From the flick of the wrist to the swish of the net, the time elapsed was approximately two seconds. That was just long enough for Seth Trimble to become eternal.
Trimble’s three-pointer from the corner – his only long-range attempt of the entire game – sealed an epic UNC comeback and a 71-68 win against No. 4 Duke at the Smith Center Saturday night. The videos of his final shot will outlive him, will outlive head coach Hubert Davis, and will outlive all of the 21,750 rapt audience members at the Smith Center. Seth Trimble joins Marvin Williams, Walter Davis and Caleb Love as Tar Heels to deliver daggers against the Devils. He’s a member of the highlight montage for all time.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” a beaming Trimble said afterward. “I haven’t even thought about that. When I go to sleep tonight, that’s the only thing that’s gonna be on my mind.”
Trimble has defied the trend of college sports today by staying at UNC for all four seasons (though he did briefly enter the transfer portal in 2024). He’s even outstayed his own older brother, J.P. Tokoto, who left Chapel Hill for pro basketball after three years in 2015. And yet, Trimble has never been the star. Overshadowed by the likes of Love, R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot, Trimble emerged as the lone returning rotation player entering the 2025-26 offseason. He seemed primed to be the face of the team… only for upstart freshman Caleb Wilson to electrify college basketball nationwide.
That doesn’t bother Trimble. He’s continued to be as steady as ever – even during a freak weight room accident in November which broke his arm and sidelined him for several games. Since returning, he’d reached double figures in nine of 11 games prior to Saturday and scored 20 points twice. But no one will remember what Seth Trimble did against Notre Dame or Georgia Tech. They’ll remember the shot.
“It happened to the perfect person,” Davis said. “He should be celebrated. What he’s meant to me, what he’s meant to this team and this program, the commitment that he has for this place… he’ll be remembered for the rest of his life in Carolina history. I couldn’t think of a better person to have that with him.”
In the postgame interview scrum, Trimble was having a hard time letting it all in. You can’t blame him, though. How would you deal with sudden immortality?
“This is what I came here for, man,” Trimble said, his voice starting to quaver just a bit. “It means a lot… this is what I came here for. Moments like this, games like this. To be that kind of player for my team, it means everything.”
How did his teammates feel about the shot as it sailed through the air?
Jarin Stevenson: “I saw it going straight in.”
Derek Dixon, who threw Trimble the pass: “That’s good.”
And Trimble himself: “I knew it was good.”
As the press scrum was winding down, one reporter informed Trimble his shot was the latest game-winner for the Tar Heels since Luke Maye’s shot to beat Kentucky in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Trimble remembered that moment vividly: he was watching on TV. He initially jumped for joy, but then had to play it cool; after all, he was still an uncommitted prospect. Not that there was ever any doubt.
While Trimble was reminiscing about Maye’s shot, another reporter noted there may be another youngster out there having that same moment: celebrating the dramatic win, while dreaming of his own heroics. Trimble digested that thought with a quiet smile.
“I grew up watching Marcus Paige make clutch play after clutch play,” he said. “I grew up watching Coby White get a bucket whenever it was needed. So to be able to step up in a moment like that and put myself in that history book, it’s a surreal feeling.”
Trimble couldn’t stay for long, though. His teammates were already ahead of him, on their way to what was surely the most frenzied scene on Franklin Street in quite some time. Trimble eyed them enviously as reporters continued to surround him. Some teammates, like Kyan Evans and Jonathan Powell, even joined the crowd to lob questions. Even Theo Pinson, the man who delivered the pass to Maye in 2017, made his way to the front.
“I’m so proud of you, dawg,” he said.
Trimble tried to go on with an answer to a question, but Pinson wouldn’t have it.
“You cemented now!” he yelled. “You a legend!”
The scrum finally ended. Trimble navigated his way out. He was practically the only Tar Heel player left in the facility. All the rest were headed to Franklin. As he had in an offseason of unprecedented roster turnover, Trimble stood alone.
Not for long, though. He made his way back to the locker room, changed out of his uniform, and then walked out into a brave new world. Those were the first steps of the rest of his life.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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