By R.L. Bynum
ATLANTA — Seth Trimble’s recent surge of success on strong drives to the basket hasn’t come out of nowhere. It has come from patience, repetition, and a clearer head, literally and figuratively, as the senior guard has become more efficient.
In UNC’s 91–75 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday at McCamish Pavilion, Trimble finished with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal, extending a run in which he’s become one of the Tar Heels’ most reliable finishers in traffic.
Trimble said the improvement has been gratifying after stretches earlier in his career when strong drives didn’t always lead to strong finishes.
“It’s been very satisfying,” Trimble said. “I feel like I’ve always had spurts throughout the last few years, throughout the seasons, where I’m in struggling-to-finish mode, and it comes here and there. But I’m just efficient around the rim, providing that for my teammates, too.”
Are you tired of seeing all of the ads on Tar Heel Tribune? Subscribe to the ad-free version at the prompt below, and you’ll see no national ads or pop-up ads, only static ads for UNC-related books (there are none of those currently). Subscribe below.
Getting back to this point required both physical and mental work, especially after the concussion he suffered last season. He said the recovery involved “so much mental work that you have to do,” but he was grateful he could still watch tape and maintain a rhythm.
Recovering from the left forearm injury this season was dramatically different from the recovery from the concussion last season.
“I was still watching film online,” he said. “I was still able to work out and stay in a bit of rhythm. So, I was able to work on my shot every day. So, there was a physical difference in my rehab, and then there was a mental difference. It makes a difference in confidence.”
For Trimble, sporting cornrows because he said he was “bored with his hair” and wanted to try something different for a couple of games, finishing better has been a product of learning when the best opportunities are in front of him.
“I think I’m being patient with the right ones around the rim,” Trimble said. “I’ve been realizing that you can’t just go up there because these guys are athletic. Trying to make the right plays and being patient.”
The way UNC has moved the ball lately has also created cleaner lanes. Trimble said the team’s style has allowed him to turn drives into high‑percentage attempts.
“When I’m in that aggressive mindset, I just have to realize that, hey, there’s this play, too,” Trimble said. “I continue to remind myself of that in the game, when I continue to make those plays, it just makes it look even better.”
Beyond his own improvement, he sees the team taking important steps in closing games — a problem area in earlier losses.
“I feel like we’ve been locked in,” Trimble said. “The last few minutes of the first half, the second half especially, it’s about finishing games. We know how important that is.”
Trimble said the team has learned and grown from earlier failures and that it’s about a collective mindset.
“We’ve come together as a team,” Trimble said. “We aren’t making any selfish plays, trying to do it on our own. We’re making the right play. We’re playing defense in the unit. It’s not five guys out there playing defense [trying to] stop their man. [It’s] five guys coming against the other five to stop the opposing team.”
Trimble’s aggression at the rim — paired with patience — has elevated not only his efficiency but UNC’s overall sharpness in late stretches. For a Carolina team that has spent much of January trying to rediscover its offensive flow, the timing couldn’t be better.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
tarheeltribune.com 