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Melo Trimble, freshman, point guard, No. 2
Height: 6'3
Weight: 190
Twitter: @_STAYMELO
Senior year high school stats: 23.1 points per game
Recruiting Ratings: 4-star recruit, 5th-best point guard, 32nd-best player in the class according to 247sports.
Who did Maryland beat out? Offers from UNLV, Villanova, Xavier, Notre Dame and Temple, among others.
High School: Bishop O'Connell
Hometown: Upper Marlboro, Md.
How'd He Get to College Park?
One of the top prep players in the area, Trimble dominated the WCAC, averaging at least 20 points per game in each of his final two years in high school. He single-handedly kept O'Connell in contention for the league title in 2014 (after helping lead them to their first title in nearly a decade in 2013), earning McDonald's All-American status and winning all-Met Player of the Year.
Trimble ended his recruiting process way early. How early? Ben Broman wrote up his commitment when it happened (RIP*). He pledged to Maryland in December 2012, never wavering from it, and now he's headlining what looks to be a stellar class for Mark Turgeon and company.
Some high school highlights for you:
For the grumpy people upset at the lack of passing in this video, take a deep breath, remember that Trimble was far-and-away the best player on the court pretty much all the time, and remember this is a highlight tape made specifically to show off his scoring ability (it's called "Romelo Trimble GETS BUCKETS", not "Romelo Trimble HELPS OTHERS GET BUCKETS"). Melo Trimble can and will pass the ball.
*This is a joke
Career Highlight:
Setting a school record with 47 points against Gonzaga.
Dream Season:
Holding down the point guard position without issue, earning freshman All-American honors.
2014-2015 Prospectus:
Melo Trimble will be Maryland's starting point guard this season. Mark Turgeon has pretty much said as much already, and reports out of practice suggest the star freshman is everything the Terps hoped him to be and more (especially on the defensive end). That said, he's still a freshman -- the college basketball landscape has changed to the point where freshmen make a much bigger impact than they used to, but don't expect him to be Maryland's star player or leading scorer just quite yet.
So what's a more realistic expectation? Around 10 points per game, around 3-4 assists per game, around 3 rebounds per game with solid defense. Turnovers may be an issue (they are for most freshmen), but the hope is he can make enough plays to make up for that.
Up Next:
Our next player spent much of the offseason doing sports-related charity work overseas.