New Zealand Recruit Sam Timmins Commits to Washington

Talented New Zealand big man Sam Timmins has committed to join the University of Washington's recruiting class of 2016, as reported by Stuff.co.nz.

At just 17 years old, Timmins already has an impressive list of accomplishments, notably having played as an amateur in New Zealand's top basketball league, the NBL, over the past three years. In 2013 he became the then-youngest player to take the court in the league with the Otago Nuggets and after struggling with back injuries, has since impressed with the Canterbury Rams in this year's competition.

Indeed not many players of his age could compete for minutes so successfully with a former NBA player, as Timmins has done with Mickell Gladness, formerly of the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.

A skilful centre with nice footwork and a handy step-through, Timmins is far more than just a big and physical player as many New Zealand big men are pigeon-holed as. His ability in transition was developed through playing on a high school team with multiple fast and skilled guards, which made being able to run the floor essentially a prerequisite, while he has moves and counter-moves to threaten in the post.

It was with that team of fast guards, Otago Boys' High School, that he claimed the 2014 "AA" Secondary Schools National Championship, winning the Most Valuable Player award in the process. He put up an impressive performance in the final against a very good Westlake Boys' High School frontcourt, while also looking good against the highly touted duo of Tai Wynyard and Yuat Alok in the semifinal. 

Along with Wynyard, who has committed to Kentucky, he forms the peak of this talented New Zealand recruiting class. Both are quality big men with size and skill, while also having the potential to get even better. That both have landed major conference gigs is huge in itself, as New Zealand rarely has the depth to send two recruits to colleges of this prestige in the same class.

Indeed Wynyard also achieved the honour of playing in the Nike Hoop Summit and remains eligible to play in the game for the next two years. Interestingly Wynyard was listed at 6' 10" at that camp, the same height Timmins is listed at in New Zealand. Standing next to each other though, Timmins looks noticeably taller, which would suggest he could measure in at closer to 7' 0" in the USA.

It does not end with them either. You have athletic forward Matt Freeman, a 6'10" prospect capable of playing both inside and on the perimeter. Alongside him there are a handful of others, including guards Joe Cook-Green and Shou Nisbet, as well as Wynyard's high school frontcourt partner Alok.

Timmins, along with the rest of this class, has one more year of high school to complete, which concludes in November of this year, as the New Zealand school year follows the calendar year. The result is that New Zealanders graduate high school six months earlier than their USA counterparts, giving them the option of going to a prep school, as NBA player Steven Adams did prior to going to college.

Alongside his achievements at Otago Boys' High School and in the NBL, Timmins has also been a key player for New Zealand national age-grade teams, competed at the three-on-three World Championships and was a key member of the Otago team to win the National Under 17 tournament in 2013.

After the Otago Nuggets were forced to withdraw from the NBL at the end of last year, Timmins moved to Christchurch. He currently plays for the Canterbury Rams, while also being a key player for his high school in the local Christchurch competition.