Melo Trimble Foregoes 2016 NBA Draft, Returns to Maryland for his Junior Year

Maryland sophomore Melo Trimble announced he will stay with Maryland for his third campaign after withdrawing his name for the NBA draft.

He made true on his promise in January when he stated he would use all the time available to make his decision as his statement came two hours before the deadline expired.

Trimble's draft stock for the upcoming draft wavered immensely throughout the offseason. A once potential late first round pick fell completely out of the first round according to DraftExpress. After a strong season for the Maryland Terrapins, his shaky performance at the Chicago draft combine made scouts doubt his readiness for pro ball and advised him to stay in school.

Trimble's athletic abilities put him at a disadvantage when he turns pro. Standing at 6 foot 3 inches and 192 pounds, his on court abilities as a point guard will need to counter his lacking physical skills. Averaging 15 points on 41 percent shooting there is no doubt the potential is there, but one more year of college play can help him fine tune his skills on the court.

Trimble's remarkable freshman year (16 points on 44 percent shooting with four rebounds and three assists) made him consider going one-and-done, but to rise even higher in the draft, he stayed with Maryland. What seemed like his last season as a Terrapin, a hamstring injury early in the season derailed his game physically and mentally, with dips in his stats across the board.

Fully healthy with a long offseason recovering from his nagging injury, he will once again be considered to be amongst the top players in college, maybe even be considered for the Naismith Trophy, an award he was favored to win last offseason.

This is huge news for Maryland . Their dominating lineup last season pushed the team to 27-9 last season, good for third overall in the Big Ten conference with an impressive 16-1 home record.

Last season seemed like a distant memory for the Terrapins as four of the five starters this offseason. The four starters (Diamond Stone, Robert Carter, Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon) all averaged double digits in scoring, but having Trimble back is a huge sigh of relief. The leading scorer for Maryland two years in a row can help the young recruits adjust to college basketball while anchoring the load. He led the team in more ways than scoring as he ranked first in assists (4.9), steals (1.2), and free throw percentage (87 percent) while standing fourth in rebounding with 3.6 boards per game.

Melo Trimble changes the complexion of Maryland basketball drastically as they turn from a rebuilding squad to a NCAA tournament team with him on the roster alone. Two new recruits in Kevin Huerter and Anthony Cowan Jr.deepen the back court alongside redshirt sophomore guard Dion Wiley, but it remains in Trimble's hands.

This team remains with plenty of holes for head coach Mark Turgeon to fill, but having Trimble solve the point guard issue is one step closer to building an encore after a Sweet 16 appearance last season.

This is his year to improve his play not only on the court but with his leadership as well as Mark Turgeon hands him the keys to the offense for him to lead.