When Melo Trimble first arrived in College Park this summer, some wondered whether Trimble, the scorer, could evolve into Trimble, the pass-first point guard.
When he left the Xfinity Center with a season-high eight assists Wednesday night, that question had been answered. But it was just as quickly replaced by a more unexpected one: What happened to the scorer?
Trimble finished with just four points in a 64-58 win over Penn State, all of them coming at the free-throw line. Since making a layup in the waning moments of a come-from-behind win over Northwestern on Jan. 25, a basket that capped a 27-point performance, he has not made another field goal. The drought has spanned more than 69 minutes and 13 shot attempts over two games. The Terrapins’ leading scorer is suddenly struggling to score.
That, at least, is part of the story. What some view as a concern is seen by others as an important step in Trimble’s all-around development as a player. For his teammates, Trimble’s eight assists and only one turnover are indicative of maturity.
“He’s growing up,” senior Dez Wells said Wednesday night. “He’s starting to see a different side of the game besides scoring.”
In an 80-56 shellacking at the hands of Ohio State last week, Trimble was borderline invisible, finishing 0-for-8 from the field with three points, one rebound and one assist. Entering that night, he had never scored fewer than eight points in a collegiate game. Now, he’s scored a total of seven in his past two.
Trimble’s decline can be at least partially attributed to the extra attention he’s receiving. After dropping 21 first-half points against Michigan State, including a smooth step-back 3-pointer just before the break, the Upper Marlboro native has become the focus of opposing defenses. That continued to be the case Wednesday night against the Nittany Lions.
“I thought at the start of the second half, we did a lot to get Melo the ball, and it was to score,” Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said of Trimble, who was not permitted to speak to the media after Wednesday’s game. “But every time Melo goes somewhere, there’s two guys. So he made the right decisions. And our big guys finished tonight, or got fouled, which was good to see.”
Early in the year, Trimble built his game around attacking the rim and drawing fouls, particularly late in games. On Wednesday, he had a different mentality. After bursting into the lane, his eyes were not moving up toward the basket but laterally, looking for the open man. That vision led to several easy buckets for center Damonte Dodd and forward Jon Graham, who finished with a career-high 16 points.
“I thought Melo just did a tremendous job of running the offense,” Graham said. “Dribbling, penetrating the defense, making guys sink in. He found open shooters, big men rolling to the basket. So I thought he did a tremendous job.”
As Maryland’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game, Trimble is viewed as the leader of the team’s four-man freshman class. He is not, however, the only newcomer who was quiet in the scoring column Wednesday night. Jared Nickens and Dion Wiley went a combined 1-for-5 from the field in 25 total minutes. Turgeon chose not to play 7-foot-1 center Michal Cekovsky for the first time this season.
Turgeon said before Wednesday’s game that he was not concerned about Trimble’s scoring slump, and he maintained that stance afterwards. The fourth-year coach knows that an apparent step back can actually be a step forward.
“I’m happy for Melo,” Turgeon said. “He’ll get his shooting back in gear.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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