Seth Trimble is taking his game to Louisville, and that means Chapel Hill will see him again next season - just in an ACC rival’s colors.
Trimble’s move gives Pat Kelsey another big-name addition for a Cardinals roster that already looks loaded. UNC and Louisville are scheduled to meet twice next season, so Trimble’s return to the Smith Center will come with a twist Tar Heel fans won’t miss.
Trimble said the decision came after weighing a possible return to college throughout the summer.
“I’ve been considering returning to college the whole summer now, and Carolina has always in the running,” Trimble said in an Instagram story. “But with a full roster at UNC, and other circumstances, I won’t be able to return home and will be transferring.”
He entered the transfer portal this spring, but his future was complicated by the NCAA eligibility ruling tied to Class of 2022 athletes. A ruling from U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a class-wide preliminary injunction ordering the NCAA to declare eligible all high school Class of 2022 athletes who had already exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring.
That decision could still be overturned on appeal. If that happens, Trimble would likely pivot toward the Washington Wizards, with whom he signed an Exhibit 10 contract and played for in Summer League. He scored 24 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on July 15.
UNC coach Michael Malone said Trimble’s time in Chapel Hill left a lasting mark.
“Seth gave Carolina four years of tremendous effort, toughness and leadership and he has earned the respect and affection of Tar Heels everywhere,” UNC coach Michael Malone said. “I have tremendous empathy for Seth because the timing of the court decision put him and our program in a difficult position as we constructed our roster.
None of that changes how we feel about Seth. He has represented Carolina the right way, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to know him and his family.
Even though he will be playing elsewhere for one year, he will always be a Tar Heel.”
A return to UNC had become increasingly unlikely once the roster situation settled. The Tar Heels still had room, but their final opening went to former South Dakota center Cameron Fens, a move that addressed a need in the middle.
Carolina also has plenty of backcourt options, including Utah transfer Terrence Brown, Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas, N.C. State transfer Matt Able, Buffalo transfer Angelo Brizzi and returnee Isaiah Denis.
Had the court ruling arrived before Brizzi committed, Trimble might have found a spot in Chapel Hill.
Instead, he lands in a Louisville program that has been one of the busiest and most aggressive in the portal. According to 247Sports, the Cardinals own the No. 1 transfer class in the country this offseason. Trimble joins a group that already includes Flory Bidunga, the Kansas forward/center who entered the portal as the top overall transfer prospect, and Jackson Shelstad, the Oregon point guard ranked No. 18 overall and No. 4 among portal guards.
Arkansas wing Karter Knox, Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras, USC center Gabe Dynes and Dayton guard De’Shayne Montgomery are also part of that haul.
Louisville is keeping two scholarship players from a roster that lost 11 players this offseason: guards Adrian Wooley and London Johnson. Wooley arrived from Kennesaw State and averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a freshman there.
Kelsey’s staff also added a three-man freshman class, highlighted by five-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. and four-star wing Boyuan Zhang. Between the newcomers and the holdovers, Louisville appears capable of going 10 or 11 deep with athleticism all over the floor.
Trimble’s college career at UNC ended with 971 points in 126 games, plus the kind of shot Tar Heel fans don’t forget: the last-second corner 3-pointer that beat Duke last season. His best scoring night came Feb. 23, when he put up 30 points in a 77-74 home win against Louisville.
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