By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTE — When Seth Trimble looks around the locker room these days, the faces are almost all new.
The walls still carry the echoes of North Carolina’s storied history, but most of the former teammates who once added memorable chapters, such as Armando Bacot, RJ Davis and Caleb Love, are gone.
Now, as a senior, Trimble finds himself in a rare position of being the last thread connecting a fresh roster to recent Carolina teams.
“Sitting in my room, really thinking about it — it’s crazy just to think that they’re finally not here,” Trimble said Tuesday at ACC Tipoff. “After all the success they had in the last few years, how long they’ve been here, and the impact on this university.
“But when we’re on the court, when we’re in the gym, we’re just so locked in on each other,” he said. “Nobody thinks nothing of it. But I miss those guys every single day, like my big brothers. And shoot, if I could bring both of them back, I would.”
That reflection captures both the nostalgia and responsibility Trimble now carries. As one of the few players left from the old guard, he’s no longer the underclassman finding his place or the guy who briefly entered the transfer portal. He’s the heartbeat of a team that looks and feels brand new.
He’s grown into that leadership role through experience.
“I’ve been through it all here,” he said. “I’ve been on a North Carolina team that has failed to meet any expectations, and I’ve been on a North Carolina team that’s been amazing. I’ve been a guy who played zero to four minutes, and I’ve been a guy that played 38 minutes. I’ve been in a lot of positions here, and I’m really just trying to use that to just continue to share with my teammates.”
It’s not just talk. The younger guards, such as junior Kyan Evans, freshman Derek Dixon, and transfer Isaiah Denis, are already looking to Trimble for guidance.
“Derek plays the same way every day,” Trimble said. “He’s been so poised the whole summer. He’s been incredible. He’s been getting to his spots. He hasn’t shied away from anything. He’s not afraid to take the big shot or anything like that.”
He’s equally impressed by Denis’ presence.
“The second he got on campus, honestly, his first open gym, he was super-aggressive and just kind of asserting himself and saying, ‘I’m here,’ ” Trimble said. “Since then, I can tell just the kind of kid he was off the court, just seeing that even more with his personality. … You just see it comes out naturally.”
That mix of poise and confidence in the newcomers has Trimble feeling something different about this year’s team. Last season’s Tar Heels leaned heavily on a few veteran scorers, but this version is built on balance and spacing.
“I think better spacing is the biggest difference,” Trimble said. “Getting everybody involved. Nobody’s just a corner-sitter, nobody’s just sitting on the block. Everybody’s moving all around the court, and our offense is free-flowing and involving everybody.”
That freedom fits his evolution.
After averaging 11.7 points last season, Trimble knows his scoring will likely climb again. But he’s not forcing it.
“I think that will happen naturally,” he said. “That’s not something I’m intentionally trying to do. What I’m trying to do is go out there and be the best player I can be for this North Carolina team. And if that comes with it, it comes with it.”
As for who takes the final shot this season after everybody assumed it would go to RJ Davis the last couple of seasons?
“Whoever’s hot,” Trimble said with a grin. “I wouldn’t mind taking it. I wouldn’t mind Kyan, Caleb, Henri [Veesaar], Jarin [Stevenson, Jonathan Powell] … the whole team. I’d be confident with guys taking the last shot, but it’s gonna vary.”
He credits Coach Hubert Davis with fostering that kind of unselfish environment, which is built on trust.
“It’s super cool. It’s a blessing, because it’s not every program, it’s not every place, it’s not every level where you have a coach who truly cares for you, not just on the court, but off the court,” Trimble said. “We can go to HD about anything. Once it gets on the court and we know we’ve built that off the court, I know he knows me, I know him. There’s even more trust there on the court, so it makes it even easier.”
For Trimble, leadership isn’t about being the loudest. It’s about setting the tone.
“I think the biggest thing is continuing to preach on the foundations that our coaches teach us on the traditions here at North Carolina,” he said. “Just continuing to remind everybody how important it is to wear this jersey and how important it is to play for each other and represent the history that’s come through here.”
That history is why he’s stayed, through the highs and lows, through lineup changes and empty locker stalls.
“College is such a big landscape,” Trimble said. “We have all this environment around you that makes it hostile and intense. So, just learning how to deal with that has been my biggest growth … just to remain the most confident version of Seth that I could possibly be.”
He paused, smiling.
“This summer, whenever I went on the court,” he said, “I haven’t thought about a single thing other than just balling out there, and it’s made the biggest difference in the world.”
And with so many new faces around him, that steady presence might be precisely what North Carolina needs most.
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| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Top photo by Nell Redmond/theACC.com; action photo by Joshua Lawton
