UNC Basketball Seth Trimble Q&A: ‘This University Means Everything to Me’

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Seth Trimble met with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of his senior season with the North Carolina basketball team. The guard Trimble and forward James Brown are the only scholarship holdovers from last season on the Tar Heels’ overhauled roster.

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Trimble averaged 11.6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season, after opening with an uptick in scoring. He averaged 14.8 points through the first 12 games, before suffering a concussion in practice. Trimble has acknowledged the injury impacted his shooting, which slipped from 38.5 percent from 3-point range to 21.3 percent after the concussion.

As a rare player who has stayed four years of his college career with the same program, Trimble became the point person for UNC’s transfer portal recruiting. He played a critical role in bringing in transfers such as center Henri Veesaar and guard Kyan Evans through the portal. Watch his full interview from Wednesday’s availability at the Smith Center, and read some noteworthy excerpts below.

How much does this program mean to you?

Trimble: “It speaks a lot to enter the transfer portal and literally not be able to leave. I mean, this university means everything to me. I’ve grown up a Carolina fan, my family has grown up Carolina fans. I’ve had support for all these years, and I’ve just been able to grow as a man. I mean, forget basketball, the young man I’ve become here. The lessons I’ve learned, all the experiences I’ve been able to have, the connections I’ve built. You can’t get all these things anywhere else. It really just means a lot to me. I’m super thankful for it. When I’m praying at night, I speak about how thankful I am for this university.”

What has it been like playing with the new big guys Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson?

Trimble: “I still tell them how thankful I am for them, because now I don’t have to guard guys over 6-10, 240 (pounds) or something like that. So it’s a huge blessing. The thing about them, too, they’re not just big. They have so many aspects of the game. Like Henri is an incredible shooter. Jarin is a lights-out shooter. Caleb is so dynamic, he can shoot the ball, he can put the ball on the floor and he can go and shut down the opposing team’s best player. So all of our bigs are so dynamic with their size, plus with everything that they can do. Our frontcourt has a chance to do something really special this year.”

What were some of the challenges that came with the concussion you suffered last season? It seemed like you couldn’t find your perimeter shot afterward. Do you feel like you ever got it back?

Trimble: “I didn’t get my game back after that concussion. I had good games, I had bad games, but the biggest thing was just the inconsistency after my concussion. I was fighting, fighting, fighting. And I honestly think that was part of the problem, because I was trying so hard just to get it back and not just let it flow. The concussion definitely affected me in that second half of the season. But I’m not going to sit here and just blame it on that, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had a concussion and has had to come back and play. So it is what it is.. When you get a concussion everything, quite literally everything, is thrown off. Your rhythm, your feel, the way you process things on the court, the way you see quite literally everything. Your body is thrown off. But luckily I’ve had months since it happened, so things are good now.”

What are your early impressions of Luka Bogavac?

Trimble: “As a person, super funny, super personable. He just wants to get to know you. He’s just super curious about American culture. You know, what we eat, whatever it is. But super funny guy. I think he’s really funny unintentionally, just because he’s coming over from Montenegro. He’s just so curious about things. But as a player, he’s just an incredible basketball player. Plays his own pace, looking for a shot. He’s also aggressive on the offensive end, and it just brings another huge aspect to our team that we could really use.”