Erik Timko transfers from Jefferson to Delaware, looking to prove himself at the Division I level

Erik Timko wrapped up his undergraduate years at Jefferson University as of one of the best basketball players in program history.

With one year of eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-5 guard from Audubon, Pa., who won a conference title and played in the Division II NCAA Tournament this past season, wanted to show he could contribute in Division I.

So into the transfer portal he went.

“I was like, ‘I might as well test the waters, see what’s out there,’” Timko said. “I felt like it was the right move and see what the future holds.”

He will continue his college basketball career at the University of Delaware. While he’s excited to join the Blue Hens, he said it was a wild month in the transfer portal.

“Over the course of the process, I was able to tell which schools were more interested,” Timko said. “The schools who kept in contact with me were trying to build relationships with me. I really just dwindled it down and evaluated the pros and cons of each, and, at the end, I felt like Delaware was the best fit.”

Timko, a 2020 graduate of Methacton High School, emerged as one of the best shooters in District 1 during his two years on varsity.

He was the leading scorer for a team in the mix for a PIAA Class 6A championship before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the state tournament. Despite a shortened campaign, Timko set a program record for points in a season with 600.

The pandemic also wiped out his freshman year of college, so he got to work as a sophomore.

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Timko averaged 21.2 points while winning Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rookie of the year and first-team all-conference honors in the 2021-22 season. He was named CACC player of the year in the following two seasons. He averaged 22.5 points in 2022-23 and 19.6 points this past season.

He also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, the eighth player in program history to achieve the milestone, and finished with 1,792 career points.

Instead of hitting the portal a year ago, Timko returned to help Jefferson to a 23-9 finish and the CACC championship. The Rams lost to Daemen in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament.

“Winning the CACC championship, that was a super cool experience,” Timko said. “Being able to come back and do that with the guys I came in with, grew up through college with, and grew my game with — I’m obviously grateful. The whole thing with Jefferson, it worked out. ... I didn’t get a chance to go D-I [out of high school] but was able to grow at this level.”

Timko entered the transfer portal March 19, just a few days after his season ended, and almost immediately was hit with a deluge of interest. That’s no surprise, given his size and shooting ability, coupled with veteran experience, an increasingly valuable asset in college hoops.

He said the likes of Penn State and Indiana reached out to gauge where he was in the process and what he was looking for. Even amid the flood of interest, those high-major contacts were eye-openers.

“When I got the call or saw the text,” he said, “I was like, ‘Jeez.’”

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Timko said he ended up taking visits to Delaware, Manhattan, and Drexel, which all had shown significant interest.

He joins a Blue Hens program that went 19-14 (10-8 in the Coastal Athletic Association) last season. They’ve made one NCAA Tournament appearance in coach Martin Ingelsby’s eight seasons, after winning a CAA title in 2021-22.

Delaware’s leading scorers, Jyáre Davis and Gerald Drumgoole Jr., have transferred, but Niels Lane (9.7 points), Cavan Reilly (9.2), and reserve forward Tyler Houser (4.8) are slated to return.

A pair of local products in Izaiah Pasha (Cardinal O’Hara and St. Thomas More in Connecticut) and Macon Emory (Perkiomen School) will join the team as freshmen.

“I feel like losing a couple leading scorers, there’s an opportunity present,” Timko said. “And obviously just the role they saw me as, I definitely felt like there’s opportunity. I felt like it was a good fit for me, and I didn’t want to pass it up.”

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He’ll also use the extra year to get his MBA with a focus in international business. He’ll receive his undergraduate degree in business management with a minor in sports marketing from Jefferson this year.

Timko joins Delaware as a taller, faster, and stronger player than the one who left Methacton four years ago. In just a few months, he’ll have the chance to prove he’s ready for Division I hoops.

“My whole goal coming into college was to pursue a [playing] career afterward,” he said. “I still want to pursue that, and it’s my main goal looking forward. I feel like taking this leap will help me grow.”