Page 2B
SPORTS
East Oregonian
Friday, January 20, 2017
Men’s College Basketball
Arizona’s Trier tested
positive for PED
Associated Press
TUCSON, Ariz. —
Arizona sophomore Allonzo
Trier, who has yet to play this
season, admitted Wednesday
that he tested positive for
a banned performance-en-
hancing drug.
The 6-foot-5 Trier, who
came to Arizona as the
marquee player in coach
Sean Miller’s recruiting
class, had a strong freshman
season, averaging 14.8
points.
“Earlier this season, I
was notified that I tested
positive for a trace amount
of a banned performance-en-
hancing drug following an
NCAA random test and I
was shocked,” Trier said in
a statement. “I have never
knowingly taken a banned
substance. After finding out
that I was given a banned
substance by a well-inten-
tioned, 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.”
The school had never said
why Trier was suspended,
citing privacy issues. Miller
had said Trier was prac-
ticing with the 14th-ranked
Wildcats but never indicated
when he would be back.
Trier thanked his family,
coaches, teammates, his
attorney and the athletics
department for their support.
“I will not have any
further comment at this
time,” the statement said.
“In addition, I have asked
the athletics department to
respect my privacy by not
answering any questions or
releasing any information
beyond this statement.”
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File
In this Jan. 12, 2017, file photo, Arizona sophomore Allonzo Trier, center, sits on the
bench during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona
State, in Tucson, Ariz. Trier, who has yet to play this season, admitted Wednesday,
Jan. 18, 2017, that he tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug.
RAMBO: Track was initial athletic passion
Continued from 1B
transfer to Hermiston, where
he had attended school
from kindergarten through
freshman year of high
school.
“I just wanted to be with
my friends, and graduate with
my friends,” Rambo said.
Though the jump from
small-school to large-school
sports can be difficult,
Rambo has exceeded expec-
tations. Through 13 games,
Rambo has carved out a big
role as a starter and go-to
scorer for the Hermiston
Bulldogs as the team begins
its journey to capture its first
Columbia River Conference
title since 2014.
But Rambo’s individual
journey to this point began
more than a decade ago,
when he started playing
basketball at age four.
He started playing as
much as he could along
with his three older brothers,
and later on playing in the
Hermiston Youth Basketball
Association and on the AAU
circuit. But it was not until
much later that he developed
a love for the game. His first
love was actually track and
field, sprinting especially, as
he developed his fast wheels
as a sprinter.
“I didn’t start taking
basketball seriously until
seventh, eighth grade,”
Rambo said. “I was focusing
on track, running the
100-meter, 200-meter dashes
until some friends started
getting me into basketball
those years. Then I started
developing and growing and
started knowing I could be
good at this game.”
Rambo missed out on his
entire freshman season due to
an injury, and then transferred
to Irrigon for his sophomore
season for academic reasons.
It was there that Rambo
really found his love for the
game and started to show the
potential that was building
up and nearly bursting at
the seams of his 6-foot-tall
frame, something his
teammates noticed too.
“X works hard and always
wants to get better,” Fredy
Vera said. “He brings so
much to the team, he’s a
scoring threat and can also
knock down the jumper that’s
what makes him so tough to
guard, his ability to get to the
rim and also shoot it.”
And last season, Rambo
began to show off his
early-developed speed on a
regular basis, easily outrun-
ning defenders in transition
and gaining lost ground on
defense in the snap of a finger.
“Honestly I wish I had the
speed that he has,” Vera said.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see
somebody at that level with
that much speed. I always told
him, ‘Nobody can guard you,’
because really nobody can.”
As his development
continued on an upward
trajectory, Rambo knew that
transferring to the Class 5A
level from the 2A level was
not going to be an easy task
to start out.
“I knew I was going to
have to step up my game a
lot,” he said. “It wasn’t going
to be like 2A basketball
with some slower players,
everyone is fast up here and I
knew I’d have to play with a
fast pace and just mesh with
my teammates.”
