He’s yet to land in the country, but new Southland Sharks’ Head Coach Jonathan Yim is already hard at work shaping the team, with Tall Black Sam Timmins confirming he has signed on to play for the Sharks in 2025.
Timmins has become known as one of the country’s premier centres over recent seasons, playing for his hometown Otago Nuggets for three seasons, highlighted by a monster 2021 season where he announced himself to the country, earning Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre honours, together with being named Most Improved Player, Rebound Champion and a member of the League's All Star Five.
Since then, he has been a mainstay of Nuggets and last season’s Franklin Bulls title pushes and coach Yim is hopeful he can do the same for his Southland charges in this year’s Sal’s NBL.
“I am absolutely ecstatic to have Sam committed to joining us upon completion of his Japanese season. Sam is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished and dominant players in New Zealand basketball, and his reputation as a competitor speaks for itself,” Yim said.
“His experience with the Tall Blacks and his tremendous success in the NZNBL is invaluable, giving him a deep understanding of what it takes to win at the highest level. Sam has consistently proven himself, demonstrating poise, toughness, and a skill set that few can match.”
“His ability to impact both ends of the floor will be a tremendous boost to our team, and beyond his talent, he brings leadership, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to excellence—qualities that align perfectly with the culture we are building, he said.
After stints in the Australian NBL over the last three off-seasons (two with the New Zealand Breakers and one with the Sydney Kings), Timmins is currently playing for Tryhoop Okayama in the Japanese B.League and will join the Sharks at the conclusion of the Japanese season.
However, it will not be the big centre’s first Invercargill stint, having attended primary school in the city while his father Brendon spent three seasons playing rugby for Southland from 2000 to 2003.
“I’m excited to be joining the Sharks and working with Coach Yim and the squad he’s putting together. It’s been a few years now since my time at Salford (Primary School) when Dad was with the Stags but I’m looking forward to getting back down to Invervegas,” Timmins said.
“Although I will be arriving once my season in Japan finishes, I’ll be working with Coach Yim as much as possible beforehand to make sure it’s a seamless transition. I’m pumped to learn from him and his time in the NBA and G-League to develop my own game and bring in some wins,” he said.
Yim remained coy about his plans to cover Timmins' early-season absence but hinted to Sharks Fans they would not have long to wait and would not be disappointed.
“We’ve been working hard this offseason to build out the roster, a roster that the Southland community can be proud of and get behind. Sam is a massive part of that, and the rest of the team we are bringing in truly embody everything this region stands for—hard work, toughness, and a deep love for the game. I’m looking forward to the fans getting to know the rest of our team in the coming weeks and sharing in the excitement as we build towards something special this season,” Yim said.
The Sharks’ next signing announcement is expected Thursday prior to Coach Yim’s arrival this weekend ahead of the Sharks pre-season preparations beginning in earnest next week.
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