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Ahead of final home game, Sam Timmins — UW’s lone senior — reflects on his unconventional journey from New Zealand

While growing up in Dunedin, New Zealand, Sam Timmins never dreamed of playing college basketball in the United States.

The big burly kid with the broad shoulders seemed destined to follow his father Brendon, a top rugby player.

And admittedly, Timmins had never heard of Seattle or the University of Washington until the Huskies recruited the prodigious 17-year-old prospect in 2015.

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“At that time, I wanted to be an All Black and play rugby,” he said, referring to New Zealand’s popular national team.