Jo Lual-Acuil Jr
October 27, 2025
Melo Trimble
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 2/02/95
- Place of Birth: Washington, DC (USA)
- Position: PG
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 88
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Maryland (2014–2017)
- NBL DEBUT: 13/10/18
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 5/03/20
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 25
- NBL History: Cairns 2019 | Melbourne 2020
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Romelo Delante Trimble was born in Washington, DC (USA) and played at Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, where he was a McDonald’s All-American. He played college basketball at the University of Maryland.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Melo Trimble made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 23 years of age. He scored 32 points in his first game.
After finishing sixth with an 11-17 record the previous season, Cairns chose to go in a new direction, parting ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after eight years and appointing Mike Kelly. The Taipans also lost Cameron Gliddon (to Brisbane), Mitchell McCarron (to Melbourne), Jarrad Weeks (to New Zealand) and Stephen Weigh (retired).
With only a short time before the season began, Kelly rebuilt the roster around returning Nathan Jawai, Alex Loughton and Kuany Kuany, adding Rob Loe (via New Zealand), Lucas Walker (via Perth), Jarrod Kenny (via Perth), Dexter Kernich-Drew (via Perth), Mitch Young (via Brisbane) and a new import trio of Melo Trimble, Devon Hall and DJ Newbill.
Cairns opened the season in Brisbane on October 13, where Melo (32 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) produced the highest-scoring debut in Taipans history as Cairns defeated the Bullets 88-70. Newbill (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Loe (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) provided support, while Reuben Te Rangi (18 points) led Brisbane.
Trimble (22.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists across 28 games) started every game, did not miss a game through injury and quickly became the focal point of Cairns’ offence. He finished the season as the NBL’s leading scorer and ranked second in assists, although the Taipans struggled badly after their opening-night victory and lost their next 14 games.
On November 3, Trimble (34 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) made 13-of-20 shots and four three-pointers against Melbourne, setting a new league season-high in scoring at the time. Newbill (18 points and 8 rebounds) and Jawai (7 points and 4 rebounds) provided support, but Casper Ware (32 points) made eight three-pointers as United defeated Cairns 98-85.
Cairns finally ended its 14-game losing streak on January 3, defeating Brisbane 109-80 at the Cairns Convention Centre for its first home win of the season. Trimble (13 points) contributed as Hall (24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal) and Jawai (18 points and 4 assists) led the Taipans, while Lamar Patterson (27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) was Brisbane’s best.
Eight days later at RAC Arena, Trimble (32 points and 7 rebounds) made six of seven three-pointers as Cairns stunned league-leading Perth 81-79. Jawai (14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Newbill (13 points) helped the Taipans complete the upset in front of 13,436 fans, while Bryce Cotton (20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) led Perth.
Trimble’s best game of the season came against Melbourne on January 13, where he made 16-of-27 shots and seven three-pointers to finish with 42 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in Cairns’ 600th NBL game. The Taipans led by as many as 18 points and Trimble did not miss a shot until midway through the third quarter, but United closed regulation with a 9-0 run before extending the run to 21 unanswered points in overtime. Jawai (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Newbill (10 points) supported Trimble, while Ware (27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) led Melbourne to a 99-89 overtime victory.
Cairns produced another major upset on February 14, leading from start to finish for the first time all season as Trimble (21 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) and Newbill (17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Taipans past defending champions Melbourne 87-85. Loughton (14 points and 6 rebounds) also contributed, while Chris Goulding (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) led United, with the victory giving Cairns consecutive wins for the first time that season.
Trimble became the first Taipan in more than a decade to record at least 600 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 50 made three-pointers in a regular season. He was named the Taipans’ Most Valuable Player and Members’ Choice MVP, was nominated for the NBL MVP award and earned selection to the All-NBL Second Team.
Newbill (14.3 points and 4 rebounds across 27 games) formed a potent backcourt partnership with Trimble, while Jawai (10 points and 5.2 rebounds across 27 games) returned to health and saw his minutes and production increase substantially from the previous season. Hall (8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 28 games), Loe (7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 28 games), Loughton (6.5 points and 3 rebounds across 25 games) and Walker (6.1 points and 4 rebounds across 26 games) were the other major contributors. The substantial roster turnover and limited preparation prevented Cairns from finding any consistency, with the Taipans going 3-11 at home and 3-11 on the road.
Cairns closed the season against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on February 16, where Trimble (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists), Loughton (17 points) and Kenny (13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Taipans, while Andrew Bogut (12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocks) controlled the paint for Sydney in an 89-84 Kings victory, leaving Cairns last with a 6-22 record.
MELBOURNE UNITED
2019/20
After finishing second with an 18-10 record and losing the 2019 Grand Final series to Perth 3-1, Melbourne United made significant changes to its roster. Dean Vickerman remained as coach, while Casper Ware (to Sydney), Josh Boone (to Illawarra), Daniel Trist (to South East Melbourne) and Craig Moller (to Sydney) departed. United signed Shea Ili (via New Zealand), Jo Lual-Acuil (via Jerusalem), development player Jack Purchase, and import duo Melo Trimble (via Cairns) and Shawn Long (via New Zealand), while Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, David Barlow, Alex Pledger and Tohi Smith-Milner returned. Casey Prather (via Patras) also returned on a two-year deal.
