Melo Trimble Reflects on Decision To Not Enter NBA Draft Following Freshman Season
Melo Trimble’s stay-or-go decision following his freshman season was viewed as a tough call at the time and even now there’s still no consensus on whether he should have stayed in college or declared for the NBA Draft that year. But with the benefit of hindsight, the former Terps point guard admits he would’ve probably made a different choice if he had the opportunity to go back in time.
“I mean unfortunately I could’ve left my freshman year, and been in the NBA and probably still be there now, and I decided to stay in college or whatever until my junior year,” Trimble said on the One Stop Podcast hosted by former Terp teammates Anthony Cowan and Andrew Terrell. “And looking back on it, of course I wish I would’ve left. But you know, it is what it is. It’s life. And I might be able to get [to the NBA] one day, I might not, but you know what I’m saying, I’m living life or whatever.”
Trimble opted to return to College Park for another year since he didn’t have a first round guarantee. He was also enjoying his time in college and saw a chance to showcase more of his point guard skills to scouts with Rasheed Sulaimon, Robert Carter and Diamond Stone joining the team the following year.
“I definitely wish I would’ve gone [to the NBA] then, but like I told someone the other day, college was just so fun, you know what I’m saying? Like at Maryland, I don’t know about everywhere else, but at Maryland it was like a brotherhood. It was like we were really close, we bonded well together, and it was like, man, I don’t want to leave this for some money,” he said. “Looking back on it, I’m kind of happy that I did stay. I had to learn how to be a [point guard]. I didn’t really know how to run a team and stuff like that, you know what I’m saying?”
Melo Trimble (@_STAYMELO) had a lot of high-scoring games.
— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) July 17, 2020
None higher than his 3⃣2⃣-point effort in @TerrapinHoops' 2017 win at Northwestern.#FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/LFW9Skidj4
The Terps entered Trimble’s sophomore season as one of the top teams in the country, but they lost four of their final six regular season games and were ousted from the NCAA Tournament by No. 1 Kansas in the Sweet 16. Trimble dealt with lingering injuries down the stretch of the season that stayed with him through the NBA Combine, which made his chances of getting drafted following his sophomore year slim.
“At the time [my decision to stay] sounded good because the following year I could’ve got drafted as well, but you know, certain things happen,” he said. “I got hurt and you know like I said, it is what it is. But it wasn’t easy to say oh yeah, I’m not going to go to the NBA and stay [at Maryland].”
Trimble finally turned pro following his junior season, a decision he said he made before the team’s regular season finale against Michigan State. He cemented his legacy by hitting a game-winning three in his final game at the Xfinity Center, but he didn’t hear his name called in the 2017 NBA Draft and spent his rookie season in the G-League.
Several years removed from college, Trimble’s doing just fine now. The 25-year-old recently signed a one-year deal with Montakit Fuenlabrada in Spain that will reportedly pay him $250,000 for the upcoming season and he has a clause in his contract that will allow him to leave for the NBA if he receives the opportunity. He seems at peace with his decision and hopeful for the future.
“It is what is that I’m not in the NBA,” he said. “I didn’t leave freshman year and you know, being on Maryland, the campus, everyone knowing who I was, that was definitely a good little experience and it had it’s pros and cons.
“I love Maryland. All that just made me into a better person, a better player. Like when you go to college, man, enjoy that experience. Don’t go think about leaving because, man, you’re going to wish you could’ve stayed.”
Basketball & recruiting writer