The big day is almost here for one of Otago’s most promising young basketballers.
Sam Timmins is set to become Otago’s first NCAA men’s division one player in more than 15 years. It has been a long time coming for the big man. The 2.08m centre spent much of last season at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he red-shirted, meaning he could train but not play, protecting a year of college eligibility. He then took the court for the team during its pre-season tour of Oceania in August, which included a game in Christchurch. With the real thing now in sight, things were going well for Timmins.
"Every day I’m getting more used to our systems and gelling with the guys on the floor," he told the Otago Daily Times.
"It’s definitely a considerable step up in every aspect of the game, but the most noticeable aspect is the speed. The tempo of the game is so much quicker here than it is back home [in New Zealand].
"Although the off-season conditioning has gone a long way to preparing me for that challenge physically, an even bigger part of that is mentally being able to process what’s happening around you.
"With the game as fast as it is, making the right reads, all while being in the correct floor positioning and being aware of where the your man is on both offence and defence, is a huge part of adjusting to this level of basketball."
Coached by Lorenzo Romar, his team includes guard Markelle Fultz, who is projected to be one of the top picks in next year’s NBA Draft. Fultz and several other top quality players were helping push Timmins along "It’s a recipe for getting better. When the guys you go up against every time you step on the floor to practice are this good, it pushes you to reach levels previously unattainable without that calibre of competition."
Timmins has the ability to threaten in a variety of ways. He has a series of slick post moves, a nice passing game and the ability to shoot from the outside, while offering strong rim protection on the defensive end. He became the Otago Nuggets’ youngest player, making his debut at age 15, and went on to claim representative and high school national championships, while also playing for the Junior Tall Blacks.
His Washington team would play non-conference opponents until the end of the year, before beginning its campaign in the tough PAC-12 conference.
"I’m really excited for the season to get under way. My personal goal is to be helping the team as much as I can every game to help us come out with wins."
Meanwhile, four other Otago players have been taking the court for junior colleges in the NJCAA. Highly touted guard Joe Cook-Green has had two games with the University of Northwest Florida State, the No1-ranked junior college in the country. Players from the school have regularly been picked up to play division 1 basketball.
Former Kavanagh College guard Richard Rodger has returned for his second year at Southeast Community College in Nebraska, and twins Brittany and Zoe Richards have begun their freshman season at Gillette College in Wyoming.
