1. Drew Timme – Gonzaga
Gonzaga has been an impressive program on the rise for two decades, but they’ve been especially deadly landing all these top recruits in recent years. Timme was a top 50 prospect in the class of 2019, so he wasn’t necessarily a blue-chip prospect. However, this 6’10 forward from Richardson has certainly played like one across an impressive first three seasons at Gonzaga.
Timme was impressive as a bench piece as a freshman and developed into one of the nation’s top frontcourt pieces across these last two seasons. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds a game, helping lead the Bulldogs unbeaten into the national title game, including a then-career-high 30 points in a Tourney win over Oklahoma. Timme was back as a junior with just as impressive stats, including a new career-high with 37 points in a win over Texas. He scored at least 25 points in each of Gonzaga’s postseason games, but they fell in the Sweet Sixteen to Arkansas.
Timme was named Second Team All-American for each of his last two seasons, winning the Karl Malone Award as a sophomore and WCC Player of the Year as a junior. Clearly, he’s not just put impressive figures for a WCC player but on the national stage as well. He’s been among the most impactful players in the nation and has given Gonzaga quite a boost. Better yet, his career is not yet finished, as he announced he would return this season for a fourth year with the Bulldogs, a declaration that makes Gonzaga one of the title favorites yet again.
We’re finished with our deep dive into the best NCAA Basketball players of the last ten years from the state of Texas; what did you think of today’s list and the players we included?