Terps coach Mark Turgeon disclosed to the media after Wednesday night’s 68-66 win over Indiana at Xfinity Center that Trimble has been battling with an injury for “about three games.”
Trimble said later his back “went out” during a shootaround in late December prior to the team’s Big Ten opener at Michigan State and the pain eventually affected his left leg.
“A week later it started to escalate down my leg and since then I haven’t been the same,” Trimble said after scoring 18 points against the Hoosiers.
Trimble said his back and leg are now “feeling a lot better” than before and he has been told by the team’s training staff that he will have “up and down days.”
Even though the then No. 19 Terps were blown out Sunday at Iowa, Trimble played well, scoring 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting despite getting poked in the eye by Hawkeyes center Adam Woodbury as well being hit in the face when he collided with a cameramen under the basket.
“The game Sunday I was making a lot of shots, made some threes, it was kind of what I needed coming off a couple of games when I didn’t score at all from the field,” Trimble said. “To have a game like that, gave me a lot of confidence. I now know how it feels when the ball goes through the net again.”
Said Turgeon: “He’s being aggressive. I don’t want to make excuses for him. Melo was playing hurt about three games. He’s feeling better … Last game up there, the guy [Yogi Ferrell] got the best of him and so he was pretty fired up to come out and compete. I thought Melo was pretty good defensively on Yogi. He made some incredible shots.”
Trimble’s performance left a positive impression on Indiana coach Tom Crean.
“I thought Melo Trimble tonight played like one of the top lead guards around, he really did,” Crean said.