Cairns Taipans import point guard Melo Trimble heads back to future for a win

The desperate Cairns Taipans will try anything to snap their eight game losing streak. Import point guard Melo Trimble is hoping a brand new head accessory will be a turning point for his season.

MIXED FORTUNES: ‘Headband Melo’ of the Cairns Taipans is hoping his look will bring a little more luck. Picture: GETTY IMAGES.

“Hoodie Melo” seemed to be the start of the downfall of Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career.

In the Far North, another Melo, Taipans import point guard Melo Trimble, is hoping a brand new head accessory will be a turning point, for all the right reasons, for his season.

For those who do not follow the NBA closely, in 2017, then New York Knicks star Anthony became known for his off-season workouts where he would play basketball wearing a hooded sweatshirt — leading to the nickname “Hoodie Melo”.

Since then, Anthony has bounced around to a number of teams and is now exiled from the Houston Rockets and is not playing with an NBA franchise at all.

But, the name and phrase Hoodie Melo are still commonplace on social media and Anthony himself often talks about it.

His namesake in Cairns, Trimble, declared at practice this week that he is set to become “Headband Melo” to help turn around their floundering NBL season.

The Snakes leading man sported the new look at training on Wednesday and it could become commonplace if the new headwear delivers a victory this evening.

Hoodie Melo

“I am planning on wearing it on Friday, we will see how that goes and if it goes well, I might keep it going,” he said.

“You can call me Headband Melo, because I cannot wear the hood, that will be different.

“Hopefully I can get something going if I can play well.”

The 23-year-old, who attended Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, used to wear a headband in his teenage years, before eventually feeling he was too old for it.

The free-scoring point guard did not call on the powers of the headband at college in Maryland but after an eight-game losing streak, he is looking for any inspiration possible against Illawarra.

“I wore it in high school, when I was younger,” Trimble said.

“My dad used to make me wear the head band.

“I played well in it one time and he told me to keep wearing it.

“As I got older, I took it off and stopped wearing it.”

The change-up of accessories is not new to Trimble as his hairstyles changed repeatedly during his three seasons at Maryland — from close-cropped early in his freshman year to the orange-tinged, Odell Beckham Jr look through his sophomore year to a scruffy beard.

MIXED FORTUNES: ‘Headband Melo’ of the Cairns Taipans is hoping his look will bring a little more luck. Picture: GETTY IMAGES.

Hosting the second-from-bottom on the NBL ladder Illawarra presents the Snakes their best chance of late to break their losing streak tonight, before a weekend double-header sends the club to Perth.

Assistant Coach Jamie O’Loughlin says the playing group still believe they can win against any opposition.

“We look at every game as our next win and this is no different because it is Illawarra,” O’Loughlin said.

“We believe we can beat any team on any given day.

“It is not about Illawarra, they have shown they are a highly competitive team and are 4-7 for a reason.”

Cairns captain Alex Loughton is set to make his return from an ankle injury tonight.

Originally published as Cairns Taipans import point guard Melo Trimble heads back to future for a win