The move to Melbourne came on a one-year deal, with United’s new point guard replacing Ware after a standout season in Cairns. The Taipans said they “were unfortunately unable to match or come close to the offer made by another NBL team,” while before the season he said, “I do feel like I’m one of the best players in this league,” having spent the off-season focusing on improving his defence and footwork.
United opened the season against expansion side South East Melbourne on October 3 in the first Throwdown, played in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,300. Trimble (16 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds as the Phoenix won 91-88, despite Goulding (27 points and 3 steals) and Long (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks), while Mitchell Creek (28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) led South East Melbourne.
Trimble (19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals across 31 games) led United in scoring and did not miss a game through injury, appearing in all 28 regular-season games and all three semifinals. Melbourne lost four of its first five games amid reports of internal discord and growing pressure on Vickerman, before responding with six consecutive wins and reaching late November at 7-4, sitting third while producing a league-best 99.7 points per game.
During that run, Trimble produced one of his best performances of the season against Adelaide on November 10, finishing with 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals as Melbourne won 109-90 for its fourth consecutive victory. Goulding (20 points) and Long (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks) provided support, while Jerome Randle (17 points) led Adelaide.
Following a difficult stretch in January, Vickerman moved Trimble into a bench role late in the season. Trimble’s best scoring game came in Brisbane on February 1, when he came off the bench for 36 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals, including 21 points in the second quarter to equal the NBL record for most points in a quarter during the 40-minute era. Long (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Lual-Acuil (10 points and 4 rebounds) helped Melbourne remain close, but Lamar Patterson (31 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Brisbane to an 87-83 win, dropping United to sixth and leaving them needing to win their final three games to reach the postseason.
United’s season came down to its final regular-season game against South East Melbourne on February 16, where Trimble (20 points and 4 assists), Goulding (28 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals) and Long (21 points and 12 rebounds) led Melbourne to a 109-90 victory. Ben Madgen (23 points and 4 rebounds) led the Phoenix as United secured fourth place with a 15-13 record and a third consecutive finals appearance.
Melbourne was also forced into an import change during the season after Prather (9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds) missed the first seven games through injury. After returning for six games, Prather underwent another knee clean-out before a right hamstring tear ended his season, with former NBA player Stanton Kidd signed as his injury replacement. Kidd (8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds) played 14 games for United.
Alongside Trimble, Long (18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds) provided Melbourne’s main inside presence, while captain Goulding (17 points), McCarron (8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists), Barlow (7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds), Ili (6.4 points) and Lual-Acuil (5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds) formed the team’s main rotation.
Melbourne opened its semifinal series against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena, where Trimble came off the bench for 34 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals while Long (23 points and 10 rebounds) helped United establish a 16-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining. Sydney finished the game on a 24-2 run behind Jae’Sean Tate (23 points and 5 rebounds), Brad Newley (17 points and 5 rebounds) and Xavier Cooks (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) to win 86-80 and take a 1-0 series lead.
Facing elimination in game two, Melbourne responded with a 125-80 victory at Melbourne Arena, the largest winning margin in an NBL game since the league moved to 40-minute games. United outscored Sydney 32-7 in the second quarter and produced a 38-0 run behind Long (26 points and 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) and Kidd (18 points and 4 rebounds), while Tate (18 points and 6 rebounds) and Didi Louzada (10 points and 3 steals) led Sydney.
The series returned to Sydney for game three, where Trimble (17 points and 2 steals), Goulding (19 points and 2 steals) and McCarron (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Melbourne, while Tate (20 points and 6 rebounds) and Ware (15 points and 4 rebounds) helped Sydney win 89-87 and advance to the Grand Final.
