Lucas: Trimble's Tar Heel Dreams Coming True

By Adam Lucas

Seth Trimble's athleticism problems are not the same as the rest of our problems with athleticism.

The Tar Heel freshman point guard is sheepishly describing his formative years as a basketball player. He considers his biggest jump as a player to have come during his freshman year of high school. Before that?

"I was a rim grazer," he says with a chuckle. "I had my first dunk going into the eighth grade, and then all of a sudden, my freshman AAU season one day in practice I just took off. Ever since then, I've had that (athletic ability)."

Trimble is decidedly not a rim grazer now. He now counts a behind the back dunk as one of his go-to staples, something he perfected during his senior year of high school. His athleticism has been evident from the first day he arrived in Chapel Hill this summer, and he wowed in the preseason vertical leap testing.

But while those are nice attributes to have, flashy dunks are unlikely to be his most important contribution to this year's team. Instead, it is hoped that he provides what last year's Final Four squad never really had: a reliable backup point guard to give RJ Davis and Caleb Love some periodic rest.

This is the luxury of this year's team: in numerous past years, Trimble would have been forced to come in and start from day one, likely before he was fully ready. This year, he has the opportunity to go against Love and Davis every day in practice.

"I've been taken under their wing by a bunch of older guys," he says. "I've been able to look up and see what they do, and build off what they're doing. My goal ever since I got here has been to figure out what I can do to help this team and help the older guys succeed."

If the 2023 Tar Heels reach their defensive potential, Trimble will contribute in two key ways. First, his strength and quickness make him a pesky backcourt defender. He earned—not for the first time this fall—a literal floor burn in Friday's practice after harassing a ball-handler, then diving on the floor to secure the loose ball. Opposing point guards won't get a breather when the freshman comes off the bench.

Secondly, the aggressive way he plays will test his teammates every day in practice. Hubert Davis loves to remind his team that defense starts by guarding the ball. That's especially true when Trimble is on the court, as he constantly looks for openings to get to the rim.

"My dad (Trevor Trimble) has helped me build the killer mentality a shorter guard needs," says the 6-foot-3 Trimble. "I want to go at anybody. Thankfully, I'm blessed with athletic ability. I have it, so why not use it."

The entire family, of course, has plenty of Tar Heel connections. Trevor and his wife, Laurence Trimble, first became familiar with Chapel Hill when their older son, J.P. Tokoto, was a Tar Heel from 2012-15.

That's also when Seth fell in love with Carolina. A key part of his commitment video was filmed in October of 2013, as the then-nine year old Trimble worked on perfecting his free throw routine in the Smith Center while visiting his brother.

"I always had that dream of putting on the Carolina jersey myself," he says. "When Coach Davis offered me in April of my junior year, we were in Dallas and it lit up my week. I kind of stood there in shock."

Eighteen months later, it's a reality. The next time he takes a free throw in the Smith Center won't be in an empty gym; it will be in front of thousands of his new biggest fans.

His background means Trimble already has a very good handle on what type of expectations come with being a Tar Heel.

"An undefeated season with a national championship is the perfect season for me," he says. "No matter how I contribute."

Players Mentioned

RJ Davis

Caleb Love

Seth Trimble

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