drew timme travel

Drew Timme’s final ride with Gonzaga: a love story

We have come to Drew Timme for sentimentality and melancholy, hoping to strum his heartstrings as he prepares for his last March ride . His has been a career unlike any other in recent memory, and it is nearing the finish line. Over the course of his four years at Gonzaga, the Associated Press has, to date, produced 73 Top 25 polls. The Zags — and thereby Timme — have ranked No. 1 in 30 of them. Players don’t stick around long enough to play 73 weeks of college ball anymore, and roster churn doesn’t allow for the sort of consistent dominance the Bulldogs have enjoyed. The last player to even come close was Shane Battier, but his Duke teams that straddled the late ’90s and into the early 2000s capped off at 21 weeks.

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That leaves a chasm between the John Wooden heydays at UCLA and Timme. The difference, of course, is those Bruins gobbled up national championships like Pac-Man while Timme has yet to grab what he calls “the holy grail.” So with one last chance to grab the grail, with the end of his college career no more than three weeks away, it’s reasonable to think that perhaps Timme would be flooded with some sort of emotion — angst, urgency, nervousness, or maybe a hint of sadness.

Except no. This is the Drew Manchu-ed-stroking, headband-wearing, should-be surfer dude turned hoopster Drew Timme. This final ride will not be a funeral procession. More like one last cruise in Jeff Spicoli’s van. “I’m just kinda like, f— it. We’ve put in the work,” Timme says. “Let the chips fall where they may. As soon as you start chasing stuff, that’s when you fumble.”

The sky started falling in Spokane, Wash., early this season, and then in January, hell froze over. Gonzaga lost three of its first eight games, and on Jan. 19 fell to Loyola Marymount , ending a 75-game home win streak that stretched all the way back to 2018. By the time the Zags lost again two weeks later, at West Coast Conference rival Saint Mary’s, birds might as well have been flying upside down.

The criticism came in hot, a torrent of pent-up frustration unleashed by people who’d been desperate to out Gonzaga as some sort of paper champion for years, but couldn’t because the damnable Zags kept winning. Now, finally, here was their chance. Never should have been a 1 seed. Steamrolled by Baylor in the 2021 title game. All offense, no defense. Flash, no substance. Success bloated by a lousy conference. Frauds.

Timme got the brunt of it. Once the face of the freewheeling, free-flowing Zags, he instead became the poster boy for all that ailed the program. His social media mentions turned into a cesspool. “I’ll be honest, there were a couple of points this season where I thought, ‘Damn. Am I a failure?’” Timme says. “Are we a failure?”

This was not what he signed up for when he decided to come back to college.

At home in Texas, Megan Timme read the criticism, too. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t necessarily get mad, either. Mother and son are a lot alike, with personalities as big as their home state yet grounded by practicality. Megan’s irrepressible firstborn was a lightning rod long before he got to Gonzaga, his combination of skill and irreverence making him both easy to love and easy to hate. When Timme was in high school, she’d make him read the mean tweets aloud. “Just to take the pressure off a little bit,’’ she says. “You have to realize how ridiculous it all is.’’

She was proud that he didn’t take the bait. “It was all the same stuff they’ve always hounded us about,’’ Timme says. “I was like, ‘Eh, it’s happening again.’ I could throw my two cents in, but it wasn’t going to add any value. It’s a lose-lose situation.”

But Megan, who can read her son better than anyone, thought this time, maybe for the first time, it got under his skin a little bit. In postgame news conferences she heard the undercurrents of a few zingers he directed at less-than-faithful fans, or in their near daily talks, sensed a hint of frustration that usually wasn’t there. There was a lot swirling around in that mop-haired head of his — the pressure to live up to outward expectations, as well as the hope to realize his own. “It got pretty rough there after that LMU loss,” she says. “And I think as the leader of the team, he feels that pressure a little bit.”

It is, at some level, absurd. Gonzaga’s definition of a difficult season includes all of five regular-season losses, the two in conference and to Purdue (now a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament), Texas (a 2 seed) and Baylor (3). The Zags also have beaten Michigan State (7), Kentucky (6), Saint Mary’s (5), Xavier (3) and Alabama , the overall No. 1 seed, in Birmingham, 100-90. The underachieving Timme had 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in that one.

But failure is relative and the price of Gonzaga’s long-term success is that a regular season with the most losses since 2016, and a postseason without a 1-seed for the first time since 2018, reads as not up to snuff. To be frank, it hasn’t sat well with the Zags either. Not sky-is-falling, hell-freezing-over challenging, but comparatively speaking at least.

Not that Gonzaga coach Mark Few was entirely surprised. He said as far back as October that his team might have some growing pains — not that anyone listened. Ordinarily by the time Gonzaga convenes for its first practice, it is nearly a finished product. Few’s ability to construct a roster with staying power has made the Bulldogs near recession proof. But in the last two years, Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren left after one season and Andrew Nembhard after two in Spokane. The turnover showed up especially in a young backcourt that struggled to run the usually humming Bulldog offense.

