By Sebastian Obando
Guard Melo Trimble stood mid court bouncing the ball, eyeing the movements of his teammates around him. As forward Michal Cekovsky moved towards the top of the three-point arc to set up a screen for the sophomore, Trimble quickly dashed around him to his right, gaining separation from North Carolina’s Nate Britt. As Britt caught up to Trimble, the second-year guard crossed over the ball to his left hand, causing Britt to lose his balance and slip to the floor. With a clear lane to the rim, Trimble drove inside with the apparent intention to score. Instead of taking a contested layup, however, Trimble flipped the ball to an unguarded Damonte Dodd, who easily dunked the ball. Although the basket came in a loss against North Carolina, the play showcased the superstar ability of Trimble as an all around basketball player, and not just a scorer.
“He’s trying to show a part of his game he didn’t show last year,” head coach Mark Turgeon said regarding Trimble’s unselfish play this year. “Melo has been such a joy to coach since he’s been here. He knows [assisting] is the part of his game he needs to show to be a complete player.”
In his first season in college last year, Trimble averaged only three assists per game, being much more impactful as a scorer. The guard averaged 16.2 points per game his freshman season, including a 31 point performance against Fordham in only his fourth regular season game. This year, Trimble has raised his numbers as a passer, averaging close to six assists per outing while maintaining the same amount of turnovers per game from the previous season. Against North Carolina, Trimble accounted for 52 of the Terps’ 81 points, scoring 23 points and posting a career high of 12 assists.
The improvement of Trimble’s game as a passer reflects on the team’s statistics offensively, as the Terps are currently joint leaders with Indiana in the Big 10 in field goal percentage. Due to teams placing significant attention to Trimble, other Terps are able to benefit from open looks. Moreover, a staple of Trimble’s game is the ability to get fouled and head to the line. Last season, Trimble shot 240 free throws, the most in the Big Ten.
“They are a talented team. There is no doubt that they are going to go into the tournament,” Saint Francis University head coach Rob Krimmel said after his team’s loss to Maryland on Friday. “I know it is early in the year, and you don’t want to talk too far in advance, but I think that is the best team I have ever been on the floor with.”
