Maryland Basketball: Melo Trimble changed the program at Maryland

Melo Trimble will go down as one of the most impactful players in Maryland history.

From the moment he walked on campus, Trimble was a program-changer.

Coach Mark Turgeon had already been in College Park for multiple seasons. However, the Terrapins had missed the NCAA Tournament during the first three years of his tenure.

Turgeon had seen players like Terrell Stoglin leave the program early due to off-the-court issues. It was clear that he needed a star player that he could build around.

That’s where Trimble came in.

Trimble committed relatively early in the recruiting process and probably could’ve played for any program in the country. However, the Bishop O’Connell (Va.) standout decided to stay close to home and come to Maryland.

From the minute he arrived in College Park, he was the team’s starting point guard.

Trimble burst onto the scene and really excelled from the very beginning. He ended up averaging 16.2 points while shooting 41.2 percent from three as a freshman.

One of Trimble’s biggest attributes was his ability to drive and get to the free throw line. He could’ve been a first round or early second round pick if he had elected to enter the NBA Draft after just one season.

However, he decided to stick around with Maryland having a loaded roster in place for the 2015-16 campaign. Trimble ended up having somewhat of a down year as he averaged just 14.8 points and struggled with his shot at times.

Still, he led the Terps to the Sweet 16 where they ultimately fell to Kansas.

Once again, the NBA was something that Trimble had to consider following the season. The star guard took his decision down to the wire, but chose to return to College Park.

Trimble’s junior campaign was by far the most impressive of his collegiate career.

He was the only returning starter after Robert Carter Jr., Jake Layman, Diamond Stone, and Rasheed Sulaimon all were gone. Trimble was tasked with leading a young group that ended up having three freshmen start from the jump.

Maryland ended up winning 24 games and making the NCAA Tournament. The Terps certainly weren’t expected to have such a successful season, but Trimble really stepped up his play and led by example.

He averaged 16.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds while playing the lowest amount of minutes in his Maryland career.

When looking back at Trimble’s time in College Park, there’s no question that he left the program in a better state than when he arrived. The Terps did reach the NIT semifinals during the 2012-13 season with star center Alex Len leading the way.

However, inconsistent play was certainly a theme during Maryland’s final years in the ACC.

Trimble had a knack for making big plays when the lights were the brightest. His fundamentally sound play on the court couldn’t be overstated.

Trimble was the star that Turgeon and the Terps needed. Honestly, there probably wasn’t a better match than Trimble and Maryland.

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He’ll go down as one of the all-time greats in the history of the program and he deserves every accolade that comes his way.