The 2.06m centre helped the New Zealand team reach the final sixteen of the 3x3 basketball tournament last month. His side was eliminated by Poland but the year 12 Otago Boys' High School pupil attracted plenty of attention following some impressive performances.
He has had two approaches from colleges and ''definitely'' plans to pursue a sporting scholarship in the United States once he has completed his secondary school education.
''While I was in China I got a facebook message from Nicholls State University and a div [division] one school in Louisiana,'' Timmins said.
''That is all the contact I've had from colleges at the moment.''
For inspiration, Timmins does not have to get too creative. Steven Adams is the obvious role model. He made the transition from college to the NBA last season and the Oklahoma City Thunder back-up centre had an outstanding rookie year.
''The obvious one is Steven Adams - just because he plays in my position and because he went through college and got to the NBA. That is pretty much any basketballer's main dream.''
For Timmins, playing 3x3 against the best at the Youth Olympics was a crucial step in helping realise his own ambitions.
At a shade over 2.05m (six feet, nine inches in the old measurement), he realises he will need to add some mobility to his game if he wants to make it at the very top level. And 3x3 certainly tests you on that score. You do not always find yourself marking some giant with gangly limbs. It might be a speedy guard you have to stay in front of, and that is an enormous challenge. He was pleased with his form during the tournament and, after some sober reflection, the team was proud of its achievement in China.
''We lost a game to Brazil which we really should have won. And we were beaten by Poland by four. We led by four with 2min left but let that slip to a two-point loss.
''But if we step back and look back at where we'd come from, then we did really well. We were happy with the teams we beat and the way we played but we really could have done a lot better than we did.''
