UNC Basketball History Shows Trimble & Washington Could Make Jumps

Former North Carolina Coach Roy Williams would often say the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. Over the years, Carolina has built the foundation of its program around the ability to develop players, and often, the most progress is made from year one to year two.

The 2023-2024 rendition of the Tar Heels will have two talented sophomores who could be key catalysts in propelling the Heels back to the elite of college basketball. Both Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington boast physical attributes to contribute consistently on both ends of the floor.

And like most freshmen who eventually go on to have sophomore improvements, the second-year duo both showed flashes of what they could eventually develop into under the guidance of the traditional UNC player development program.

Since 2002, there have been 60 players that had Rivals recruiting profiles that played a sophomore season for the Tar Heels. We evaluated the freshmen and sophomore stats of these players gauging the improvements UNC’s current sophomores could make, but also look into some of the best second year improvements.

*Data goes back to 2002.