In the first month of the season, when Gonzaga lost three of eight games, its 17.9 percent turnover rate ranked in the 20th percentile, per CBB analytics. It drove Few nuts, but he understood the only way to fix it was to wait it out. Lo and behold, the Bulldogs figured it out. Since December, the turnover rate has dropped to 11.6 percent and up to the 100th percentile.

Harder than that, though, has been helping these Zags carve their own identity. They are, by nature, a quieter group, prone to beating themselves up after mistakes, their body language shifting after missed shots. That’s not how Gonzaga usually rolls. Few long has relied on a series of alpha dogs to lead his program — Kevin Pangos, Corey Kispert, even Suggs as a freshman.

Based on time served and personal success, the job naturally fell into Timme’s lap. He would seem a perfect fit. “He has never,” his mother deadpans, “lacked for confidence.” But personal confidence and on-court verve should not be misconstrued as easily translatable to leadership.

Timme is all about joy and fun. He’s the guy who took a Zoom recruiting call hot off a high school dance, his yellow dress shirt unbuttoned practically to his navel, and as a freshman decided it would be fun to chest-bump his coach. He’s the happy sidekick, not the straight man, the goofball that requires the fun police, not the one blowing the whistle. “He’s more of a reluctant leader,” Few says. “Some guys, like Corey, they read books about leadership or listen to podcasts. Drew hosts a podcast. It just isn’t something that he ever envisioned himself doing.”

Timme doesn’t argue. Asked to assess his team’s shortcomings this year, he points to lapses in focus, a tendency to ease off the gas pedal and a general lack of nastiness. “I’m definitely included in that,” he says.

The one thing Timme has that translates is a ferocious competitive streak, and Few has challenged him to use that — show, if you’re not comfortable telling. Timme created side challenges that not only keep him focused, but draws his teammates in as well. He and Nolan Hickman compete to see who can have the most assists in a game. With Julian Strawther , it’s a battle for most rebounds. Anton Watson is on the clock for blocks.

Unconventional leadership for an unconventional player, for sure, but for all of Gonzaga’s perceived troubles, they roll into this NCAA Tournament on a nine-game win streak, with just one loss since late January. “It’s not always about talking; it’s about delivering,” Few says. “There are so many talkers in sports right now. Only a handful of dudes deliver. Drew delivers.”

Can he deliver the missing piece on both his and Gonzaga’s otherwise impeccable resume? That is, of course, the only question. Timme is already the school’s all-time leading scorer. He is a two-time WCC player of the year. An All-American last season, he’s likely to make the list again this year. Gonzaga has won no fewer than 23 games in the last 25 years and has not missed an NCAA Tournament since 1999. Twice the Bulldogs have made the Final Four (2017, 2021); twice they’ve played for a national title.

Just in the span of Timme’s short career, Gonzaga had a 31-2 season wiped out by a pandemic and an undefeated year crushed in the title game by Baylor. “I told Drew, ‘Hey, we’ve tried it every other way, maybe this way it will work,'” Megan deadpans.

Because of what they are — or more what they weren’t — the Zags have had to construct their success unconventionally. Their guys tend to stick around. So while other college basketball fans only have time for passing fancies or casual crushes with their players, Gonzaga fans get to build love stories.

Timme, then, is merely the latest beloved Zag on his final quest for a title, following in the footsteps of Dan Dickau, Adam Morrison, and Kispert, who all stuck around only to leave empty-handed. Which, at some level, only ratchets up Timme’s desire to win. Not just for himself but for everyone else who couldn’t capture the holy grail. Megan will say what her son will not — “I know he wants it really badly” — but if four years chasing the holy grail has taught Timme anything, it is how hard it is to grab the damned thing.

He talked about it recently on his podcast , clapping back at those who question Gonzaga’s worth, and by extension his own, because they’ve failed to win it all. “I just said, ‘If you think it’s so easy, Twitter people, here’s my jersey, you go try it,'” Timme says now with a derisive chuckle. “It’s easy to talk about doing something. It’s way harder to do it. It’s not like this is a seven-game series. It’s single-game elimination. That’s why, I don’t know, that’s why I guess I’m like, whatever happens, happens? If you try your best, what else can you ask for?”

Maybe one more thing: to enjoy the ride.

(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic ; photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

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Dana O’Neil, a senior writer for The Athletic, has worked for more than 25 years as a sports writer, covering the Final Four, the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and NHL playoffs. She has worked previously at ESPN and the Philadelphia Daily News. She is the author of three books, including "The Big East: Inside the Most Entertaining and Influential Conference in College Basketball History." Follow Dana on Twitter @ DanaONeilWriter

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Drew Timme on Gonzaga's Sweet 16 win: 'I don't really know what UCLA was doing to be honest'

• Author: Connor Morrissette

In this story:

LAS VEGAS — Drew Timme had a historic performance against UCLA in the Sweet 16 leading Gonzaga with 36 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a 79-76 win .

On Friday, Timme admitted that he was puzzled by the Bruins' defensive approach.

"I don't really know what UCLA was doing to be honest," he said. "They were letting me get to whatever I wanted. They weren't really giving me much resistance so I mean I thought that was a little weird to be honest."

