Melo Trimble's first game as a member of the U.S. team at the Pan American Games in Toronto was a reminder of how young he really is. One thing you can say about Trimble's nearly 13-minute stint in a slow-starting 85-62 victory over Venezuela: he wasn't the only college player who appeared a bit overwhelmed.
Trimble, who finished with five points, three turnovers and an assist, certainly looked more comfortable after the first time he came in to sub for Bobby Brown, a 30-year-old who now plays in China, at the point. U.S. coach Mark Few quickly pulled Trimble after the 20-year-old made a couple of quick turnovers.
The youngest player on the team, the 20-year-old Trimble had trouble when Venezuela trapped him early in the game -- something he struggled with at times as a freshman in College Park.
But eventually he was able to extricate himself from those traps, get to the rim for a couple of layups and help contribute a little more to the team's second-half comeback. It was interesting to see how the other college players did compared to Trimble.
Arizona center Kaleb Talczewski looked the most comfortable -- as a starter playing a little more than 23 minutes, he finished with eight points and a team-high 13 rebounds. Taurean Prince, a power forward from Baylor, also started, and had seven points and seven rebounds in nearly 24 minutes.
Like Trimble, the other college guards looked out of their element.
Malcolm Brogdon of Virginia had two points and took just two shots in a little under 10 minutes while Denzel Valentine of Michigan State went scoreless, missing a couple of shots, and had a rebound in a little under four.
Fran Fraschilla, the former St. John's coach who is doing color commentary on ESPN, noted that Trimble is trying to be more of a true point on this team than he was at Maryland as a freshman.
It is part of the transition for Trimble that Maryland coach Mark Turgeon wants him to make in College Park this winter.
Unlike a year ago, when he and Dez Wells dominated the ball, Trimble will have many other options as a sophomore and won't have to be burdened with scoring as much as he had to at times as a freshman.
Turgeon said that not being "the guy" on the Pan Am team will start that process.
"I think he knows how to be a point guard, it depends on your definition of what a point guard is," Turgeon said earlier this week. "Will he average more assists for us this year? Most likely he will. We'll play a little faster and we're little deeper and he's got a little deeper team around him.
"I think what you're asking is about his decision-making. That's really what's important to me. Making the right decision when he gets in the paint. Whether he can get all the way to the rim or find a guy in the corner or locking it up for the big guys. It's all part of the learning process."
One area in which Trimble should be able to help the U.S. team is with his 3-point shooting. One thing that was noticeable Tuesday night was that he was hesitant to shoot even when Venezuela collapsed its zone to take away the inside game of the Americans, who shot a collective 5 of 17 from 3-point range.
As much as Brown played a part in his team's second-half reversal, he doesn't look comfortable in a scoring role, particularly on outside shots. It won't be a surprise if Trimble comes out shooting 3s when the U.S. team plays its next game against Puerto Rico on Wednesday night.