By MATT JESSEN-HOWARD
Special to ZAGSBLOG
MINNEAPOLIS — “Allonzo Trier Is in the Game.”
That was the headline of a 2009 feature article in The New York Times. At the time, Trier was a sixth-grader in the Seattle area, popping eyes at tournaments across the country and receiving mail from John Calipari.
More than five years later, that headline still reads true. The 6-foot-4 Trier out of Montrose Christian (Md.) and Athletes First is leading the Nike EYBL circuit in scoring at 29.4 points per game, and has seemingly an infinite amount of schools recruiting him.
“Everybody’s recruiting me the hardest right now,” he told SNY.tv. “I’m pretty much everyone’s priority. My list is long. It’s Minnesota, Arizona, Memphis, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Georgetown, Maryland, Baylor, Kansas, Louisville, UConn. I could go on and on.
“A lot of coaches knew I could do this,” he added. But he thinks his recruitment has picked up even more with all of his success in EYBL. “I just took it to another level and showed everybody what I could do. It’s just taking it to another level and raising everyone’s interest.”
With opponents focusing on the 5-star’s scoring ability, Trier is trying to become better at making plays for his teammates.
“My biggest thing right now is making plays out of double-teams for my teammates,” he said. “As the floor shrinks and teams try to double me, I need to scan the floor, make reads, and be like a quarterback out there.”
Trier doesn’t know when he’d like to take his official visits or commit, but is planning to make a list soon.
“I don’t have a timeline right now,” he said. “I’ll discuss it with my mother very soon.”
The nation’s best scorer is still very much “in the game.”
Follow Matt on Twitter