Hermiston coach Casey
Arstein expected there would
be an adjustment period with
Rambo, and said his smooth
transition has been pleasing
to watch.
“I knew it was going to
take some time, especially
since he wasn’t able to play
summer ball with us over
the summer due to injuries,”
Arstein said. “He just needed
to let the game come to him
and realize he’s more of a
slasher. When he is able to
get out and run and use the
open court to attack he’s
going to excel and I think
you’re seeing his basketball
IQ growing.”
Rambo had a very good
debut for the Bulldogs. He
scored 15 points — second
most on the team — as
Hermiston beat Walla Walla
57-48 back on Nov. 30.
But then he ran into a bit
of a rough patch over the
next five games, hitting the
double-digit mark just one
time and missing a game due
to a concussion.
He was able to bounce
back admirably as he got
settled in with the Bulldogs,
scoring a team-high 25 points
on Dec. 13 against St. Helens
and then a career-high 30
points on Dec. 20 against
Ashland. On the season,
Rambo is averaging 16.1
points per game.
“I’ve definitely been
getting a lot more comfort-
able,” he said. “I was having
some ups and downs early,
some games I would be pure
defense and some games it
was offense and defense. I’ve
been working on my shot
more trying to score the ball
more, it’s just harder work in
practice and it’s paying off.”
Hermiston was dealt
a blow leading up to the
Bulldogs’ game against AC
Davis (WA) on Jan. 3 as
senior guard Chance Flores
broke a bone in his right hand
in a team practice, leaving
him out indefinitely and the
Bulldogs without its leading
scorer. That’s when Rambo
knew he had to step up his
game even more.
“With Chance out it’s
a big loss because he’s big
on defense and offense,” he
said. “We had to have a lot of
younger guys step up and I
had to step up more than ever.”
In the three games that
Flores has missed, Rambo
has averaged 20 points
including clutch perfor-
mances in an overtime win
against Dallas and a gritty
win over previously unbeaten
La Grande. His speed and
athleticism have been on
display even more in those
two games, including a clutch
coast-to-coast fastbreak
lay-in in the waning seconds
against Dallas where he blew
past several defenders to tie
the game and send it to the
extra period.
“I knew having him on
the team was going to be
a help just because of his
athletic ability,” Flores said
on Thursday. “I’m not in the
games but I can tell when X
gets the ball he’s just going to
beat his guy, he’s just too fast.”
“He reminds me of
probably one of the best
players to come through here
J.J. Ross (Class of 2008),”
Arstein added. “(Ross) had
a quick first step and can
explode to the rim like X,
but I haven’t seen this type
of athleticism for a while.
Some great athletes have
come through here for sure
but his fast moves are a little
different than most kids so it’s
nice having him on the team.”
With more than half
his senior season expired,
Rambo already has his eyes
on playing basketball at the
next level. He said that he
has had contact with a few
colleges, both community
colleges and smaller
universities, and hopes to
commit to somewhere later in
the spring. He called Eastern
Oregon University his dream
school, because of its close
proximity to Hermiston and a
campus that he loves.
Rambo knows he still has
work to do to reach those
dreams.
“It all comes down to how
I finish.”
————
Contact Eric at esinger@
eastoregonian.com or
541-966-0839. Follow him
on Twitter @ByEricSinger.
SCOREBOARD
Local Slate
BOYS PREP BASKETBALL
Today
Culver at Heppner, 6 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Pilot Rock, 6 p.m.
Hermiston at The Dalles, 7 p.m.
Hood River at Pendleton, 7 p.m.
Cove at Echo, 7 p.m.
Vale at Irrigon, 7:30 p.m.
Burns at Umatilla, 7:30 p.m.
Nyssa at Riverside, 7:30 p.m.
South Wasco at Ione, 7:30 p.m.
Arlington at Sherman, 7:30 p.m.
