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College Basketball: Top 5 returning players to watch in 2016

By Cody Williams

Feb 11, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) controls the ball against California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the Oregon Ducks 83-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) controls the ball against California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. The California Golden Bears defeated the Oregon Ducks 83-63. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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College basketball is set to return with a crop of highly talented freshman. But who are the returning players that everyone should be watching?

Whether you’re a fan of the one-and-done rule in college basketball or not, there’s no escaping the simple truth that freshmen are often the focal-point of each season. At the start of the 2016-17 season, everyone has eyes for Harry Giles (whenever he gets to 100 percent), Josh Jackson, and so on. That’s certainly warranted—but it’s also a mistake to forget about the returning players.

Even in college basketball, you can’t calculate the value of experience. Sure, some players are born with a gene where they’re ready for the big moments and bright lights. However, it takes many athletes an adjustment period and experiencing it to fully adjust. Only then can they take that next step and become stars on the hardwood.

So while Giles, Jackson, and the rest of the star freshman learn the ropes in college basketball, there’s plenty of veteran players that are going to heavily impact the 2016-17 season. Here are five such players that you should be watching all year long.

Feb 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) dribbles in the first half against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Melo Trimble (2) dribbles in the first half against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Melo Trimble, G – Maryland (Junior)

Entering his sophomore year in 2015, there was a boatload of hype surrounding Maryland Terrapins point guard Melo Trimble. He was coming off of a terrific freshman campaign and looked to be in line to play himself into being a top-tier NBA draft prospect. Instead, Trimble watched his numbers fall a bit as a sophomore—the dreaded and cliched sophomore slump.

Trimble watched his points per game dip by 1.4, his steal and rebound numbers dip slightly, and his turnovers increase slightly in the 2015-16 season. In fact, the Maryland guard only saw one stat progress from the previous season, increasing his assists average to 4.9 per game from three as a freshman. However, the most concerning trend was an extreme dip in efficiency.

Asked to largely carry the Terps, Trimble’s percentages dropped staggeringly. Taking only 1.1 more attempts per game from the field, his field goal percentage dropped 3.4 points. What’s more, his three-point conversion rate freefell to 31.5 percent, down 9.7 points from his freshman numbers on just 0.9 more attempts per game.

Despite all of this, no one is questioning the talent or wherewithal of Trimble. Even amidst his declining production and efficiency, you always felt like any big shot he took was going in or that he was capable of putting up 30 on a given night. As he again leads the Terps with another year under his belt, watch for him to take a tremendous leap forward from 2015.