Allonzo Trier became the eighth-fastest player in Arizona basketball history to hit the 1,000-point plateau Saturday, so coach Sean Miller isn鈥檛 about to complain.
It鈥檚 just that, well, both Trier and Miller know it might have arrived a little bit faster.
By scoring 23 points in UA鈥檚 84-78 win over ASU on Saturday, Trier became the 51st UA player overall to score 1,000 for his career, but wasn鈥檛 on pace to make it initially with a slow start that has occasionally cramped his high-powered output lately.
Trier needed 16 points to tie the mark but had just five in the first half on 1-for-7 shooting. But in the second half, he was 4 of 8 from the field, and 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.
鈥淐ouple of tough misses. Let a couple fall short,鈥 Trier said of his start. 鈥淭hey felt good; just didn鈥檛 go down. It happens. But it鈥檒l happen over the course of a season. Your routine will help carry you through.鈥
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Trier said his percentages on the season show what he can do, and nobody鈥檚 arguing about that. For the season, Trier is averaging 21.3 points, shooting 54.2 percent from the field, 42.5 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the line.
But in UA鈥檚 seven December games, Trier averaged 6.6 points on 44.8 percent shooting in the first half 鈥 and 13.0 points on 53.3 percent shooting in the second half.
While Miller says Trier is the type of player to work out issues on his own, he says his staff is always looking to see if they can help him.
鈥淗e鈥檚 started slow and finished strong,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淲e need him to start strong and finish strong. And what would that game look like? It would be a monster game.鈥
Trier had a couple of those early in the season. He scored 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the first half of his first game, against NAU on Nov. 10, and finished with 32.
Two days later, he scored 15 points in each half against UMBC and, on Nov. 16, had 14 points in each half against Cal State Bakersfield.
That history is one reason why Trier says he isn鈥檛 worried.
鈥淚 probably should have been able to make at least four or five that should have gone down that just didn鈥檛 go down,鈥 Trier said of the ASU game. 鈥淭hat happens. But I鈥檓 confident. I put a lot of work in, all kinds of extra time.鈥
Trier also doesn鈥檛 need to hit jumpers to help Arizona鈥檚 scoring, of course. He鈥檚 gotten to the free-throw line an average of 7.3 times in UA鈥檚 14 games, and converted 6.1 of them on average.
In addition, while Trier has an overall assist turnover ratio of 1.25-1 this season, he鈥檚 posted a 5-1 ratio over his past four games. He dished four assists to no turnovers against both North Dakota State on Dec. 18 and against ASU on Saturday.
Trier had two of those assists during a 12-1 Arizona run late in Saturday鈥檚 game, one leading to a jumper by Parker Jackson-Cartwright and another leading to a jumper by DeAndre Ayton.
Not surprisingly, he also had 13 points over the final 12:28 of the game, eight of which came at the free-throw line.
So, eventually, the numbers all add up.
鈥淪ometimes he鈥檒l start slow but as the game keeps going he finds his rhythm,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 great to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game because he can really shoot free throws, drive and shoot from three and he鈥檚 become a really good passer.
鈥淪ometimes I find myself saying, 鈥楳an, he鈥檚 come a long way for me to say that,鈥 but four assists and no turnovers (against ASU) speaks volumes for how he鈥檚 finding his teammates and taking care of the ball.鈥