Joseph at Nixyaawii, 7:30 p.m.
Helix at Pine Eagle, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Pilot Rock at Heppner, 4 p.m.
Burns at Irrigon, 4:30 p.m.
Nyssa at Umatilla, 4:30 p.m.
Vale at Riverside, 4:30 p.m.
Ione at Horizon Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Arlington at Dufur, 5:30 p.m.
Sherman at Condon/Wheeler, 5:30 p.m.
Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 5:30 p.m.
Echo at Helix, 5:30 p.m.
Stanfield at Weston-McEwen, 7 p.m.
GIRLS PREP BASKETBALL
Today
Culver at Heppner, 4:30 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Pilot Rock, 6 p.m.
Vale at Irrigon, 6 p.m.
Burns at Umatilla, 6 p.m.
Nyssa at Riverside, 6 p.m.
South Wasco at Ione, 6 p.m.
Arlington at Sherman, 6 p.m.
Joseph at Nixyaawii, 6 p.m.
Helix at Pine Eagle, 6 p.m.
Cove at Echo, 6 p.m.
Pendleton at Hood River, 7 p.m.
The Dalles at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Mac-Hi at Stanfield, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Nyssa at Umatilla, 3 p.m.
Burns at Irrigon, 3 p.m.
Vale at Riverside, 3 p.m.
Ione at Horizon Christian, 4 p.m.
Arlington at Dufur, 4 p.m.
Sherman at Condon/Wheeler (Condon),
4 p.m.
Wallowa at Nixyaawii, 4 p.m.
Echo at Helix, 4 p.m.
Stanfield at Weston-McEwen, 5:30 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Heppner, 5:30 p.m.
PREP WRESTLING
Today
Hermiston at Reser’s Tournament of
Champions (at Hillsboro), TBD
Mac-Hi at Parma (ID), TBD
Irrigon, Heppner at Grant Union Tourna-
ment, TBD
Saturday
Hermiston at Reser’s Tournament of
Champions (at HIllsboro), TBD
Mac-Hi at Parma (ID), TBD
Riverside at Gervais, 10 a.m.
Pendleton at Wilsonville Tournament,
10:30 a.m.
PREP SWIMMING
Today
Pendleton at Reynolds, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Pendleton, Hermiston at Hood River,
10 a.m.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Today
Eastern Oregon at Northwest Christian,
7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, 4 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Corban, 7:30 p.m.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Today
Eastern Oregon at Northwest Christian,
5:30 p.m.
Saturday
Walla Walla at Blue Mountain, 2 p.m.
Eastern Oregon at Corban, 5:30 p.m.
COLLEGE WRESTLING
Today
North Idaho at Eastern Oregon (men),
7 p.m.
Sunday
Eastern Oregon (women) at Clackamas
CC Open, TBA
Football
NFL
Conference Championships
Sunday
NFC: Green Bay at Atlanta, 12:05 p.m.
(FOX)
AFC: Pittsburgh at New England, 3:40
p.m. (CBS)
Basketball
NBA
Wednesday’s Late Games
Golden State 121, Oklahoma City 100
Indiana 106, Sacramento 100
Thursday’s Games
Cleveland 118, Phoenix 103
Miami 99, Dallas 95
Washington 113, New York 110
San Antonio 118, Denver 104
Minnesota 104, L.A. Clippers 101
Today’s Games
Milwaukee at Orlando, 4 p.m.
Portland at Philadelphia, 4 p.m.
Toronto at Charlotte, 4 p.m.
Brooklyn at New Orleans, 5 p.m.
Chicago at Atlanta, 5 p.m.
Golden State at Houston, 5 p.m.
Sacramento at Memphis, 5 p.m.
