With the season having officially come to an end Monday night, we’ve reached the point in the college basketball calendar where programs are sorting out who will be back next season and who won’t. In the case of Maryland, that process involves evaluating the draft status of three players with eligibility remaining: point guard Melo Trimble and forwards Robert Carter Jr. and Diamond Stone. Just over a week ago the focus was on the front court, which can be read here. Today, we’ll take a look at the backcourt, beginning with Trimble’s draft prospects and what his decision will mean for the Terps in 2016-17.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
What are Trimble’s draft prospects? As noted last week, DraftExpress projects Trimble as an early second round selection. That’s an area of the draft where things can get a little tricky for prospects. Put together some good workouts during the pre-draft process, and there’s a chance of pushing into the first round and grabbing a guaranteed contract for two seasons with options for the third and fourth years. But land in the second round and those contract guarantees disappear, and there’s also the concern that some teams will instead look to use their second round picks on “draft and stash” guys they won’t have to find a roster spot for or pay immediately.
Trimble put together a solid but not spectacular sophomore season, averaging 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. The issues for him: his shooting percentages dropped from freshman to sophomore season, as did how often he got to the foul line. After shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three as a freshman, Trimble shot 41 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from beyond the arc in 2015-16. Add in the fact that his free throw rate dropped from a staggering 71 percent to 46.8 percent, and while his numbers weren’t anything to scoff at it’s understandable if all parties involved were hoping for more from Trimble than what he ended up producing.
The other aspect of this, and it’s an especially important one for a point guard, are the leadership qualities. Trimble’s more the “lead by example” type, but there are times when a team needs its point guard to be a vocal “take charge” kind of guy. Quite often it appeared as if Rasheed Sulaimon, who arrived on campus with a great amount of experience from his time at Duke, took that role. And even with the team’s efforts to do more to empower Trimble from a vocal standpoint, he did not appear all that comfortable in such a role. Given the draft projections that may not be a major issue for Trimble right away as a pro; he’d likely be in a reserve role and hopefully that would occur with a starting lead guard capable of (and willing to) show him the ropes in that regard.
And if Trimble were to return to College Park for his junior season, this is the area where Mark Turgeon and his staff would most likely look to see their floor general grow.
What happens if Trimble leaves? More pressure gets applied to rising junior Jaylen Brantley and incoming freshman Anthony Cowan. Arriving via the junior college ranks, Brantley didn’t impact the rotation in the way many hoped he would before the season began, as he played an average of just 8.4 minutes per game. Whether or not Trimble returns that has to change in 2016-17, although Melo being back on campus would make it less problematic if Brantley didn’t take a step forward. As for Cowan, the 5-foot-11 Saint John’s College HS point guard has the skill set needed to contribute immediately for Maryland. The question is whether or not he’ll be asked to do so for 30+ minutes a game, which would be the likely outcome should Trimble decide to move on.
Who else will Maryland lose? This is a pretty easy question to answer. Sulaimon’s out of eligibility, and in him the Terps lose a forward who hit the ground running from an intangible standpoint while also contributing 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. There are also non-scholarship players Varun Ram and Trevor Anzmann who will be moving on.
This was an expected loss obviously, and the return of Dion Wiley (medical redshirt) and Jared Nickens will help fill the void. There’s also the addition of talented guard Kevin Huerter, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who won Gatorade State Player of the Year honors in New York. Huerter averaged 21.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a senior, and his ability to make plays from just about anywhere on the court will help Maryland moving forward.
Maryland also adds 6-foot-7 small forward Micah Thomas, a slender prospect who attended Huntington Prep this year. Thomas can score and he’s also got the athleticism needed to contribute next season, and getting into a college strength program will only help his development moving forward. Maryland has a lot to like on the perimeter when looking at the 2016-17 season, but just how good this group can be will depend upon Melo Trimble’s decision. Per the new rules Trimble will have until April 24 to enter the draft and until May 25, ten days after the completion of the NBA Draft Combine, to withdraw should he decide on that path.
BSL Analyst
Raphielle’s been writing about college sports for more than a decade, making the move to college basketball alone in 2013. Beginning his work with the former website CollegeHoops.net in 2003, Raphielle spent 3 years writing for NBCSports.com beginning 2013, covering CBB and the Olympics. In 2016, Raphielle joined Heavy.com. If there’s a game on, there’s a strong likelihood that he’s watching it.