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.

In 2018, Cairns chose to go in a new direction, parting ways with long-time coach Aaron Fearne after eight years of him patrolling the sidelines. Mike Kelly was brought in as his replacement and was tasked with rebuilding a roster that had already lost key players 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 kicked off, Kelly bolstered the roster by adding free agent Rob Loe (via New Zealand) and a new import trio consisting of Melo Trimble, Devon Hall, and DJ Newbill, while Nathan Jawai, Alex Loughton, and Jarrod Kenny were retained for their experience and leadership.

Cairns started the season with a dominant victory over Brisbane (88-70) in their opening game, but consistency soon became an issue. The team endured a six-game losing streak between 21 October and 9 November 2018. Despite these struggles, the Taipans managed some impressive wins later in the season, including a surprise victory over Perth (81-79) and a dominant win over Brisbane (109-80), but an inability to consistently win at home (3-11) or away (3-11) saw them finish the season dead last.

While wins were hard to come by, Melo Trimble (21.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) delivered a standout season, finishing second in the NBL in scoring, third in assists, and sixth in steals. Alongside DJ Newbill (14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals), they formed a formidable one-two punch for the Taipans.

Trimble was the obvious choice for Taipans MVP, breaking several club records and becoming the first player in over a decade to amass at least 600 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists, and 50 made three-pointers in a single regular season. He earned selection to the All-NBL Second Team.

Devon Hall (8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists) provided versatility and consistent play for the Taipans, contributing as a reliable guard. Alongside him, a healthy Nathan Jawai (10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who saw his minutes and production nearly double compared to the previous season, was also a key contributor with his inside presence.

Trimble’s best games this season included a 42-point, 3-rebound, 2-assist performance against Melbourne United (13 Jan 2019), a 34-point, 5-rebound, 8-assist effort against Melbourne United (3 Nov 2018), and a 32-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist game against Brisbane (13 Oct 2018).

Despite standout performances from Trimble, Newbill, and Jawai, the Taipans were unable to build momentum, finishing with one of the worst records in franchise history (6-22).

MELBOURNE UNITED
2019/20
Melbourne United began the 2019–20 season with a complete roster overhaul. The team chose not to re-sign Casper Ware and Josh Boone, released Daniel Trist, and lost Craig Moller to Sydney as a free agent. They signed Jo Lual-Acuil, Shea Ili, and development player Jack Purchase. Import duo Melo Trimble and Shawn Long were brought in, alongside returning players David Barlow, Alex Pledger, Tohi Smith-Milner, and Casey Prather, who signed a two-year deal.

Prather, after missing the first seven games due to injury, struggled to regain form, averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in just six games before being ruled out for the season with a hamstring tear. United signed former NBA player Stanton Kidd (9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds) as his replacement. United lost four of their first five games amidst reports of internal discord and growing pressure on head coach Dean Vickerman. However, by late November, they bounced back, sitting third on the ladder with a 7-4 record, boasting the league’s highest-scoring offense (99.7 points per game).

Melo Trimble led the scoring for United with (19.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals), with strong contributions from Shawn Long (18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) and captain Chris Goulding (17.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists). United finished the regular season in fourth place with a 15-13 record, advancing to face the Sydney Kings in the semifinals.

In Game 1, United fell short 80-86 despite Trimble’s (34 points, 5 assists) off the bench. Shawn Long added (23 points, 10 rebounds), but Sydney’s Xavier Cooks (21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) and Jae’Sean Tate (19 points, 5 rebounds) proved too strong.

In Game 2, United responded emphatically with a 125-80 victory, driven by Long (26 points, 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points, 2 steals), and Kidd (18 points, 4 rebounds). A dominant second quarter, where United outscored Sydney 32-7, sealed the win.

However, in the series decider at Qudos Bank Arena, the game went down to the wire. Goulding led Melbourne with (19 points, 3 assists), but Tate (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) and the Kings edged out a 2-point victory, ending United’s season and sending Sydney to the Grand Final.

Melo Trimble played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the Melbourne United. He averaged 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 58 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (835 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.