There’s no getting around it: this isn’t your dad’s college basketball. Heck, it might not even be your older brother’s college basketball. Player movement is at an all-time high, and UNC’s roster this coming season paints a stunning picture: 12 of the Tar Heels’ 16 players were not on the team last year.
Of those four returners, only two are scholarship players. And of those two, only one has started a game.
That one is UNC’s last connection to what appears to be a bygone era of college basketball. Because once Seth Trimble plays out his senior year as a Tar Heel this spring, how many more will follow? Who else will stay four years at one program, often battling roster logjams and frustrating usage along the way?
Of course, Trimble did enter the transfer portal following his sophomore season. But the Tar Heel legacy kid – his older brother is former UNC standout J.P. Tokoto – found he couldn’t bear the thought of not being in Chapel Hill. A year later, the little brother is now the face of the program, a de facto team captain for a Tar Heel team built almost from scratch. However daunting that prospect is, Trimble said it’s nothing new for him.
“I’ve always seen myself as a leader,” Trimble told reporters earlier in September. “In high school, I was always a guy who pushed my teammates. I was always a guy who got on my teammates when needed, who carried my teammates when needed, who held them up. And that’s who I want to continue to be. It helps people. It allows people to grow when there’s that leadership, and I think I’m capable of doing it.”
Seth Trimble is confident his leadership abilities will lead the Tar Heels to a successful 2025-26 season. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet)
If early reviews from Tar Heel teammates are any indication, Trimble’s leadership abilities haven’t waned since his days as a prep star in the Milwaukee suburbs.
“If we have a slow day at the gym, he’ll start clapping,” said Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar. “He’ll talk. He’ll get everybody energized. On the court as well, he’ll keep everybody to a higher standard. It’s like having another coach on the floor.”
It was Trimble who played a major role in bringing Veesaar, a highly-coveted seven-footer, to Chapel Hill. Trimble recalled hitting it off immediately with Veesaar when the pair grabbed dinner during Veesaar’s visit. He did the same for all the Tar Heel transfers, essentially acting as part host, part tour guide.
Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans, the point guard who will likely split ball-handling duties with Trimble this season, described him as an “intriguing” player.
“You want to surround yourself with other good players that you feel you can connect with and get better from,” Evans said. “I came here, saw him and envisioned a backcourt with us being extremely good.”
“He’s a very high-energy player on defense and offense,” said Veesaar. “And he rubs off on everybody where you want to be better. Because if you see him doing it, you can’t let him down.”
Teammates have praised Seth Trimble’s high energy on both ends of the court, saying it fires them up during long practices. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet)
There are, of course, other areas of interest for Trimble outside the basketball court. He provided one of the most unexpected headlines of the offseason this summer when he became a franchisee at the Ben & Jerry’s location on Franklin Street, in the heart of downtown Chapel Hill. Trimble said he has big plans for the business, some of which he couldn’t divulge to the media — though he did note he foresees a specialty flavor honoring former head coach Roy Williams. Hubert Davis said he supports Trimble’s business ventures, but the head coach added that he and dairy “aren’t very good friends.” (Trimble has assured him Ben & Jerry’s does provide dairy-free options)
On the court, Davis projects unwavering confidence in Trimble’s abilities. Entering his fifth season in charge, Davis appears unbothered by the open secret that the 2025-26 season is a make-or-break one for his career. In Davis’ mind, there is nobody better than Trimble to lead the Tar Heels into that uncertain future.
“He’s an ambassador for this program,” the head coach said. “For him to be here four years, he’s done a lot. He’s seen a lot. Within his personality, he has done similar things as Armando [Bacot]. One of the things that’s really important to Seth is not only for Carolina to be good, but for Carolina to be good when he leaves.”
After UNC’s season-ending losses the last two years, Trimble was so distraught he was moved to tears. The Tar Heels’ defeat in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament against Ole Miss hit particularly hard. Not only did the loss come in Trimble’s hometown of Milwaukee, but it also marked the end of his teammate and friend R.J. Davis’ collegiate career.
His voice quiet and shaky on the NCAA dais, Trimble couldn’t finish his thoughts on his relationship with Davis before choking up. He ended by simply saying, “I’ve learned a lot from R.J.” The words barely registered on the microphone.
Seth Trimble wipes his eyes following UNC’s loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament in March. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Todd Melet)
Six months later, Trimble walks the halls of the Dean Smith Center as the “new” R.J., the veteran whose experience – sometimes tearful, sometimes joyful – will be key to the Tar Heels’ success. He has the graciousness to joke about UNC’s massive roster overhaul; when he sat down in the Smith Center media room, one reporter remarked how nice it was to see a familiar face.
Trimble smiled before replying, “About the only one, huh?”
He smiled again when speaking on his relationship with UNC. In the tradition of Tar Heel fan favorites like Bacot, Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Paige, Trimble exhibits a fierce gratitude to the program which, in essence, has seen him grow up. Trimble wasn’t yet 10 years old when Tokoto began his UNC career in 2012, and 13 years later he’ll enter this season as the standard-bearer for his childhood team.
“This university means everything to me,” Trimble said. “I grew up a Carolina fan. My family grew up Carolina fans. I’ve had support for all these years. And I’ve been able to grow as a man. Forget basketball. The young man I’ve become here, the lessons I’ve learned, the experiences I’ve been able to have, the connections I’ve built, you can’t get all these things anywhere else.
“When I’m praying at night, I speak about how thankful I am for this university,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Brandon Dill
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