Utah at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Indiana at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
NCAA
Men’s Top 25
Thursday’s Games
No. 3 UCLA 102, Arizona State 80
No. 4 Gonzaga 88, Santa Clara 57
No. 11 Oregon 86, California 63
No. 12 Louisville 92, Clemson 60
No. 14 Arizona 73, Southern Cal 66
No. 23 Saint Mary’s 62, Pacific 50
No. 25 Maryland 84, Iowa 76
Today’s Games
No games scheduled
Women’s Top 25
Thursday’s Games
No. 3 Maryland 83, Michigan 70
No. 4 Mississippi State 67, Alabama 54
No. 5 South Carolina 65, Mississippi 46
No. 6 Notre Dame 80, Boston College 69
No. 7 Florida State 77, Syracuse 58
No. 15 Duke 84, No. 17 Virginia Tech 59
No. 16 Ohio State 70, Wisconsin 61
Missouri 78, No. 25 Texas A&M 76
Today’s Games
No. 10 Stanford vs. Arizona, 7 p.m.
No. 11 Oregon State vs. Utah, 8 p.m.
No. 18 Arizona State at California, 8 p.m.
Hockey
NHL
Wednesday’s Late Games
Edmonton 4, Florida 3, OT
San Jose 3, Los Angeles 2
Thursday’s Games
Ottawa 2, Columbus 0
N.Y. Islanders 3, Dallas 0
N.Y. Rangers 5, Toronto 2
Washington 7, St. Louis 3
Minnesota 4, Arizona 3
Nashville 4, Calgary 3
Anaheim 2, Colorado 1
San Jose 2, Tampa Bay 1
Today’s Games
Chicago at Boston, 7 p.m.
Detroit at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Montreal at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Nashville at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Florida at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Tennis
Australian Open
Thursday
At Melbourne Park
Melbourne, Australia
Purse: $37.4 million (Grand Slam)
Surface: Hard-Outdoor
Singles
Men
Second Round
Richard Gasquet (18), France, def. Carlos
Berlocq, Argentina, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (32), Germany, def.
Donald Young, United States, 7-5, 6-3, 6-0.
Pablo Carreno Busta (30), Spain, def. Kyle
Edmund, Britain, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Gilles Simon (25), France, def. Rogerio
Dutra Silva, Brazil, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
Roberto Bautista Agut (13), Spain, def.
Yoshihito Nishioka, Japan, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
Grigor Dimitrov (15), Bulgaria, def. Chung
Hyeon, South Korea, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
David Ferrer (21), Spain, def. Ernesto Esc-
obedo, United States, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Milos Raonic (3), Canada, def. Gilles
Muller, Luxembourg, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
David Goffin (11), Belgium, def. Radek
Stepanek, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-0, 6-3.
Gael Monfils (6), France, def. Alexandr
Dolgopolov, Ukraine, 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0.
Ivo Karlovic (20), Croatia, def. Andrew
Whittington, Australia, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, def. Novak
Djokovic (2), Serbia, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6
(5), 6-4.
Alexander Zverev (24), Germany, def.
Frances Tiafoe, United States, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.
Benoit Paire, France, def. Fabio Fognini,
Italy, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
Rafael Nadal (9), Spain, def. Marcos
Baghdatis, Cyprus, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.
Dominic Thiem (8), Austria, def. Jordan
Thompson, Australia, 6-2, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-4.
Women
Second Round
Johanna Konta (9), Britain, def. Naomi
Osaka, Japan, 6-4, 6-2.
Karolina Pliskova (5), Czech Republic, def.
Anna Blinkova, Russia, 6-0, 6-2.
Ekaterina Makarova (30), Russia, def. Sara
Errani, Italy, 6-2, 3-2 (Ad-40), retired.
Caroline Garcia (21), France, def. Oceane
Dodin, France, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.
Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia, def. Yulia Putint-
seva (31), Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-1.
Caroline Wozniacki (17), Denmark, def.
Donna Vekic, Croatia, 6-1, 6-3.
Dominika Cibulkova (6), Slovakia, def.
Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, 6-4, 7-6 (8).
Elena Vesnina (14), Russia, def. Mandy
Minella, Luxembourg, 6-3, 6-3.
