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DeAndre Ayton, Allonzo Trier, Rawle Alkins to Declare for NBA Draft
March 4, 2018
The Arizona Wildcats will have to reload for next season as they'll lose some key pieces to the NBA.
On Saturday night, Arizona coach Sean Miller revealed that Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins will all turn pro after this season, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
The trio played a big role in the Wildcats' 24-7 record and second straight Pac-12 regular-season title.
Ayton had a season for the books. He broke Arizona's freshman scoring record, as Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star noted:
The 7'1", 250-pound forward averaged a double-double (19.7 points and 11.1 rebounds) in his lone season in Tucson. Add in 61.2 percent shooting and 2.0 blocks per game, and it was an all-around great showing for the potential No. 1 overall pick.
Ayton has seen recent controversy, however, as ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported FBI wiretaps intercepted a conversation between Miller and Christian Dawkins, who discussed giving Ayton $100,000 to sign with Arizona. Miller denied the conversation took place, per Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman.
Trier also found himself in a tough situation recently, having been suspended (and later cleared) because of a failed drug test. He had also been suspended in 2016-17 for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The 6'5" guard provided a nice on-court complement to Ayton. He averaged 19.5 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Even more impressively, he shot 53.5 percent from the floor, 42.2 percent from beyond the arc and 85.6 percent from the line.
Not to be forgotten, Alkins averaged 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 37.8 percent from downtown. A foot injury limited him to 18 games this season, but he was effective when on the court.
Arizona will have to find a way to replace its top three leading scorers next season while Ayton and Co. ply their trade as pros.