North Carolina guard Seth Trimble committing to Louisville after Colorado eligibility ruling

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — North Carolina guard Seth Trimble is transferring to Louisville and taking advantage of the recent preliminary injunction from a Colorado judge giving student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 a fifth season of eligibility for the upcoming year.

ESPN reported Wednesday morning that Trimble committed to Louisville, a social media post shared by the Cardinals.

Trimble thanked North Carolina fans in an Instagram post for “the best four years anyone could ask for.” He wrote that he gave his all to represent North Carolina every day.

“I've been considering returning to college the whole summer now, and Carolina was always in the running,” Trimble wrote. “But with a full roster at UNC, and other circumstances, I won't be able to return home and will be transferring.”

Trimble put himself into Tar Heels' lore with a 3-pointer from right in front of the UNC bench, one that swished cleanly through the net with 0.4 seconds left, to lift the 14th-ranked Tar Heels past the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 71-68 in February.

North Carolina athletic director Steve Newmark said they understand the difficult and complicated situation for everyone involved and called Trimble a true role model for his four years with the Tar Heels.

“The recent court decision in Colorado created an unusual situation for student-athletes who had completed their traditional four years of eligibility,” Newmark said. “The timing of the decision, the ongoing legal process and the circumstances surrounding our roster made that increasingly difficult to navigate.”

New North Carolina coach Michael Malone said in a statement that Trimble will always be a Tar Heel even with the guard playing elsewhere for a season.

“I have tremendous empathy for Seth because the timing of the court decision put him and our program in a difficult position as we constructed our roster,” Malone said. “None of that changes how we feel about Seth. He has represented Carolina the right way, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to get to know him and his family.”

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