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Miami basketball: Top recruit Earl Timberlake leaving Hurricanes

By Bre'ana Singleton

Jan 5, 2021; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) fouls Miami Hurricanes guard Earl Timberlake (13) on his shot during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 5, 2021; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) fouls Miami Hurricanes guard Earl Timberlake (13) on his shot during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Miami Hurricanes basketball program is losing one of the nation’s top recruits as Earl Timberlake plans to transfer from the school.

One of the best college basketball recruits in the country is set to become available soon as Earl Timberlake is transferring away from the Miami Hurricanes. The freshman revealed on Sunday he will be leaving Miami and continuing his collegiate career elsewhere.

Timberlake was previously projected to be a potential first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but ankle and shoulder injuries plagued his 2020-21 season so much so that he only played in seven games.

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“I wanted to be there for my teammates, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to,” said Timberlake, via ESPN. “There’s nothing negative that happened. There’s no bad blood with Miami. I just want a fresh start. I love Coach L and the rest of the coaching staff. I just want to start over and get a fresh start somewhere else.”

Timberlake averaged 9.3 points per game, five rebounds and 2.4 assists in the seven games with three starts in this past season. He has not yet decided on his next destination.

Miami basketball will have to reload after losing Timberlake

As the news of Timberlake’s transfer starts to sink in, the Miami basketball program will have some decisions to make here soon as far as roster spots go. The Canes now have only three scholarship underclassmen on the roster for next year, and their major contributors are only sophomores.

Timberlake’s transfer leaves Miami without either of their 2020 signees as Matt Cross, who played well for the Hurricanes in 14 games this season, was dismissed in January. The Hurricanes also have no juniors on the roster because they didn’t sign any freshman in that cycle.

It will be tough for the Hurricanes to bounce back after losing Timberlake and at this point, we can’t even be sure how their scholarship situation or future as a whole looks.

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