By Lauren Kirschman / The News Tribune
SEATTLE — It’s not uncommon to walk into Alaska Airlines Arena and find Sam Timmins on an otherwise empty court with one of Washington’s assistant coaches. It’s here, in the quiet moments before or after practice, where Timmins puts up shot after shot after shot.
And it’s where he found his confidence again.
The 6-foot-11 junior from New Zealand was admittedly struggling earlier in the season. He looked timid and unsure in the post, the ball often slipping through his hands.
Even when he shot free throws, nothing went in. Timmins was 0-for-7 from the foul line before he made his first free throws of the season against Stanford in mid-January. As soon as the first one fell, he immediately broke into a grin.
“That was big,” he said Tuesday. “I shoot so many free throws and I had that stretch in the season when I couldn’t get one to go. I think just working on it and working on it and finally getting it to go down. That’s what the smile was.”
Timmins has had a lot more to smile about lately. After averaging 1.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 10.7 minutes during the nonconference season, Timmins is averaging 3.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 11.2 minutes through seven Pac-12 games.
They aren’t the most eye-popping numbers, but Timmins’ improvement has been noticeable. Like most everything else for UW — the Huskies are 7-0 in Pac-12 play — something seemed to click for Timmins when the conference season started.
To senior forward Noah Dickerson, the difference is obvious: Confidence. When Timmins gets the ball in the post now, his footwork is more sure, his movements increasingly smooth and intentional.
“I felt like at the beginning of the year he was real down on himself and things like that,” Dickerson said. “He was really hard on himself especially in practice. … Now he’s coming in the game, everybody on the team has a role for us to win. He’s coming into a role. He’s been doing his thing. He’s using his minutes wisely.”
That was most apparent in the Huskies’ victory over Utah when Timmins had four points, four blocks, two steals and seven rebounds in just 11 minutes.
“That’s incredible,” said head coach Mike Hopkins. “That’s you just getting out and playing basketball, not thinking about getting shots and not getting rebounds and making a mistake. Just playing. That’s our coaching staff. Our coaching staff does a great job of getting those guys ready.”
Last week, Timmins had seven points and a steal in a win over Oregon followed by two points, three blocks and six rebounds against Oregon State.
“Confidence is a funny thing, it really is,” Hopkins said. “Part of it is, if you’re frustrated in yourself, how do you get through that? Where can you put your focus? His focus has been energy.”
Timmins’ alley-oop dunk in transition against the Ducks — he even pointed for Jaylen Nowell to throw the lob — had broadcaster Bill Walton calling him “Air Sam Timmins.” That, Timmins said with a laugh, was definitely a first.
His progress, Timmins said, started with a simple understanding: As an athlete, he’s going to go through ups-and-downs. When he stopped dwelling on his struggles, he got to work.
He had the right people behind him, starting with assistant coach Cameron Dollar, who focuses on the Huskies’ front-court players. Dollar can often be found working with Timmins, whether it’s with UW’s shooting groups or during individual workouts.
“Sometimes when you’re just practicing everyday, your individual game doesn’t get as much attention,” Timmins said. “I think just a combination of that and my teammates just got me through it.”
While his teammates and coaches can see the difference in his game, Timmins can feel it. The more he steps on the court and makes an impact, the more he gets into a rhythm. After months stuck at a low point, that makes all the difference.
“Coming back and working hard,” Timmins said, “is the real only proven way of getting out of that.”
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