Arizona Basketball held a news conference inside McKale Center on Thursday, nine days following the FBI arrest of assistant coach Book Richardson on bribery and fraud charges.
The team stated before the news conference that head coach Sean Miller, and upperclassmen Allonzo Trier and Dusan Ristic, would answer basketball questions only, and not those related to the ongoing investigation concerned alleged payments to high school seniors. Miller was asked about his message to the Tucson community.
"You know, we're just going to work hard to have the best team we can, and to do things the right way, like I mentioned in my statement. And to make everybody proud, it's going to be about watching a team grow."
Junior Allonzo Trier is no stranger to controversy. He missed the first half of last season after testing positive for a banned substance. "It's a tough situation with a little bit of adversity, and it will make us grow stronger," said Trier. "It's keeping us closer together. I'm just going to try and be a leader, and we are going to focus on what we can control.
"We can have a great team, especially in March," added Dusan Ristic. "So, I'm excited about our season, and I'm excited about our first games, and that's pretty much it."
When asked how the scandal will affect the season, Miller said it's his responsibility to make sure the team is prepared for basketball and life.
"In our best attempt to always have a great life and be perfect, sometimes the unexpected can happen," said Miller.
The team's Red-Blue game will be on Friday, October 20th.
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