The Bruins, the No. 2 ranked team in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency , had no answer for Timme who went 16-of-24 from the field. UCLA was without starting center Adem Bona, who was out with a shoulder injury, leaving bigs Mac Etienne and Kenneth Nwuba to defend Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer by themselves. The Bruins' rarely double-teamed Timme.  

Other Gonzaga players were surprised by UCLA's defensive game plan as well.

"It was interesting," Julian Strawther said. "This season as an offense, we've seen a lot of true double teams so we're used to playing out of that. Maybe their idea was they've been comfortable playing out of double teams all year let's see what they can do...It was one of those things where I know Drew is going to dominate one-on-one any time he gets the chance so just keep feeding him the ball...Him playing one-on-one, I like our chances."

Rasir Bolton added: "They weren't really loading the paint up on him so it looked like he just kinda had free rein to do what he does."

Gonzaga will take on UConn in the Elite 8 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. All three of the Huskies' bigs are healthy and Timme is expecting more of a challenge. 

"We're definitely going to have to make some adjustments on the fly," he said. 

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Coming off iconic college career, Drew Timme is now starting back at the bottom in NBA

LAS VEGAS — It’s a waiting game for Drew Timme on Milwaukee’s bench during a July 11 NBA Summer League game against Brooklyn at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

The first quarter goes by without a cameo from Timme. Same thing in the second quarter. A similar pattern follows in the third, but late in the quarter Timme gets a knee tap from Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin, signaling he’d be part of the Bucks’ starting unit in the fourth.

Seconds after checking in, Timme gets his first touch, catching the ball at the top of the key. Sensing that Brooklyn’s RaiQuan Gray is pressed up against his back, Timme goes to one of his favorite tricks, swiveling away from the defender to create separation. Moments later — and officially 15 seconds after checking into Milwaukee’s third summer league game — Timme finishes with a scoop shot at the rim.

But it doesn’t take long for the harsh reality of Timme’s new situation to set in. A few possessions later, the Gonzaga product coughs up the ball trying to make a pass out of the post and his only stint in a 92-71 victory ends after just 2 minutes, 6 seconds.

“You’ve just got to be ready when your number’s called and I think it’s a good lesson,” Timme said after a game against the Phoenix Suns two days earlier. “It’s part of the learning process.”

For the vast majority of an unrivaled career at Gonzaga, Timme was a player who thrived off rhythm, feel and instinct. If he scored on consecutive possessions, chances are he wasn’t giving the ball up the next time down the floor.

That mindset sunk Memphis in the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament when Timme scored 25 points, including five straight baskets to open the second half, helping the Bulldogs claw out of a 10-point hole.

During a 99-90 win at Pacific last season, Timme scored 24 of his 38 points after halftime, at one point accounting for nine consecutive Gonzaga baskets. He took 23 shots in that game — eight more than he did all of Milwaukee’s stint at summer league.

He played 12 minutes in the opener against Denver and former GU teammate Julian Strawther, 7 minutes against Phoenix, 2 minutes against Brooklyn and rounded out summer league with 16 minutes against Miami.

Timme averaged 4.3 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 33% from three-point range. He also had 2.5 rebounds per game.

“You’ve got to learn how you can be impactful in short spurts and it’s obviously different, so you don’t have time to feel your way into a game,” Timme said. “You’ve got to be feeling it right away.”

It’s all part of Timme’s new role, and new reality, as an undrafted rookie who signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bucks last month. That means he theoretically has an upper hand at earning a two-way contract or G League spot but still hasn’t secured a job in the NBA beyond four games at summer league.

After 30 NBA teams passed on drafting the three-time All-American — some of them as many as four times — Timme shifted his attention to the undrafted free-agency market. Less than 10 minutes after the draft ended, he had contact from Milwaukee.

The Bucks reached out to Timme’s agent, Hal Biagas of Seven1 Sports & Entertainment — the same agent who represented him in name, image and likeness matters at Gonzaga — and Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst made a personal call to the Gonzaga forward later on to offer an Exhibit 10 contract.

Timme evaluated Milwaukee’s offer and sifted through five others he considered to be “legitimate options” before selecting the Bucks.

“It was crazy. Obviously, things didn’t go how I would’ve imagined,” Timme said of his draft-night experience. “But Milwaukee was the first one to call me. It just seemed like a great place. The head coach was coaching the (summer league) team. It seemed like a great opportunity, great organization.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer for me to just hop in with him and it’s been an adjustment period learning different actions, different rules, different defense. It’s just a bunch of different things and just trying to learn as much as you can as quick as you can, because it’s learn or be left.”

Despite leaving Gonzaga as the school’s career scoring leader (2,307 points), Timme wasn’t necessarily valued by NBA front offices as a draftable asset, lacking the rim protection, general defense and perimeter shooting that teams covet in a modern forward/center.

“I wouldn’t say I expected to (be drafted), but at the same time I wouldn’t have imagined that either, if that makes sense,” he said. “You figured, but at the same time there’s always just that little bit of hope maybe. I was just excited to get to work. … They were like, that’s what we want. Bring some fire, some juice, bring what I do best and that’s think the game through. They’re excited and it just seemed like such a great fit.” Timme’s opportunities at summer league were sporadic and unpredictable, but perhaps not entirely reflective of his chances to stick with Milwaukee and land a two-way contract.

