NEWARK — Erik Timko stood 5-foot-11 when he was a sophomore in high school.

Now, at the age of 22, he’s closing in on about 6-foot-5 in height.

There was a stretch in between where Timko said he just seemed to keep getting taller.

“I feel like every time I’d come home after a while, people would just say, ‘You look like you grew,’” he said.

Now Delaware is hoping that Timko has grown from an NCAA Division II basketball standout into a pretty good Division I player.

A two-time conference Player of the Year at Philadelphia’s Jefferson University, Timko is one of the more interesting additions to what has now become an annual rebuilding job for the Blue Hens.

The NCAA Transfer Portal has left just about every college basketball program in the country trying to fit new pieces together with an ever-changing roster.
Delaware has added five transfers since the end of last season. That means that seven of coach Martin Ingelsby’s 12 scholarship players are first or second-year transfers.

And that comes after two of last year’s transfers decided to transfer again after just one season in Newark.

With the Hens’ players arriving on campus next week, summer practice sessions have taken on a new sense or urgency in this era.

For a player like Timko, who has just one season of eligibility remaining, there’s no time to waste if he wants to show he can be an impact player at the Division I level.

“The whole staff and all the players have really embraced everyone coming in with open arms,” said Timko, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds. “Everyone’s got each other’s backs. If you have a main goal, everything else will fall together.

“It’s different. I’ve never had a summer session where I had to be at school. But now I’ll be in the gym with coaches and lift and have a set routine. That’s all new. I hope to build chemistry early and get acclimated to how the program runs.”

It doesn’t hurt Timko’s case that other Division II transfers have shown they can more than hold their own in Division I.

Jack Gohlke, a transfer from Division II Hillsdale, earned a moment in the national spotlight when he poured in 32 points in Oakland’s NCAA Tournament upset of Kentucky last March.

Closer to home, Delaware State is also looking to bolster its evolving roster by picking up transfer Robert Smith, a shooting guard from West Chester.

Timko has already shown what he’s capable of. He averaged 21.1 points per game at Jefferson and was twice named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year.

A two-time academic All-American, he was just named the CACC’s male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“Erik is an elite guard prospect who can really stretch the floor and is a perfect fit for our style of play,” said Ingelsby. “He comes from a winning program at Jefferson University where he was an elite scorer and shooter.”

Delaware had a pretty good idea of what it’s getting when it recruited Timko. Blue Hen assistant coach JJ Butler was the head coach of Jefferson’s CACC rival, Chestnut Hill two years ago

Timko said he only had Division II and III offers coming out of Methacton (Pa.) High. But he also wasn’t sure about whether he wanted to pursue basketball or baseball well into his high school career.

“Looking back, the path I took is a little unconventional,” said Timko. “But obviously I’m grateful for it. I was able to develop a lot more at Jefferson, especially physically.

“I feel like I’ve been able to elevate my game a little bit more — doing more off the ball, with the ball in my hands. I feel like I’m a little more versatile than I was in high school. I could put the ball on the floor but I can do it a bit more now, with more confidence.”

A 54-percent field-goal shooter last season, Timko hit 43.7-percent from three-point range. He was the 20th-leading scorer in Division II nationally.

Like most college seniors, Timko would love to find a way to keep playing competitive basketball after this season. He feels like he’s played sports most of his life.

Right now, however, he’s just focused on becoming a good Division I player.

“I wanted to make the jump to take my game to the next level,” said Timko. “I want to prove I can play at the highest level. I want to keep pushing myself and just see where it can take me

“I’m excited for the season to start, just to kind of experience it all,” he added.

Free throws

•Justin Houser, the 7-foot “little brother” of Delaware’s Tyler Houser, has committed to Penn State. Delaware had offered him a scholarship.

•Ingelsby has promoted long-time operations staffer Danny O’Connor to assistant coach and Stephen Galgano from assistant director to director of operations. The Hens also hired Christian Nunez as assistant coach/director of player development.

Delaware men’s basketball

Returning scholarship players

00-Gabe Moss Jr. 6-8 218
Third-year team member, hasn’t played yet due to injury
3-Cavan Reilly Jr. 6-4 188
4-Niels Lane Gr. 6-5 215
Second-year transfer from Florida
11-Kobe Jerome Sr. 6-4 190
Second-year transfer from UC-Riverside
15-Houston Emory Jr. 6-9 195
44-Tyler Houser Jr. 6-9 235
Second-year transfer from Virginia Military

Newcomers

1-Izaiah Pasha Fr. 6-4 190
Previously signed with Iona, spent last year at prep school
5-Macon Emory Fr. 6-8 185
Blue Ridge School, Va,
7-Tahron Allen Sr. 6-5 200
Wagner transfer, also played at Monmouth
13-Trent Middleton Jr So. 6-3 180
Ball State transfer
20-Erik Timko Sr. 6-5 200
Jefferson transfer
John Camden Sr. 6-8 220
Virginia Tech transfer, also played at Memphis