The NCAA’s intransigence on this issue is mind-boggling,” Thompson said. “Allonzo has never been a drug-cheat, and the NCAA found in 2016 that he never took Ostarine intentionally. The experts tell us Ostarine can be stored in fatty tissues for a long time, and tests can be negative but then later be positive as the substance comes out. The medical evidence also shows that the reappearance of a trace amount in his system now creates absolutely zero competitive advantage. We’ve asked the NCAA’s medical panel to review the case – as the rules provide – and the NCAA has refused. This is so frustrating and unnecessary, especially at this time of the season and Allonzo’s career.”

This is Trier’s second time being declared ineligible after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The Seattle native was ruled ineligible at the start of the 2016-17 season, but appealed the decision and won after the NCAA agreed he did not knowingly take the substance.

Yet, Trier was not allowed to return to the court until the substance “completely leaves (his) body even at a trace amount,” which caused him to miss the first 19 games of that season.

He was tested every seven to 10 days.

“I have never knowingly taken a banned substance,” Trier said in a statement at the time. “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.”

Trier, now a junior, is one of the top scorers in the country, averaging 19.6 points per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3.

Losing him is a tremendous blow to the 14th-ranked Wildcats, who are in first place in the Pac-12 and have Final Four aspirations.

This story will be updated.