The draft-night phone call from Horst and urgency in which the Bucks moved to get something done suggest Timme was a top free-agent target for Milwaukee.

The uncontrollable aspect of Timme’s new situation is something that can be hard to reckon with for any player. Unlike the past four years, it’s not guaranteed what his role will look like, or that he’ll have a role at all, in the NBA/G League.

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“It’s kind of nice going from the top of the totem pole back to the bottom and having to claw for everything and work,” he said. “It’s different and it’s a good change of pace and I’m excited just to learn so much and not know the stuff like I used to.”

Toward the end of Gonzaga’s 2022-23 season, Timme announced he’d pass up the opportunity to play a fifth college season, then doubled down on multiple occasions when the Bulldogs’ tournament run ended.

“I did everything I could do at GU and I just don’t think I wouldn’t have gotten any better coming back, and I think I did everything I could possibly do, so I was excited just to get a new challenge and experience something new,” Timme said. “I think this is exactly what I wanted and have to claw and fight and really work to get what you want. That’s just kind of what’s driving me right now, is to prove myself again.”

Back at the bottom of the totem pole, motivation won’t be in short supply.

“It’s always fun to prove yourself and make it when people say you can’t make it or you’re not supposed to,” Timme said. “So, that’s kind of what brings me joy. Just getting back to the grind and getting nasty with it.”

The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

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Drew Timme goes off for 36 points, Gonzaga hits late 3 to down UCLA and advance to Elite 8

The richardson pearce alum set an ncaa tournament record for most career 20-point performances..

By The Associated Press

12:07 AM on Mar 24, 2023 CDT

LAS VEGAS — Julian Strawther hit a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left to answer a 3-pointer by UCLA’s Amari Bailey, lifting Gonzaga to a wild 79-76 NCAA Tournament win over UCLA Thursday night in the Sweet 16.

JULIAN STRAWTHER. UNREAL ‼️ THE ZAGS ARE MOVING ON TO THE ELITE EIGHT (via @CBSSports ) pic.twitter.com/xnyNNuAcgz — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 24, 2023

The Bruins (31-6), the West Region’s No. 2 seed, stormed back from an eight-point deficit in the final 1:05 and took a 76-75 lead on Bailey’s 3-pointer with 12.2 seconds left.

The Zags (31-5) brought the ball up the floor and Strawther stepped into a 3-pointer, sending Gonzaga fans to their feet.

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Gonzaga’s Malachi Smith stole the ball from UCLA’s Tyger Campbell, but Strawther only hit 1 of 2 free throws at the other end, giving the Bruins a chance.

Campbell’s 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the back of the rim, sending the Zags rushing off the bench and into the Elite Eight against UConn on Saturday.

The Zags were led by Drew Timme , who had 36 points for his record 10th NCAA Tournament game with 20 points.

Related: Drew Timme is one of the best college players D-FW has produced. Can TCU end his career?

Strawther’s shot, off a drop pass, was reminiscent of the one Villanova’s Kris Jenkins made to clinch the 2016 national championship.

It’s the second time Gonzaga has beaten UCLA on a last-second shot in the NCAA Tournament. Jalen Suggs crushed the Bruins the last time, hitting a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Zags to the 2021 national championship game.

The flurry of a finish started off more like a prize fight, each team taking its turn landing blows in a game of wild swings. UCLA led by 13 at the half, but Gonzaga led by 10 with 2:30 left in game. Then UCLA didn’t make a shot for more than 12 minutes, and still but rallied to lead 76-75 with 13 seconds left.

Gonzaga also turned up the defensive pressure after UCLA’s hot-shooting first half and led by eight, but Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored on a three-point play and a layup to cut it 74-71 with 45 seconds left. Timme then missed two free throws, setting up Bailey’s shot.

Thankfully for the Zags, Strawther was on the mark with his long 3-pointer, sending them to the Elite Eight for the fifth time under coach Mark Few.

Jaquez finished with 29 points and 11 rebounds.

Twitter: @dmn_colleges

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here .

The Associated Press

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Drew Timme scores 38 as No. 6 Gonzaga tops Pacific 99-90

Gonzaga pacific basketball.

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and No. 6 Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes for a 99-90 win over Pacific on Saturday night.

Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC) rebounded after seeing its 75-game home win streak come to an end with Thursday’s stunning loss to Loyola Marymount. It wasn’t the strongest defensive effort by the Bulldogs, but Timme and fellow forward Anton Watson were unstoppable on the interior.

“(Timme) had obviously a great stretch where he was delivering and for the most part seeing one-on-one coverage I think because we’ve shot the ball so well," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “He delivered. We needed him to. We definitely won with our offense tonight. It wasn’t our defense that won that game.”

Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulldogs outscored Pacific 58-38 in the paint. Timme’s night would have been even bigger, but he was just 4 of 11 at the foul line.

Timme's previous career-high was 37 points on Nov. 13, 2021, against Texas. He scored 35 earlier this season against Pepperdine.

