In November of 2018, I despatched the next textual content message to a pal: “[t]his child is the reality. Nobody that huge ought to have these type of ball dealing with expertise. He’s going to be big for us.” Big is probably an understatement when referring to the younger man who would go on to unseat Frank Burgess because the main scorer in Gonzaga basketball historical past. Even again then, it was clear to that Drew Timme was one thing Gonzaga followers had by no means seen earlier than. He was quite a bit to be enthusiastic about.
Younger Drew Timme was lanky however highly effective, unassuming in his athleticism and crafty, however he was additionally disarmingly jovial and clearly taking part in basketball out of affection for the sport. As Gonzaga followers would come to seek out out, nonetheless, Drew may additionally flip a change and develop into probably the most ruthless competitor on the courtroom. He had a knack for cracking jokes with opponents even when his mouth was full with their stolen lunches. His secret ferocity was his best weapon, and he constructed a profession out of embarrassing those that underestimated him. Nobody performed with as a lot pleasure as Drew Timme, and that’s what made him so harmful.
Watching the highschool mixtape of Nikolas Khamenia, the 6’8” energy ahead presently dominating match circuits in Southern California, felt like déjà vu. There are clear similarities between younger Drew Timme and Khamenia—the dimensions, physique, versatility, hustle, footwork, imaginative and prescient, and so forth. What excites me most concerning the potential recruitment of Khamenia, although, is identical distinctive mix of allure and depth that made Drew Timme not simply good, however nice.
Enrolled now at Westlake-Harvard Excessive Faculty in Studio Metropolis, California, Khamenia is presently the Twenty seventh-ranked highschool prospect within the nation based on 247Sports. He has acquired presents from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota, so competitors for his distinctive model of play is clearly fierce. The Zags, nonetheless, have been closely pursuing the 4-star prospect for the previous two years and are clearly intent on bringing him to Spokane. Khamenia attended final yr’s Kraziness within the Kennel exhibition occasion and is scheduled to return for this yr’s occasion on October 5. Kraziness has been a strong recruiting software previously, energizing gamers like Jalen Suggs and Julian Strawther to return play for one of the rabid fan bases in one in every of school basketball’s premier arenas. Hopefully, Kraziness 2024 can have the same affect on Khamenia.
Khamenia not too long ago climbed the recruiting rankings due to his efficiency on the 2024 FIBA U18 Males’s AmeriCup video games in June, the place he averaged 7.7 factors, 6.3 rebounds, and three assists per sport in about 20 minutes of motion. Whereas his stats may not leap off the web page, his sport play demonstrated that carried an enormous burden of managing the offense and guaranteeing defensive spacing and rotations even from a place not usually granted that duty. He was a starter and playmaker for the group, impressing scouts together with his adaptability, endurance, and flexibility.
Khamenia is an offensive twin risk, with a clean leap shot from exterior and Olajuwon-esque footwork within the low put up. He makes use of his physique effectively to guard the ball and finds the rim successfully from the block. His change-of-pace hesitation from the perimeter places defenses on their heels when he goes into assault mode. Like Anton Watson, he’s expert at facilitating from inside, with good fingers and a knack for locating the open man. What stands out most about his sport, nonetheless, is his skill to manage the move of the offense from any spot on the courtroom. Only a few groups enable a 6’8” energy ahead the liberty to carry the ball up the courtroom and arrange the offense from the perimeter, however Khamenia is not any bizarre energy ahead. He combines the imaginative and prescient and endurance of a degree guard, the surface taking pictures of a wing, and the put up presence of a middle. Most significantly, he has the on-court management to raise his teammates’ efficiency and maintain the momentum swinging in the best route. Briefly, he’s a canine. And like a canine, he’s each exuberant and harmful.
Khamenia has beforehand expressed his appreciation for Gonzaga’s family-like ambiance as a serious deciding consider his potential dedication. Not like the bigger colleges recruiting him, Gonzaga College’s dimension, close-knit area people, and Zag followers’ real love for the group would possibly give the Zags a particular benefit. This system’s sturdy observe document of growing energy forwards can also be interesting. With Anton Watson now within the NBA and senior Ben Gregg in line to have an all-conference season, the facility ahead place may quickly be Khamenia’s for the taking. Nonetheless, coach Few is understood for being cautious with giving important taking part in time to freshmen, so Khamenia may need to attend for his probability to shine if the Zags determine to recruit a extra skilled switch between now and the graduation of the 2025 season. This might sway Khamenia’s resolution in direction of a extra freshman-friendly roster elsewhere however the prospect of a yr spent getting larger, stronger, and extra expert can also be extraordinarily interesting to followers.
With taking pictures guard (for now) Davis Fogle already dedicated and potential commitments from Isiah Harwell, Kingston Flemming, and Jalen Haralson looming, the 2025 Zags are already heading in an thrilling route. Additional extra, what’s maybe most thrilling is that Khamenia nonetheless has a full season of basketball forward of him. It’s laborious to think about his dimension, expertise, and elegance not evolving throughout that point, however for now, his ineffable on-court presence and maturity are already miles forward of the majority of his opponents. I consider that greater than any recruit Gonzaga has pursued within the final couple years, Khamenia has the uncommon mixture of pleasure and ferociousness that Gonzaga has been lacking since Drew Timme’s departure. The younger man definitely has some huge selections forward of him, but when he follows Drew’s lead, followers may not hear about them till the final attainable second.
