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Maryland junior guard Melo Trimble has announced that he will enter the 2017 NBA Draft, forgoing his senior year of eligibility. It was also announced that Trimble will sign an agent, meaning that the guard won’t be coming back to Maryland.
“I am confident and excited to pursue an opportunity to play in the NBA. I am proud of what my teammates and I were able to accomplish these past three seasons at Maryland,” Trimble said in a release from the university.
“I developed many great relationships and friendships and together we able to create some very special moments for Maryland basketball. I want to thank Coach Turgeon for all of his support. He always believed in me. He challenged me and really helped in the development of my overall game.”
Trimble was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and flirted with the NBA Draft last spring before deciding to return to Maryland for his junior season. The guard averaged 15.9 points, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his three seasons with the Terrapins, leading the team during their arrival to the Big Ten.
“The deciding factor was that I felt there was nothing more I could do. I felt like I did everything I could for the program,” Trimble told the Baltimore Sun in an interview earlier today. “I felt that if I wanted to hopefully get to the next level, I had to leave at this time.”
It’ll be interesting to see what will happen with Trimble, as most draft services have him listed as a second round pick. In the NBA Draft, second round selections don’t include guaranteed contracts, so Trimble will either have to work his way onto an opening day roster or head to the D-League. The Maryland standout has a professional career waiting from him regardless, the only question is if it’ll be in the NBA or overseas.
That being said, while declaring early for a likely second round pick could seem risky, if Trimble doesn’t believe he can improve his stock any more the decision does make sense.
Now the former Maryland guard can focus on working out and preparing for the NBA Draft, hoping to impress some potential suitors over the next several months.