TerpsRecruiting exclusive: Romelo Trimble

Since his commitment to the University of Maryland last December, class of 2014 guard Romelo "Melo" Trimble has piled up the accolades.

He helped lead Bishop O'Connell to a 30-7 (15-3 WCAC) record, a WCAC Championship and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational title. Meanwhile, Trimble led the WCAC in scoring at 20.3 points per game, earning first-team All-Met honors. 

And though he has been a Terp for nearly five months, Maryland's coaching staff maintains regular contact with the 6-foot-2, 175-pound rising senior.

"Coach [Mark] Turgeon, he always texts me asking about how my games are going. When [DC Assault] was in Pittsburgh [for the Pitt Jamfest], he came to all my games," Trimble said. "We basically talk almost every day."

The Terps will look for Trimble to be an early contributor at the next level. But Trimble says he's ready for the challenge. "I've been playing big minutes since I was a feshman at O'Connell, so it'll be nothing new to me," he said. "I just have to keep working and getting better."

Trimble, who is rated the No. 56 player in the class of 2014 on Rivals and the No. 67 player on 247Sports, has kept in close contact with fellow Terps commit Roddy Peters, a talented combo guard from the class of 2013.

"We get to work out together with one of our trainers," he said. "So me and Roddy, we talk to each other a lot."

But Trimble isn't just focused on a successful AAU season, but also on recruiting other top-flight players to join him in College Park.

So when big man Chinanu Onuaku, who also plays for DC Assault, received a Maryland offer two weeks ago, Trimble sprung into recruiting mode. "When Turgeon offered him, he told me to look after [Onuaku]. I told him I was gonna put the good word in," he said.

Trimble is also attempting to sway top-rated shooting guard Dion Wiley to join the Terps, though he admitted Wiley has yet to tip his hand.

This summer, Trimble is traveling all over the country with DC Assault. After winning the Pitt Jamfest and losing in the quarterfinals of the Philly Jamfest, the team is headed to Hampton, Va. for the Southern Invitational this weekend and to Dallas for the Under Armour Invitational next weekend.

Despite an outstanding all-around junior season, Trimble isn't satisfied with his game. He says he wants to work on "everything, my shooting, ballhandling, defense, just everything." He has drawn comparisons to Michigan guard Trey Burke, a score-first point guard known for his defense.

"I see myself as more of a scoring-type guard [in college], like a Kyrie Irving," Trimble said. "But I still get a lot of assists, too."

He's aiming to earn All-Met Player of the Year next season in the WCAC and admits he'd like to move up in the recruiting rankings. And after strong showings in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, his odds of a bump by recruiting services are increasing. "But I'm not focused on that. I just want to get better," he said.

And though rumors briefly surfaced that Trimble was considering transferring to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season, he squashed the possibility. "I'm definitely gonna be back at O'Connell," he said. "I have no reason to leave, because I'm already committed to Maryland, and that was my dream school. So I'm good."