Barbora Strycova (16), Czech Republic,
def. Andrea Petkovic, Germany, 6-0, 7-5.
Jennifer Brady, United States, def. Heath-
er Watson, Britain, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 10-8.
Nicole Gibbs, United States, def. Irina
Falconi, United States, 6-4, 6-1.
Daria Gavrilova (22), Australia, def. Ana
Konjuh, Croatia, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
Maria Sakkari, Greece, def. Alize Cornet
(28), France, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.
Timea Bacsinszky (12), Switzerland, def.
Danka Kovinic, Montenegro, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Serena Williams (2), United States, def.
Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-4.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia, def. Ag-
nieszka Radwanska (3), Poland, 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles
Men
First Round
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah
(14), Colombia, def. Ken and Neal Skupski,
Britain, 6-3, 6-4.
Jurgen Melzer, Austria, and Aisam-ul-
Haq Qureshi, Pakistan, def. Mate Pavic,
Croatia, and Alexander Peya (13), Austria,
6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
Treat Huey, Philippines, and Max Mirnyi
(10), Berlarus, def. Leander Paes, India, and
Andre Sa, Brazil, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut
(1), France, def. Adrian Mannarino, France,
and Adil Shamasdin, Canada, 6-2, 6-3.
Athlete of the Week
Twenty questions
with Umatilla’s
Aleesha Watson
East Oregonian
UMATILLA
—
Umatilla High senior
Aleesha Watson scored all
by 18 of the Vikings’ points
in a 49-44 win over Irrigon
on Saturday, Jan. 14, to
open league play. She has
been the East Oregonian
Athlete of the Week for the
week of Jan. 8-14.
EO: What is the best
part of being a Umatilla
Viking?
AW: Just the community,
we’re all kind of a little
family.
What is your favorite
memory on the
basketball court?
Whenever Coach (Scott
Bow) would tell you to
do something and you’d
do it, and then you look
at the bench and he’ll
give you a little a look
like, ‘There you go,’ and
that’s pretty special.
If you could change one
thing about your school
what would it be?
No school on Friday.
What’s your favorite
professional sports team?
I like the Phoenix
Mercury (WNBA).
Who is your favorite
athlete?
Diana Taurasi (Phoenix
Mercury)
If you could attend any
sporting event what
would you choose?
WNBA Finals Game 5
What’s your favorite
thing to listen to before a
game?
I don’t really listen to
music before the game.
Usually its just the girls
on the team, they get a
little crazy so I like to
watch that.
Who has had the largest
impact on you as an
athlete?
Definitely Coach Bow,
he’s always been there
for me on and off the
court.
What’s your favorite
subject in school?
History
What are your plans for
after high school?
Hopefully I’ll play
college basketball and
throw a little javelin in
college.
What’s the most
interesting thing you’ve
learned in school this
year?
In my personal finance
class we learned about
filling out taxes, writing
checks and applying for
jobs.
Who is the person you
admire most?
My mom
What’s the best thing
served in the UHS
cafeteria?
Cheesy bagels, hands
down.
What’s your favorite
restaurant?
Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe
What’s the last movie you
saw that made you cry?
Titanic (1997)
What’s your favorite
book?
“Moby Dick” by Herman
Melville
What’s your favorite
thing to do in the winter?
Knock snowmen down
What are your hobbies
outside of sports?
My family, we collect
agates.
What’s one thing you
couldn’t live without?
Hats
What’s your favorite
dessert?
Fruit Salad
ATHLETE
OF THE WEEK
ALEESHA WATSON
Senior
Umatilla
Basketball
Watson scored
31 p oints , hitting
five 3-pointers
in the process,
to lift Umatilla
to a 49-44 win
over Irrigon on
Saturday in both team’s Eastern
Oregon League opener.
P ROUDLY S PONSORED B Y :
1411 6th Street, Umatilla, OR • 541-922-3001