SIAP!
From Washington Post:
In DeMatha’s Earl Timberlake, Miami is getting a true two-way competitorEarl Timberlake signed with the
By
Michael Errigo
May 5, 2020 at 1:03 p.m. EDT
Jim Larrañaga has been recruiting in the D.C. area for a long time. Before he took the coaching job at Miami in 2011, Larrañaga spent 14 years at George Mason, building conference champions and tournament Cinderellas with local talent. In 2006, when the Patriots became a March sensation with their
run to the Final Four, eight of the players on their roster were from the District, Maryland or Virginia.
“I’ve told everybody that will listen that I believe the [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference] and the AAU programs in the greater D.C. area are the best competition in the country,” Larrañaga said. “There is no place that produces the caliber of Division I players that the Washington, D.C., area does.”
Larrañaga and his assistants keep tabs on the talent in the WCAC, so they were aware of Earl Timberlake, the
Hurricanes’ most recent signee, when he
joined DeMatha after his freshman season at Rock Creek Christian. But their interest in him grew as they chased other players in the conference. The staff likes to ask a prospect which opponent gives him the most trouble defensively.
“And almost every guy that we have spoken to and asked that question who has played against Earl says Earl!” Larrañaga said with a laugh. “They don’t even hesitate.”
That’s exactly the type of thing the 6-foot-6, 215-pound swingman likes to hear. All high school basketball prospects, as they go through the recruiting process, have an ideal scouting report in mind. There is a specific description they want to earn, a specific way they want evaluators to see them.
“I wanted them to know that I cared only about winning and that I prided myself on the defensive end,” Timberlake said a few hours after signing his letter-of-intent April 15. “I’m not just someone that can score and pass; I’m an all-around player that can do anything my coach needs me to do to win.”
DeMatha Coach Mike Jones always appreciated that willingness. In his three years with the Stags, Timberlake, who averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds as a senior, helped the program win
two WCAC championships. In every game, the dynamic wing wanted to defend the opponent’s top player. With DeMatha’s schedule, that meant going head-to-head with some of the best prospects in the country.
“He doesn’t just want to stop his man from scoring; he wants to dominate his man defensively,” Jones said. “He does not want them to ever score. He does not want them to ever relax when he’s on them. That’s his mission.”
Timberlake’s two-way efforts earned him
a bunch of Division I scholarship offers. Miami joined the fray early in the summer after his junior season. That July, he cut his list to seven: Alabama, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall and South Carolina.
Miami had an advantage because it had landed a WCAC star three years earlier: Gonzaga guard Chris Lykes, the
2017 All-Met Player of the Year. Timberlake was familiar with Lykes and peppered him with questions about the program and campus life. His family spoke with Lykes’s family, looking for an honest evaluation of their experience.
In September, he took an official visit to Coral Gables, Fla. The campus was beautiful, the players seemed close, and the coach talked to him straight. Timberlake liked all of that. But more than anything, he liked that his family also enjoyed it there.
“It’s hard to stick out to my family,” he said with a laugh.
Timberlake committed to the Hurricanes on Nov. 4, his 19th birthday. Rated a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star by 247 Sports, he is one of the most celebrated prospects Miami has ever signed. The Hurricanes are in the midst of a rebuild, having gone 15-16 overall and 7-13 in ACC play this past seaso
With Timberlake joining Lykes, who led the team with 15.4 points per game last season, Miami will feature two of the most decorated WCAC standouts in recent years. Jones, who has seen a parade of top prospects graduate from DeMatha, said the player headed south is as good as advertised.
“Earl Timberlake could possibly be the best defender in college basketball, best two-way player in college basketball, next year,” Jones said. “Quite clearly, he is college ready.”
