Drew Timme is a polarizing player with a polarizing mustache, and the second part of that is no surprise. Because, well, aren’t all mustaches at least a little polarizing?
The Gonzaga big man was seconds away from bringing his storied college career to an end on Thursday night, but a late bomb from Julian Strawther hit the target, the Zags outlasted UCLA 79-76, and they’re still rolling behind a guy who’s unashamedly quirky and does things his own way.
Timme’s way is to wear pajamas and UGG boots in social situations that normally lean toward a different dress code, to drop swear words on national television interviews, to try to lighten the mood even when it doesn’t need lightening, and just to be himself, headband and humor and whatever that thing on his top lip is, included.
His “way” on the court has been historic. Mark Few’s Gonzaga team is 121-12 since Timme joined the program. He’s the school’s all-time leading scorer and his 36 points against the Bruins Thursday night made him the first player in NCAA Tournament history to rack up 10 20-pont games in the Big Dance, even with his career coinciding with the canceled tournament of 2020.
That granted him an extra year of availability that he won’t take, for it is time to find out what the NBA thinks of him and whether a team will give him a chance, which is an absurd query when you look at his Gonzaga résumé but makes a little more sense when you consider the complicated nexus of college and pro hoops.
The next bit is where it could get difficult. Timme’s attributes are a nightmare for opposing college coaches to try to handle, but are less suited for the NBA. For a 6-foot-10 big man, Timme doesn’t possess the type of athleticism and inside-out game the NBA desires.
Defensively, he may not be agile enough to stop elite power forwards, but at center, he doesn’t provide the kind of rim protection most teams are looking for.
All of which are issues for another day, and none of which matter very much at this precise moment, heading into Saturday’s Elite Eight clash with UConn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
What it really means is that this is Timme’s time. For he is a player built for college basketball success, like others before him who were absolute standouts at this level but couldn’t have the same impact in the Association.
So let’s enjoy the show while it lasts, because it is a show. It was indeed against UCLA, yet another Timme tournament masterpiece, even with a pair of missed free throws that briefly allowed UCLA to snatch back a late lead.
Like stated earlier, you’re either going to get Timme or you’re not, either embrace him as an anti-hero because you love his non-conformity and appreciate his swagger (likened to Christian Laettner by The Seattle Times), or root against him because the headband is just too much, and the combination of cocky and carefree rubs wrong.
“A unique individual,” Few described Timme to reporters, while advocating for his place as one of the greats of modern college basketball.
As a freshman, Timme benefited from battling against 2019-20 West Coast Conference Player of the Year Filip Petrusev in practice. Once Petrusev departed for the pros, it was Timme’s time to be the star.
Timme famously announced his decision to return for one more year with beer and an Xbox session, and it’s easy to assume that some of what he does and how he carries himself has a little to do with enjoying the attention.
Teammates past and present, however, will vouch that Timme’s strangeness is all him, and that he has the ability to strike up close friendships with guys who are nothing like him. Because, truthfully, no one is quite like him.
Come on, who wears mismatched socks and those head-scratching outfits, yet still possesses the kind of fiery intensity needed to thrive at this level? Timme is in his zone at this tournament, his performance against the Bruins coming on the back of a 28-point outing against sixth-seeded TCU.
Now comes a showdown with a UConn team that is playing lights out and gave Arkansas a working in the Sweet 16. The scrap in the middle between Timme and Huskies big man Adama Sanogo will be worth watching in itself.
Timme would probably have some more colorful words – especially if the camera was rolling – if asked if he was intimidated by that matchup. Or maybe he wouldn’t, because with him, it is always a mystery.
“With Drew you never know what is next,” Few added. “But it is usually something good.”
