Melo Trimble Featured on Wooden Award Midseason Top 25

Jan 14, 2015; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) drives to the basket against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Bishop Daniels (2) and forward Greg Lewis (35) at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

There is a plethora of superbly talented college basketball players all across the country. However, the Wooden Award is reserved for the best of the best. The award is given annually to the most outstanding player in all of college basketball. The mid-season Top 25 list has been released and it features Terps frosh sensation Melo Trimble.

Quite honestly, I was a little surprised when ESPN.com unveiled the Top 25, to see Trimble’s name on the list. That’s probably because College Park isn’t used to having this caliber of player. Trimble is one of five freshman featured on the list. The others are Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, and Arizona’s Stanley Johnson.

Despite Maryland’s lack of elite talent over the years, when you watch Melo Trimble play, it’s not hard at all to imagine him being featured with the nation’s best. Now that Maryland is a Top 25 team, the country has had more opportunities to see the Terps’ floor general in action.

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Trimble is averaging 16.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in his first season in College Park. He’s also averaging only 2.5 turnovers a contest, which is not bad considering the ball is in his hands so often. He is one of the most reliable free throw shooters there are in all of college basketball, converting on better than 88 percent of his attempts. Success at the free-throw stripe has contributed to a lot of Maryland’s wins this season.

After breaking down the rest of the current Wooden Award watch list, which also includes Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky, Utah’s Delon Wright, and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant, it would be tough for Trimble to come away with the award. It’s still pretty special to be mentioned amongst such an immensely talented group of players.

Let’s say Melo continues to put on big performances, similar to what he did against Michigan State, and the Terps continue to win big games. Trimble’s stock would certainly skyrocket. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the smooth criminal from Oxon Hill, MD has put the country on notice. He and the Terrapins aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.