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NEW YORK – Greatness can be seen in players even when they are not yet great in any sport, whether it is soccer, football, basketball, or whatever. On this year's team, North Carolina freshman Seth Trimble has impressed almost every player and coach he has come across.

No, Trimble isn't dropping 30 points at Madison Square Garden; no, Trimble isn't crossing up and dropping defenders; and he's not posterizing opponents yet, either. The trait that sticks out in the four-star recruit from Wisconsin is his mentality. As Trimble continues his development, he knows his mindset is an attribute.

"I think just having that mentality going into the games," Trimble said, noting his hoops edge. "You want to shut down the best point guard; you want to out-perform this point guard; and you want to do everything you can to shut down your opponent."

Coaches saw it when they recruited him, current players have seen it at practice, and fans have seen it through UNC’s first 13 games. Ohio State and Michigan, Carolina’s last two opponents, also saw it. Trimble is quite comfortable guarding for 94 feet.

UNC All-America and ACC Preseason Player of the Year Armando Bacot was impressed by how Trimble approached playing on a huge stage versus the Buckeyes last Saturday at MSG.

"Seth playing in a big-time game like this and having confidence in himself to go pick up 94 is great, we love what he can bring to the table," Bacot said.

Junior forward Puff Johnson shares Bacot’s sentiment.

"He plays real hard, and that's what we need," Johnson said. "He picks up 94, he gives it his all; that's all we can ask for as a team. He has that motor."

That is a lot of praise for a guy averaging only 2.6 points in Carolina’s first 13 games. Ranked one of the top 35 players by noteworthy recruiting services in the class of 2022, Trimble came to UNC not yet known as a shooter, but as a creative scorer and defensive dynamo.

The younger brother of former Tar Heel J.P. Tokoto, Trimble arrived beaming with confidence, as the current players saw right away.

"The first time I met Seth, we played pickup the same day," sophomore forward Dontrez Styles recalled. "I underestimated him, I tried to post him up, he's not a weak guy, he put his body into me and I felt it, I said we've got something here, he's tough.”

Trimble regularly shows his high-end potential suggesting one day he could be an all-conference performer. The flashes are there in games, and certainly in practice when just the staff and teammates are watching.

"Seth is amazing. He's a lockdown defender," Styles said. "He's quick, he's athletic; to be honest, he might have got me athleticism.

"He's a great point guard, and as he grows more comfortable throughout the season, I believe he'll be a great guard for us. He's already a great guard for us, and I believe he'll be one of the greatest guards to come here. I have faith in him, he is going to continue to improve, he's going to get going, and it's going to be special."

That will come with time and experience. For now, Trimble is a role player on a veteran squad that reached the national championship last spring. He serves as the primary backup for junior point guard RJ Davis and junior shooting guard Caleb Love. Sometimes, UNC Coach Hubert Davis employs a three-guard line in which Trimble joins the Davis and Love on the floor.

"Seth is my guy," RJ Davis said. "He’s been great for us. He’s super athletic, and he’s willing to ask questions when he doesn’t understand something. I take him under my wing, showing him the ropes a little bit, because that’s something I didn’t have my freshman year."

The first responsibility as a point guard is to manage teammates and get them involved. Even though Trimble has played only 175 minutes thus far, he has displayed a distributor-first approach.

"When you come to a high-level school with high-level teammates, you kind of want to do your best to play with them and fit in with them." Trimble said. "And how I approached it, I tried my best to make them better."

Part of being a freshman on an older team is the experienced guys put the newbies through the mental grinder, both seriously and jokingly.

"He's great in practice," Bacot said. "I'm always trying to mess with him, get in his head, and get him going, but he always responds, and he's a tough kid."

So far, Trimble has responded. A bigger role awaits down the road, but for now, he has the full confidence of everyone in that room he will fulfill his immense potential.