Who’s Got Next? Romelo Trimble Gives Maryland a McDonald’s All-American
Posted by Sean Moran (@seanmohoops) on February 11th, 2014
Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitments of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.
Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.
Romelo Trimble: McDonald’s All-American
Gary Williams was known for getting the most out of his players, not for recruiting McDonald’s All-Americans. In fact, the last Burger Boy to attend Maryland was shooting guard Mike Jones, a product of the 2003 high school class. Now almost 11 years later, current Terrapins head coach Mark Turgeon is trying to raise the talent level in College Park to compete in the NCAA Tournament. After missing out on the Harrison twins last year, four-star guard Romelo Trimble is set to become Turgeon’s first McDonald’s All-American at his current job. The 6’3” point guard from Bishop O’Connell High School in Northern Virginia is currently ranked as the No. 8 point guard and No. 35 player overall in the class of 2014. The school is known as a basketball powerhouse that competes in the prestigious Washington Catholic Area Conference (WCAC) and was once the home of current L.A. Laker Kendall Marshall.
Trimble is a powerful guard who has a rare combination of size, strength and speed. A natural shot-maker, Trimble has worked hard over the years to improve his actual point guard play. If a defender gets too close to him, he can bully his way into the paint for a short jumper or a layup. If the defender sags off, Trimble has range from well beyond the three-point arc. Just this week Trimble scored 26 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists in an upset win over rival Paul VI and then scored a career-high 47 points against another WCAC foe on Sunday.
Melo Trimble just poured in a career high 47 points in a 1 point win at Gonzaga @LIGHTSKIN_MELO
— O'Connell Basketball (@OConnellBBall) February 9, 2014
Trimble is currently the primary leader to earn All-Met Player of the Year in the DC, Maryland and Virginia high school area. While he should be able to step in immediately to play for Maryland when the Terps start Big Ten play, Turgeon is also hoping that he will bring his winning attitude to the Terps. As a junior, Trimble led O’Connell to the WCAC championship and last summer he led his DC Assault AAU program into numerous tournament championship games.
In the McDonald’s All-American game, Trimble will most likely back up point guard Tyus Jones (#4-2014) while also receiving minutes at the shooting guard position. While he is the only Terrapin scheduled to play in this game, Turgeon signed a strong 2014 class which is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation. Four-star junior Dion Wiley (#28 overall) also hails from Maryland and is rated the No. 4 shooting guard in the country. In addition, Turgeon also signed four-star small forward Jared Nickens (#90 overall) and four-star center Trayvon Reed (#86 overall). All four players rank in the top 100 and Trimble, Wiley and Nickens should provide some depth to go along with current starters Seth Allen and Dez Wells. With recruiting on the upswing, Turgeon can hopefully become known as a coach who not only gets the most out of his players but also recruits McDonald’s All-Americans.
2016 Guard Goes With LSU
On Saturday, LSU received its first commitment from the class of 2016 when 6’2” point guard Skylar Mays made his decision to head to Baton Rouge. The young guard plays for University Lab (LA), which is home to the son of head coach Johnny Jones and also on the LSU campus. The Tigers already have five-star junior Ben Simmons (#8 – 2015) signed in the class of 2015 and the program is trending upward with a good start in the class of 2016.