“You just got to do what it takes to win obviously,” Timme said. “I didn’t have the game I saw fit the other night and it’s all about how you bounce back and respond to adversity.”

Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.

Gonzaga avoided losing consecutive games in conference play for the first time since late in the 2014 season when the Zags dropped back-to-back games at BYU and San Diego. Gonzaga has not lost consecutive games at any point since December 2018.

Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.

“We put ourselves in position to have a chance against the sixth ranked team in the country here with an atmosphere that was the best that I've seen since I've been here,” Pacific coach Leonard Perry said. “I hadn't seen the building quite like that. I thought our kids responded. We were playing against arguably one of the best players in America.”

After Watson’s dunk to open the second half scoring for Gonzaga, Timme took over. He scored the next nine field goals for the Bulldogs, all around the rim and Gonzaga built a 61-49 lead.

Pacific hung around and was within 65-63 when Timme scored his ninth consecutive field goal to push the lead back to four and Gonzaga finally got a basket from someone else when Bolton scored on a layup with 11:46 remaining.

Gonzaga finally created separation in the final four minutes after Strawther’s 3-pointer and consecutive baskets by Timme gave the Zags a 12-point lead.

“You can kind of see it in the defenders faces on the opposing team that there's really nothing you can do to stop him. That’s what we needed from Drew,” Watson said.

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: Timme was unstoppable on the interior in part due to Pacific’s decision not to double-team. Timme moved into second place on the school’s all-time list for career made field goals. Timme has 782 and moved past Jim McPhee, who had 774 from 1986-90.

Pacific: The Tigers lost their 19th straight to the Bulldogs and have not defeated Gonzaga since joining the WCC. Pacific’s only win over Gonzaga came in 1976.

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are at Portland next Saturday night.

Pacific: The Tigers are at Santa Clara next Saturday night.

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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Former Gonzaga standout Drew Timme suffers season-ending foot fracture in G-League

Drew Timme’s rookie season in the NBA G League is ending two months earlier than the former Gonzaga standout planned after he suffered a season-ending foot fracture on Jan. 26.

The forward, who’d appeared in 27 games for the Wisconsin Herd, the G League affiliate of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, sustained the injury during a game against the Delaware Blue Coats.

Wisconsin confirmed the nature of the injury on its social media platforms Thursday morning and reported Timme would undergo season-ending injury.

Timme’s future with the Herd seems uncertain in the wake of the injury setback. The Herd posted a “thank you” message to Timme on its X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages, and the former Zag wasn’t listed on the team’s official roster as of Thursday morning.

In his 27 games with the club, Timme averaged 9.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while playing 21.8 minutes per game.

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Gonzaga's Drew Timme scores 17 points, delivers highlight-reel plays on second day at NBA Combine

May 18—A change of scenery seemed to make a difference for Drew Timme in the second and final scrimmage of the NBA draft combine.

The Gonzaga standout changed teams, finished in double figures and delivered a number of highlight plays in a winning effort for Team Hines — coached by Toronto Raptors assistant Rico Hines — at Wintrust Arena in Chicago .

Timme scored 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists to help Team Hines pull away from Team Bradds for a 117-106 victory.

The All-American forward wasn't as productive in a losing effort the day before, scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field in a 107-88 defeat. Timme and Clemson center PJ Hall were shipped to Team Hines on Thursday after multiple combine participants pulled out of the second day of 5-on-5 action.

In a prescrimmage ESPN2 interview, Timme told sideline reporter Andraya Carter he feels "a lot more comfortable and confident" in his second year participating at the combine.

"I think last time around I was unsure what I wanted to do, and I think that also factored into my play a little bit," Timme said, "but I'm all in now, and I'm super excited for what the future holds."

Before he moves on to predraft workouts with individual teams in the coming weeks, Timme made sure to leave a solid impression for NBA scouts, coaches and general managers in his final audition at the combine.

After starting on Wednesday, Gonzaga's career scoring leader came off the bench but didn't waste much time getting onto the score sheet, sprinting down the court in transition before collecting a perfectly thrown, go-ahead bounce pass from Belmont's Ben Sheppard and laying it in.

Timme missed both of his 3-point looks, finishing the two-day combine 0 of 3 from distance, but he converted on a variety of other shots, getting a one-handed floater to fall just inside the free-throw line later in the first quarter.

Talking about his objectives on the second day, Timme told ESPN2, "We lost by a decent amount (Wednesday), so hopefully just get a win. I don't know if I really necessarily have to do anything, just play hard and just talk. I think that's all this stuff really comes down to."

For large portions of the scrimmage, Timme matched up with Azuolas Tubelis, the Arizona forward who led the Pac-12 in scoring and rebounding during his second season playing under former Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd.

Timme took Tubelis off the dribble and finished at the rim despite solid defense late in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Timme caught the ball above the 3-point line, shook off Tubelis and drove into the lane for a one-handed dunk.

"We don't know him for his athleticism but able to find his way down the lane and punches that one," ESPN2 analyst LaPhonso Ellis said.

With Tubelis draped on him, Timme caught an inbound pass midway through the fourth quarter and went up with a shot to beat the buzzer, watching his 4-footer ricochet off the backboard and into the net.

