Pitt the ‘best of both worlds’ for North Allegheny’s Timmerson

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Jasmine Timmerson noticed her cell phone is a little quieter nowadays without so many calls or texts from college coaches.

“I like it that way,” she said with a laugh.

Timmerson’s recruiting process had started much earlier than most. The North Allegheny junior was still weeks away from entering high school when she received her first scholarship offer to play Division I basketball.

This month, she made her choice.

The 5-foot-7 junior point guard announced her commitment to Pitt on Jan. 2, becoming the second WPIAL girls basketball player in two years to choose the Panthers.

“I just felt like I was ready,” Timmerson said. “My recruiting process was kind of a long one. I felt like it was time, and I was ready to make the decision.”

Pitt already has a commitment from Chartiers Valley senior Aislin Malcolm, a top player in the WPIAL’s 2022 class. Timmerson’s commitment gives coach Lance White another local star.

Timmerson also considered offers from Duquesne, Michigan, Michigan State, VCU, Princeton and UMass.

“I was looking for the best of both worlds: great education and great athletics,” Timmerson said. “Overall, Pitt is, obviously, a great school. But what specifically drew me to Pitt was their (women’s basketball) staff. I love Coach White and his staff.”

Timmerson followed up her commitment with a 22-point performance the next night, including a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat Norwin, 46-43. She always has been good at getting to the basket but has worked in recent months to sharpen her 3-point shot and her pull-up jumpers.

North Allegheny is the two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion, but the Tigers graduated a pair of Division I athletes since last season. Gone are Lizzy Groetsch (Penn basketball) and Paige Morningstar (Louisville volleyball), leaving Timmerson with a different role this season.

“I’ve stepped into a scoring role more than I had to in the past with Lizzy and Paige being there,” she said. “I’ve also taken more of a leadership role, too. It’s been a little bit of an adjustment, but I think it’s been fun.”

Her father, Wade, also was a standout point guard. The Fort Cherry graduate led Robert Morris to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989, ‘90 and ’92, and was inducted into the RMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. His 204 assists in the 1991-92 season were a team record at the time.

His college basketball experience was helpful, said Timmerson, especially as she tried to build relationships with recruiters.

“He was right there the whole time,” she said. “I think he had a good eye for who was genuine and who cares about their kids. Both of my parents can judge character well. I knew they were looking out for me, so that was nice to have them there.”

The college decision was hers to make, but they are happy to have her staying close to home, she said.

“I know my dad was going to be there any game, anywhere anyway,” she said, “but he said I made it a little easy on him.”

Timmerson said she felt lighter the day after committing with a weight lifted off her shoulders. She also looks forward to her phone staying quiet for the next 10 months.

Her class won’t officially sign until next fall.

“Just keeping up with the texts and the phone calls is very time consuming,” she said. “It became a little bit overwhelming and annoying, almost, but I had to remember to stay grateful.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny