The University of Washington big man was training at the Edgar Centre this week, providing Dunedin with a small link to college basketball’s biggest weekend.
Back in town for a quick visit, he is coming off a season that had its share of impressive moments.
None was more impressive than the side’s 74-65 away win over Kansas, a game in which Timmins contributed eight points and three rebounds.
That adds some extra interest to the season’s pinnacle event, with Kansas playing Villanova tomorrow for the right to progress to the national championship game on Tuesday.
"We talked about whether we want them to win," Timmins laughed.
"If they win we can say we beat them, but then if they win you could say we could have done a bit better then.
"But it’s a cool feeling either way."
The win was one of Timmins’ highlights, which also included a win over Arizona.
In that game he went up against 2.16m athletic big man DeAndre Ayton, the player many predict will be the No1 pick in this year’s NBA draft.
Timmins described him as "an animal", but loved the challenge of going up against the big names.
As far as his own performance went, Timmins was excited with where he was heading.
Having increased his numbers to 4.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, he had become key on defence at the back of the Washington zone.
However, there was still more to come and he was hoping to show that when he returned for his third season.
"I’m not where I want to be just yet in terms of my impact on the game, but it’s definitely a big step up from last year.
"I think the role I had on teams [in New Zealand] and the role I have on that team is a bit different.
"They want me to get in the dunk spot more and get ready to catch lobs and stuff.
"So I had to get in good shape and work on my jumping a lot.
"Next year I’ll start to expand my offensive game, now that I’ve set myself as the defensive anchor for the team.
"I’m happy with the direction I’m heading in."
• The Final Four begins tomorrow in San Antonio, with Michigan set to play unlikely opponent Loyola Chicago at 10.09am tomorrow (NZ time).
Kansas then will then play Villanova straight afterwards in a battle of two traditional powers.
The winners face off in Tuesday’s championship game.