Melo Trimble played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Melbourne United and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 21.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 59 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 25 | Melbourne | 15-13 (4) | 31 | 934 | 616 | 104 | 133 | 23 | 81 | 41 | 1 | 82 | 87 | 201 | 454 | 44% | 63 | 182 | 35% | 151 | 188 | 80% | 57% | 51% | 36 |
| 2018-19 | 24 | Cairns | 6-22 (8) | 28 | 913 | 630 | 116 | 129 | 18 | 98 | 32 | 5 | 92 | 69 | 207 | 460 | 45% | 76 | 183 | 42% | 140 | 168 | 83% | 58% | 53% | 42 | Totals | 59 | 1848 | 1246 | 220 | 262 | 41 | 179 | 73 | 6 | 174 | 156 | 408 | 914 | 44.6% | 139 | 365 | 38.1% | 291 | 356 | 81.7% | 58% | 52% | 42 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 25 | Melbourne | 15-13 (4) | 31 | 30.1 | 19.9 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 6.5 | 14.6 | 44% | 2.0 | 5.9 | 35% | 4.9 | 6.1 | 80% | 57% | 51% | 36 |
| 2018-19 | 24 | Cairns | 6-22 (8) | 28 | 32.6 | 22.5 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 16.4 | 45% | 2.7 | 6.5 | 42% | 5.0 | 6.0 | 83% | 58% | 53% | 42 | Total | 59 | 31.3 | 21.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 6.9 | 15.5 | 44.6% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 38.1% | 2.4 | 6.2 | 81.7% | 58% | 52% | 42 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 42 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Spain - Estudiantes (2019–2020), Fuenlabrada (2020–2021) | Turkey - Galatasaray (2021–2022) | China - Shanghai Sharks (2022–2023) | Russia - CSKA Moscow (2023–present)
Trimble moved to Spain on March 11, 2020, signing with Estudiantes for the remainder of the 2019–20 Liga ACB season.
He stayed in Spain for 2020–21 after signing with Fuenlabrada on June 22, 2020, and in 34 Liga ACB games he averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while sharing the roster with teammates including Leonardo Meindl and Marc García, and his season ended with All-Liga ACB Second Team recognition.
On August 10, 2021, Trimble joined Galatasaray in Turkey’s Basketbol Süper Ligi, where he averaged 16.6 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals across 36 league games, with key teammates during the season including Dee Bost, DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell, Kerry Blackshear Jr., Maurice Ndour, and David Kravish, and he also appeared in the Basketball Champions League where he averaged 12.7 points, 3.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game over 12 outings.
Trimble signed with the Shanghai Sharks on July 18, 2022, and in the 2022–23 Chinese Basketball Association season he averaged 17.5 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, playing alongside imports such as Michael Beasley and local Sharks teammates including Zhelin Wang and Hanchen Luo.
On July 27, 2023, Trimble signed with CSKA Moscow in the VTB United League, and during the 2023–24 season he averaged 14.6 points and 3.9 assists while earning VTB Sixth Man of the Year and Playoffs MVP honours, with the Finals run highlighted by him leading the series in scoring at 20.0 points per game.
CSKA extended Trimble’s contract through 2026 on June 18, 2024, and he added further major team honours with CSKA as part of their 2025 championship season, while continuing to feature alongside regular CSKA contributors such as Casper Ware, Livio Jean-Charles, Nikita Kurbanov, Amath M’Baye, and Ivan Ukhov.
COLLEGE
Melo Trimble committed to play for Mark Turgeon’s Maryland Terrapins in December 2012 and enrolled at the University of Maryland ahead of the 2014–15 season, joining the program as it transitioned into the Big Ten Conference.
Trimble made an immediate impact as a freshman in the 2014–15 season, starting all 36 games and leading Maryland in scoring at 16.2 points per game while also averaging 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds, helping guide the Terrapins to a 28–7 record, a Big Ten regular-season title, and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
During his freshman campaign, Trimble earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honours, was named Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading Maryland to the conference tournament title, and received Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American recognition, becoming one of the most decorated first-year players in program history.
Trimble was known for his late-game shot-making early in his college career, hitting multiple game-winning or go-ahead shots as a freshman, including decisive baskets against Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Northwestern, which helped cement his reputation as one of the most clutch guards in the conference.
As a sophomore in the 2015–16 season, Trimble again started every game and averaged 14.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while leading Maryland back to the NCAA Tournament, where the Terrapins reached the Sweet Sixteen before being eliminated by Kansas.
That sophomore season included a career-high 31-point performance against Nebraska and multiple 20-point outings in conference play, while Trimble also earned Second Team All-Big Ten honours from both the coaches and media.
Trimble returned for his junior season in 2016–17 and remained a central figure in Maryland’s lineup, starting all 36 games and averaging 16.8 points per game to lead the team in scoring for the second time in his career, while adding 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest.
In the 2016–17 season, Trimble recorded his 1,500th career point, became one of the fastest players in school history to reach that milestone, and produced one of his most complete performances with 32 points, six assists, and five rebounds against Nebraska, matching his career-high scoring output.
Trimble earned First Team All-Big Ten honours as a junior and was named a consensus Third Team All-American, becoming one of the few Maryland players to receive All-American recognition in multiple seasons since the program joined the Big Ten.
Across his three seasons at Maryland from 2014–15 to 2016–17, Trimble appeared in 108 games and finished his college career with 1,723 points, ranking among the top scorers in school history, while also tallying more than 400 assists and helping Maryland to three NCAA Tournament appearances, one Big Ten regular-season championship, and one Big Ten Tournament championship.
Trimble left Maryland following the 2016–17 season as one of the most accomplished guards of the modern Terrapins era, having established himself as a primary scorer, late-game option, and multi-year starter under Mark Turgeon after committing to the program in December 2012.
AWARDS
- 1x All-NBL Second Team
- McDonald's All-American (2014)
Related
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