Elite 14: Five-star Drew Timme goes in depth about his recruitment

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WICHITA FALLS, Tex. -- Five-star big man Drew Timme is getting close to making his college decision.

Ranked No. 29 nationally, the senior at Richardson (Texas) JJ Pearce is choosing from Alabama, Gonzaga, Illinois and Texas A&M (Arizona is technically in his final five but he's not visited and their chances are looking grim). He'll announce his decision on the morning of Nov. 14, which is the first day of the early signing period.

Over the weekend, Timme sat down at the Elite 14 for an extended interview.

Eric Bossi: "Let's start by reviewing your summer and looking ahead to your senior year. Where do you think you are with your game?"

Drew Timme: "I feel like it was a great summer for me. I feel I really took my game to the next level, especially as a leader. Being able to lead my team and to kind of take the pressure off the team offensively and be the anchor defensively and being able to communicate is big. Recruiting has been crazy because this summer my recruitment kind of blew up a lot and that's not fun all the time, but I'm very appreciative of it."

EB: "You are going to announce on the first day of the signing period. Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel with all of this?"

DT: "I'm happy to be doing it. It's going to be tough to cut off some of those relationships I've built because they really are, everybody who has recruited me, I feel like I have a true personal connection with them and that's important. It's not fun letting people know that they're not the one. That's the sad part, but I'm ready for it to be over with."

EB: "I would like to run through each visit and I think the best way to do it is alphabetically. So, what has stood out to you with Alabama and how they've recruited you? How was the visit there?"

DT: "What stood out to me is how coach Avery Johnson has been able to come into a program at a place that isn't known as a basketball school and really make it one. He's been an NBA guy, so he knows what it takes to get there. He's been an NBA coach so he knows what the coaches and front office people look for. It's kind of like why I played for Jermaine O'Neal (summer coach), I just like to pick his brain and get all of his knowledge out because he knows so much."

EB: "Gonzaga is a top program yearly and they've got the history. What was their approach with you and it being a non-football school how was the visit different when you went out there?"

DT: "The pitch that they've told me is that you can continue the history and tradition and build your own legacy at the same time which is kind of cool. Also how much they need be because Killian Tillie and Rui Hachimura are probably going to be Draft picks. So the opportunity is there for me, which is big, and I like the coaching staff. I strategically picked my visit with them on a weekend with no big college football games and I really got to hang out with the team. It was a pretty relaxed visit which was nice."

EB: "Moving on to Illinois, Brad Underwood was the first major college coach to offer you while he was at Oklahoma State. How important is that in the grand scheme of things and how was your visit there?"

DT: "It's not necessarily important, but the relationship we have is important if that makes sense. Just because we've been in contact three or four years now, it's crazy to think how fast this has all gone by. It was a great visit. I love his offense and I'm a huge fan of it, especially at Oklahoma State. Illinois is a better basketball school they have more access to be better. They are doing big things over there and I really like the guard play they have. It's huge."

EB: "Texas A&M is the lone remaining in state school. They are closest to home. How do you feel about them?"

DT: "I feel great about them, the staff is amazing. Really like how it's close to home but it's not too close, I think it's a perfect balance. I think you get the best of all three worlds. You get good football, good college life and good college basketball. I think that's hard to find everywhere."

EB: "It seems that being a college kid and living the college life is a really big part of the decision for you. Do you think some kids are missing out by making strictly a basketball decision?

DT: "I don't, but I think it's something you have to look at. You only play basketball for four or five months. You are obviously going to be in the gym, but you aren't in the gym all the time and I know for me when I'm at my best is when I'm happy, when I feel comfortable and I really like where I am. So that's what I look for in a college is somewhere I'll be happy. I feel in order to be happy I've got to be at a place where I'll enjoy the school life."

EB: "One final question. You've got this last 10 days or so to make your decision. Do you just want space from everybody recruiting you or is there any way that somebody could change your mind at the last second?"

DT: "Really at this point I just need to talk to my family. People are welcome to come in and talk to me but at the end of the day, I really just need to talk to my family about it."