Coach Smith always believed that college basketball players showed the most improvement during their freshman and sophomore seasons, and if you go and look at how players developed during his time at North Carolina, you would agree with him. Entering this season, Carolina needed some of their rising sophomores, to take a step forward, to help provide more depth for Hubert Davis. And if the first nine games are any indication, there are two players on the roster, that are fulfilling Coach Smith’s proclamation about a player’s development.
Seth Trimble was the first major target to commit to Hubert Davis after he was hired following the retirement of Roy Williams. Trimble, who is the younger brother of former Tar Heel, J.P. Tokoto, was headed to Michigan before Davis was able to convince him to bring his basketball talents to Chapel Hill. Trimble was always going to struggle to carve out a role last season, as he joined a roster that was largely intact after a run to the national title game. Trimble 9.8 minutes per game as a freshman, averaging 1.8 points per game. During his limited action, Trimble displayed a level of athleticism that could be a difference maker, and an ability to be a dominant perimeter defender. In the first nine games of this season, Trimble has taken his game to another level and has carved out a role as Carolina’s sixth man. Trimble is averaging 5.2 points per game, his minutes have jumped to over 15, and he’s a fixture of Carolina’s press defense. He has improved his dribble-drive game and has increased his perimeter shooting from a paltry 17%, all the way up to 50%. Hubert Davis has struggled to find bench players that he could trust to play on a nightly basis, but it appears that Trimble has earned the trust of his coach, and is poised to make nightly contributions off the bench.
Seth Trimble isn’t the only Tar Heel to take a step forward this season, so has Jalen Washington, who has solidified himself as the second big man, behind Armando Bacot. When Washington arrived on campus, it was unknown how much of an impact he’d make, coming off a pretty severe knee injury. He averaged 2.2 points per game last season while playing 5.7 minutes, across 20 games. He had a breakout half in a loss at Virginia last season, that allowed him to show what he’s capable of doing. This season, Washington’s minutes have increased to 9.0 per game, and he’s averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. With limited front-court depth, Hubert Davis has turned to Washington to be the guy to give Armando Bacot a breather and keep him out of foul trouble. The funny thing is that once Bacot leaves, Washington will only help open the floor up for Hubert Davis’s offense, as he’s a modern big man, with a face-up game, and the ability to stretch the floor.
The steps forward by Trimble and Washington have helped elevate this team to contending status in the ACC, and nationally, which was a goal heading into the season. But if Carolina is going to take that next step, guys like Jae’Lyn Withers, and Paxson Wojcik, need to follow suit and take their games to another level.
The Tar Heels return to action after a ten-day layoff this Saturday against Kentucky, in the annual CBS Sports Classic. Tip is set for 5:30 PM on CBS.
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