MEMORY LANE: Big impact: Geibel无毛视频檚 6-7 Timko starred in basketball for Gators and Slippery Rock
Geibel Catholic High School has a rich basketball history and one of the best to suit up for the Gators was big man Dave Timko who was a stalwart during the early 1980s.
Timko got an early start in basketball.
无毛视频淚 started early. My first recollection was shooting through a tire rim screwed to a telephone pole,无毛视频� Timko recalled. 无毛视频淚 was about six or seven when that happened. Unfortunately my parents were divorced and my uncle Jeff Hinton took me under his wing and took me to the Connellsville YMCA and exposed me to the program there and fortunately where I lived in Connellsville, Pinnacle playground was on the next block. I played a lot on the playgrounds.无毛视频�
Timko went through a couple of growth spurts.
无毛视频淚 was every bit of 6-foot-7 and weighed 195 pounds in high school,无毛视频� Timko stated. 无毛视频淚 was tw- foot long and 11-9 at birth and I was 5 foot tall in third grade, 6-foot-3 in eighth grade and then a couple more inches after that. I grew quickly.
无毛视频淚 went to St. Rita无毛视频檚 for seventh and eighth grade in Connellsville and then on to Geibel. We were very competitive even through Holy Name when we were pre-ninth grade. We played in the Holy Name League against the other churches, and I think that was all part of our success. Most of us, Sean Scarry, Eddie Staines, Keith Smith, Pat Malone and Scott Martray, all played together from seventh grade on.无毛视频�
Timko played on Geibel teams that posted records of 18-6 in 1980-81 and 16-2 in section play and 20-5 overall in 1981-82, beating Bentworth in the WPIAL playoffs, 65-61, and then falling to California, 54-52.
In 1982-83 the Gators went 18-3 during the regular season and finished 20-5. In the WPIAL playoffs they downed Braddock St. Thomas 44-43 and lost to Rochester 68-60. In the PIAA tournament they got by Cochranton 74-72 as Timko sank two foul shots to win the game. They were then ousted by undefeated Johnsonburg 74-60 despite a 24-point effort from Timko.
无毛视频淲e usually cruised in our Class A section and we scored a lot of points and we played like 17 or 18 minutes, but when we got to the playoffs and then it was tough competition and then you had to play 28 or 29 minutes, it was a big difference.无毛视频�
Timko saw action as a sophomore and scored 183 points,
无毛视频淎s a sophomore I started JV and dressed varsity,无毛视频� Timko offered. 无毛视频淩on Kurpiel who was a senior went skiing and he broke his leg and that无毛视频檚 how I ended up starting as a sophomore.无毛视频�
Timko was a starter as a junior, scoring 459 points and followed that up as a senior tallying 459 points. Timko finished his Geibel career with 1,101 points. He was All-Section as a junior and a senior and named AP Honorable Mention All-State as a senior.
无毛视频淭hose are nice feathers in my cap,无毛视频� Timko said. 无毛视频淔ortunately my success and anything I achieved, it was a team thing.无毛视频�
Timko had great respect for his Geibel head coach Ken Misiak and his able longtime assistant Bob Fedorko.
无毛视频淐oach Misiak kept the team grounded and was very disciplined and he recognized talent and pressed the right buttons,无毛视频� Timko said. 无毛视频淐oach Fedorko was a great right-hand man.无毛视频�
Timko has fond Geibel memories.
无毛视频淚 have great memories of my days at Geibel,无毛视频� Timko stated. 无毛视频淭he team spirit on game day and everything that we worked for and were able to accomplish as a team. It was a good group of guys.无毛视频�
The cherry on top was playing in the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. Timko played for the City Catholic League All-Stars against the West Penn All-Stars in the preliminary game. Tinko scored six points and his team won 120-118.
无毛视频淚t was huge,无毛视频� Timko gushed. 无毛视频淢y uncle took me to every game since I was little. He always said if you ever make the Roundball I will give you the car I am driving. When I got the letter I stopped by my uncle无毛视频檚 house and said when do I get the keys to the Cutlass. He said that无毛视频檚 my only car so I never got the Cutlass.无毛视频�
Timko had another great story from his Roundball appearance.
无毛视频淚 still tell my elevator story to my kids,无毛视频� Timko recalled. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 on the elevator at the Pittsburgh Marriott going up and a couple of other guys get on with gym bags and I said who are you? One guy says I无毛视频檓 Steve Alford and I无毛视频檓 going to Indiana, well I无毛视频檓 Antoine Joubert and I无毛视频檓 going to Michigan and I无毛视频檓 like I无毛视频檓 Dave Timko and I无毛视频檓 going to Slippery Rock.无毛视频�
Timko played college basketball at Slippery Rock.
无毛视频淥ther schools were interested in me,无毛视频� Timko explained. 无毛视频淚t got down to I was a big fish in a small pond at Geibel and that无毛视频檚 my culture and I chose Slippery Rock.无毛视频�
Timko played for Dave Rooney and Bob Barlett at Slippery Rock. The team went 16-11 in 1983-84. Timko suffered a stress fracture in his right leg and only played in six games. In 1984-85 the Rockets were 8-17. In 1985-86 they posted a record of 7-18 and in Timko无毛视频檚 senior campaign 1986-87 the Rockets went 7-19.
无毛视频淯nfortunately my junior year a couple of kids over the Christmas break did some things they shouldn无毛视频檛 have and we lost four starters and another good player,无毛视频� Timko lamented. 无毛视频淲e didn无毛视频檛 have enough players. It was a tough year. It was a good experience not from a standpoint of wins and losses, but I was part of the rebuilding process. I was part of what was touted as a great freshman class and on senior parent night I was the only one standing.无毛视频�
Timko was all Pennsylvania Conference second team and a two-year captain at The Rock. He scored 878 points in his career and snatched 469 rebounds.
After graduating from Slippery Rock, Timko got into Hotel and Restaurant management and a career in the golf and hotel business. He has been the general manager of a country club for 17-years. He has also been a volunteer firefighter for the last 34 years.
Timko, 58, resides in the Poconos with his wife of 31 years, Terri. They have two adult children, Kaitlynn and Zachary.
Looking back, Timko is pleased with what he has accomplished and the lessons he has learned in life.
无毛视频淚t started with Coach Misiak and the discipline and the hard work and nothing comes free,无毛视频� Timko stated. 无毛视频淣o one is going to give you anything, you earn it.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.