Baylor coach Scott Drew, who prepared for Timme twice during his Gonzaga career — once ahead of the 2021 national championship and again last December before a neutral-site game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — was asked about the three-time All-American during a brief appearance on the ESPN2 broadcast Thursday.

"His nickname's 'Big Tex,' " Drew said. "We recruited him, love his family and he can't score any more buckets in college. He scored them all. But what's amazing is you score 21 points a game, but his effective field-goal percentage, it's one of the best in the nation. The guy's a walking bucket."

Timme's college teammate, Julian Strawther, didn't participate in scrimmage for the second consecutive day. Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye participated in individual agility drills and went through a pro day at the combine but also opted out of scrimmaging.

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Drew Timme scored 24 of career-high 38 points in second half, leads No. 6 Gonzaga to 99-90 win at Pacific

Jan. 21—STOCKTON, Calif. — Often times this season, Gonzaga has been able to lean on its high-powered offense to mask the Bulldogs' inconsistent, unpredictable defense.

Drew Timme took those duties on single-handedly on Saturday against Pacific.

The senior forward posted a career-high 38 points to help the sixth-ranked Zags break away from the Tigers — and rebound from Thursday's record-busting home loss to Loyola Marymount — with a 99-90 win at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

Timme entered Gonzaga's sixth conference game 250 points shy of Frank Burgess' school scoring record and played as if he had intentions to erase the rest of the gap on Saturday, leading the Bulldogs with 14 points in the first half and following with 24 more in the second.

"Just got to do what it takes to win," Timme said. "Obviously, I didn't have the game I saw fit the other night and it's all about how you bounce back and respond to adversity. It's something we're going to face all year, this league's really good. We've been saying that the whole time and you literally can drop one to anyone if you're not on your A-game."

A Pacific team picked to finish last in the preseason West Coast Conference poll thought it might be the next team to test that theory 48 hours after LMU stunned the Zags in Spokane.

The Tigers knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first half and Gonzaga needed a fadeaway, buzzer-beating baseline jumper from Rasir Bolton to force a 47-all tie at halftime.

Timme fed Anton Watson under the basket for a dunk to open the second half and the All-American took Gonzaga's scoring matters into his own hands for the next 7 minutes, 38 seconds.

During that stretch, Timme was the only GU player to put the ball in the basket, breaking out his package of spin moves, hook shots and fallaway jumpers to score 10 straight field goals for the Bulldogs. Timme had Gonzaga's first 20 points of the half before Bolton scored on a layup with 11 minutes, 46 seconds remaining.

"You can kind of see it in the defender's face, the opposing team, that there's nothing you can really do to stop him," Watson said. "That's what we need him to do in crunch time and in close games."

Timme, who had a previous career high of 37 points in last year's home win against Texas, finished 17 of 23 from the field and 4 of 11 from the free-throw line. In the second half alone, Timme was 12 of 14 from the field for 24 points. He reached the 38-point mark with 2:16 remaining and missed two free throws inside the final minutes to come up two points shy of the first 40-point game of his career.

"He has a great stretch where he was delivering and for the most part 1-on-1 coverage, I think because we've shot the ball so well," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "We delivered and we needed to. We definitely won with our offense tonight. It definitely wasn't our defense so much in that game."

Timme's scoring burst early in the second half coincided with Gonzaga's best defensive stretch of the game.

The Bulldogs used a 12-0 run to open up a 61-49 lead, giving themselves a cushion that they'd have to fall back on when the Tigers closed the gap to 65-63 on Keylan Boone's 3-pointer.

Timme took advantage of Pacific's single-man coverage on the next play, scoring down low on a feed from Watson. Pacific closed the gap to three points on one other occasion, at 78-75, but Bolton delivered a jumper to make it 80-75 and the Bulldogs opened up another 12-point lead on consecutive shots from Timme in the final 3 minutes.

"It was weird, they were like all five in the paint but they were kind of just there," Timme said. "So it's kind of like, they were in the passing lane but they were in there. So I kind of just had to ... just go. The shot was falling tonight and the guys kept finding me in good spots.

"We'll take that all day."

Watson turned in his third double-double of the season, scoring 16 points while tying his career high with 13 rebounds.

Julian Strawther dealt with a nagging ankle injury but still finished with 15 points and five rebounds, making 3 of 5 shots from the 3-point line. Bolton also had 16 points for the Zags.

Pacific reserves Jordan Ivy-Curry and Nick Blake led the Tigers with 17 and 16 points, respectively.

Fan favorite and former Gonzaga forward Drew Timme signs with Bucks after going undrafted

Former Gonzaga power forward Drew Timme, one of the more accomplished players who was available in the NBA draft , finally found his home.

The Milwaukee Bucks signed Timme Friday to an Exhibit 10 contract, and he will be a part of the team's summer league roster, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

This came after a notable trend at the draft, which was Thursday, in which prolific big men who play traditional roles in the low block did not hear their names called. Timme, who is 6-foot-10, averaged 17.2 points per game on nearly 62% shooting from the field in his career, which spanned four seasons at Gonzaga. He also added 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

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Timme, 22, was a two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year and a finalist for both the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy during his senior season, became a fan favorite and one of the all-time greats in college basketball history.

