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NCAA Basketball: Impact of Kansas Jayhawks landing transfer Nick Timberlake

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Nicolas Timberlake #25 of the Towson Tigers celebrates a shot in the second half during the CAA Men's Basketball Championship - semifinal game against the Charleston Cougars at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on March 6, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: Nicolas Timberlake #25 of the Towson Tigers celebrates a shot in the second half during the CAA Men's Basketball Championship - semifinal game against the Charleston Cougars at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on March 6, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Mar 6, 2023; Washington, D.C., USA; Charleston Cougars guard Jaylon Scott (21) blocks Towson Tigers guard Nicolas Timberlake  Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2023; Washington, D.C., USA; Charleston Cougars guard Jaylon Scott (21) blocks Towson Tigers guard Nicolas Timberlake  Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

When looking at the top pure shooting guards in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal, a case can be made that Nicolas Timberlake of Towson is one of the best. He’s a 6’3 guard out of the Massachusetts area that has spent the last five seasons with the Tigers.

He was limited to just nine games in the 2018-19 season (which got a waiver for) before playing the last 85 games as a starter in each of the past three years. Timberlake’s production has quietly risen each year, coming off a 17.7 ppg and 3.9 rpg campaign as a 5th-year senior. He also shot a career-high 46% from the field and 42% from three-point range on nearly attempts a game.

Timberlake, who also is a two-time All-CAA player, had several big outings. That includes 12 games of at least 20 points. One of them was a 34-point effort against College of Charleston, along with 31 points on 7/11 shooting from three-point range against Hofstra.

As one of the top pure shooters in the portal, Timberlake rightfully received a ton of interest from power conference programs. Throughout the offseason a few programs have reportedly been linked to the grad transfer; North Carolina, Kansas, and UConn.

All three teams had plenty to offer but in the end, it was the Jayhawks that won out on his recruitment. It’s not only a big pickup for the Big 12 program for multiple reasons but also a big defeat for the other two big-name teams.

Here’s an overall look at the impact of Kansas landing Timberlake, both what it means for them and to the losers of this recruitment as well.