Maryland point guard Melo Trimble had to quell his nerves on the first day of tryouts for USA Basketball’s Pan Am Games roster earlier this summer, when he was thrown into an 18-player pool that included college stars and professional journeymen. It was an eclectic mix competing. There were players who had appeared in last season’s Final Four. There were players who had played in China, Russia and Puerto Rico last year, hardened veterans looking for another opportunity at exposure.
And then there was Trimble, the fresh faced 20-year-old who emerged from the crucible of training camp as one of 12 players to make the roster.