All things Bucks: Latest Milwaukee Bucks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

He is Gonzaga's all-time leading scorer with 2,307 points and his 301 points in NCAA Tournament games ranks sixth-most in history.

Yet he and players like Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Adama Sanogo (Connecticut) and Ąžuolas Tubelis (Arizona) all went undrafted Thursday night, despite their being productive big men at the college level.

In Milwaukee, Timme could add depth to bolster the team's front court, which may see some notable departures in free agency. Center Brook Lopez is set to become an unrestricted free agent and forward Khris Middleton declined his $40.4 million player option for next season.

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Explaining why drew timme isn't considered a strong prospect in the 2023 nba draft, share this article.

Despite dominating for four seasons in the NCAA, the professional outlook does not look as promising for Gonzaga Bulldogs big man Drew Timme.

The 22-year-old big man is a three-time All-American and two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year winner. But he did not appear on the latest aggregate mock draft provided by HoopsHype , which surveys several mock drafts from experts around the industry.

One primary reason is that Timme doesn’t offer much athleticism. His standing vertical (26 inches) and max vertical (30.5 inches) both ranked below the 20th percentile among all participants in the NBA Draft Combine since 2000, per Stadium Speak .

His three-quarter sprint (3.34 seconds) also ranked below the 40th percentile.

The biggest concern for Timme is on the defensive end of the floor. His opponents shot 130-for-275 (47.2 percent) when he was credited as the nearest defender, per Stats Perform , worse than any of the prospects included in the HoopsHype aggregate mock draft.

As one NBA scout told Seth Davis ( via  The Athletic ):

“I hope he makes it, but I just don’t think he can. He scores with his back to the basket, and I don’t think that’s gonna translate to the NBA. He won’t be able to defend anyone. Some guys are just really good college basketball players. He’s a below the rim, undersized center. If he makes it, it’s because of his motor, his toughness and his IQ, but there’s more on the side of why he won’t make it.”

His defensive presence had little impact on the other team. His opponents were 43-for-84 (51.2 percent) when Timme contested their jumper, per Stats Perform , which was second-worst among top prospects.

When other teams applied pressure to the rim, it was a problem for Gonzaga. Opponents scored 0.64 points per touch on drives defended by Timme, per Stats Perform , which was also the worst among top prospects.

Gonzaga allowed opponents to shoot a whopping 67.9 percent at the rim during minutes when Timme was on the court, per CBB Analytics . That ranked as one of the worst marks among all heavy rotation Division I men’s college basketball players.

There are some question marks on the other side of the floor as well.

Timme use his size to score while in college, but he won’t have that same physical advantage against NBA defenders. He averaged 0.11 post-ups per offensive touch, per Stats Perform , the third-most among all top prospects.

He never improved his shooting from beyond the arc, either, which was disappointing. Timme made just four 3-pointers during the entirety of his senior campaign at Gonzaga.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to like Timme, who displayed solid leadership and helped establish a winning culture during his time in the NCAA.

He is a fantastic scorer who could provide some helpful depth. But at this point, the big man is likely someone who will receive a two-way deal as a second-round pick than a guaranteed contract earlier in the draft.

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Gonzaga rewind: Drew Timme reaches 2,000-point milestone, Zags contain Brandin Podziemski in Santa Clara win

Feb. 3—Gonzaga and Santa Clara played each other for the 100th time on Thursday. With the way meeting No. 99 played out three weeks ago at Santa Clara's Leavey Center, Bulldogs coach Mark Few wasn't too worried about his team looking past the Broncos and thinking ahead to Saturday's top-20 matchup against Saint Mary's.

"We're not in a position to look ahead," Few said. "We knew how tough the game was at Santa Clara, so they had the guys' full attention. Where we are as a team, we can't look past anybody in this league. We've got to bring it every night or we can get beat."

With the backing of its home crowd, Gonzaga made sure to bring it on Thursday, beating Santa Clara 88-70 in the Bulldogs' first game at the Kennel since losing 68-67 to Loyola Marymount.

The 12th-ranked Bulldogs are full-speed ahead preparing for Saturday's clash with the 18th-ranked Gaels. Before they get to Moraga, California, we take a quick look back at the Santa Clara win, focusing on another Drew Timme milestone and the defensive effort on Santa Clara's Brandin Podziemski (18.8 ppg).

It feels as though Timme is encroaching on another career milestone every time he puts on a uniform these days.

The senior forward came into Thursday's game needing only eight points to join Frank Burgess (2,196) and Jim McPhee in the program's 2,000-point club.

Timme came out of the gates slowly, scoring just four points on 2-of-7 shooting from the floor in the first half. He turned things around after halftime, hitting a layup inside the first 2 minutes of the second half and wasting little time getting career points 1,999 and 2,000.

Timme was already back at Gonzaga's end of the floor when Julian Strawther rebounded Keshawn Justice's missed 3-pointer and tossed ahead to his teammate. Nobody in a Santa Clara uniform was within 15 feet of Timme when he received Strawther's full-court pass, took one step and elevated for a two-handed dunk.

The Texas native flashed his trademark mustache celebration before running back down the floor.

"It's kind of crazy, to be honest," Timme said. "I'm pretty sure I hit that in high school. It's pretty cool, it's a lot of points, but kind of like I've been saying all year — it's super cool, but as long as we win that puts a smile on my face and we can enjoy the milestones when I'm done here."

Now at 2,007 career points, Timme, who averages 21.4 points per game, is on track to pass Jim McPhee for second place during Gonzaga's game at Saint Mary's on Saturday.

Timme needs eight points to match McPhee and nine to pass him.

He isn't the only accomplished scorer on Gonzaga's roster, either. Malachi Smith had eight points against the Broncos, moving the senior guard into the 1,500-point club.

The Bulldogs have three players who've achieved that feat: Timme (2,007), Rasir Bolton (1,743) and Smith (1,501).

"Man, that's a lot of buckets," Anton Watson said. "That's a lot of buckets, so it's nice to play with dudes like that. Dudes that can just score at will and they can all score at any time. It's nice for me because it's a lot of assists, and I love playing with all of them."

In one of his better rebounding games this season, Timme also moved up to No. 7 on Gonzaga's list, passing Greg Sten (783). Timme's next target on the rebounding list is Przemek Karnowski, who had 819 in a Zags uniform.

Dialing up the defense

Santa Clara's Podziemski is starting to learn the perils of going through the WCC cycle for a second time.

In his first game against Saint Mary's, the sophomore guard scored 19 points (5-of-13 shooting from the field) with nine rebounds. In the second game with Gaels, he was held to seven points (3 of 9 from the field) and three rebounds.

Thursday's game at Gonzaga was more proof the Illinois transfer probably won't sneak up on too many WCC teams as he encounters them for a second time.

Podziemski had 17 points (7-of-14 shooting from the field), seven rebounds and five assists when the Broncos nearly upset the visiting Zags last month, but he was limited to just 14 points and his lowest shooting clip (4 of 14 from the floor) in a conference game on Thursday night. Podziemski, who was 1 of 7 from the field at halftime, had just three rebounds and one assist.

"We just tried to play him physical and not let him get easy 3s," Timme said. "And he's a really good rebounder, so just keeping him off the glass and not letting him get second chances, but also knowing he likes to really pivot and pump-fake around in the paint.

"Tried to just get his tendencies down and thought we did a really good job teamwise on him because he's a helluva player."

The Zags threw a variety of players and body types at the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Podziemski, who was coming off a career-high 38-point outing against Pacific. Point guard Nolan Hickman spent time defending him in the first half; Strawther also saw plenty of Podziemski; and multiple bench players, including forward Ben Gregg and Hunter Sallis, got cracks .

"He's a tough guard, because he can hit those deep 3s, but he's very quick and gets in the lane," Few said. "As you can see, he does a good job pivoting around and getting to those little floaters. He's always on, man. He's peeling back for steals, he's a great rebounder for a guard.

"I thought we did a great job on him in the first half and even in the second half, we challenged a lot of those shots and some of them, I don't know how those things are going in."

Unique unit provides lift

Gonzaga fans are accustomed to seeing Timme, averaging 32.7 minutes per game, and Watson, averaging 28.4, on the floor together in most situations. When one of the Bulldogs' frontcourt starters comes off, the other normally stays on.

Few, not usually one to tinker and experiment with lineup combinations this late in the season, threw a change-up midway through the first half of Thursday's game, subbing Timme and Watson out of the game at the same time and replacing the veteran starters with sophomore reserves Ben Gregg and Efton Reid.

Gregg (10.5 mpg) and Reid (5.1 mpg) generally see the court in some capacity, but seldom together.

The young bigs worked well in tandem, potentially giving Gonzaga fans a glimpse of what the future could look like if both Timme and Watson elect to forgo a fifth college season and move on to pro ball.

In the 2 minutes, 21 seconds they shared, Gregg and Reid led a group that didn't allow Santa Clara to make a shot from the field, part of a 5-minute stretch when the Broncos' only point came from the free-throw line.

"That's huge, we need that," Timme said. "Look, we will play 37 minutes if we need to, but I would say we don't like to. They've been playing really good lately, especially Efton. He's really starting to get comfortable and you can see his confidence out there."

On the first possession with both reserve bigs on the floor, Gregg collected an offensive rebound and made a putback in traffic. Santa Clara's ensuing offensive possession culminated with Reid stuffing Cameron Tongue's layup at the rim.

"(Reid's) getting a lot better, Ben's been solid all year," Timme said. "The more Efton comes along, the better we're going to be. He brings a different dynamic to this team. He brings a different look on defense and I expect him to get more and more minutes the way he's been playing in practice and stuff. It's huge when we can just swap in like that."

Reid, who normally gets into the game for a brief run in the first half, had three first-half shifts on Thursday and played 8 minutes on the eve of his 21st birthday. His previous high in a WCC game was 7 minutes.

"He helped us, he helped us," Few said. "I told him after the game, he really helped us and every time he had a shift, he was big. Hopefully, we keep growing that."