BASKETBALL

Basketball: Milestone is family affair for Woodbridge's Timinski

Lauren Knego
Courier News and Home News Tribune
Woodbridge's Brooke Timinski (22) scored her 1,000th career point on Tuesday night against New Brunswick.

When Brooke Timinski scored her 1,000th career point for the Woodbridge High School girls basketball team on Tuesday night, she joined an elite group of players who also have  reached the milestone.

Her parents. 

Timinski's mother, Heidi Waterman Timinski, graduated from Shore Regional in 1991 as the second-leading all-time scorer, with 1,601 career points, and went on to play at the University of Virginia. Her father, Bobby Timinski, who is also the coach of the Woodbridge girls basketball team, scored 1,112 points in two seasons playing at Colonia High School and went on to score 1,325 career points at St. Anselm College.

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"It’s pretty amazing when you think about it," Bobby Timinski said. "As amazing as it was (Tuesday) night and the realization of it sinking in, what are the chances of a mother, father and daughter doing it?"

Brooke Timinski was 26 points shy of 1,000 points on Saturday against Colonia, and she finished the game with 996 points.

"I knew I could score 26, and if I got it, I got it, and if I didn’t, I didn’t," Brooke Timinski said. "I knew I was close and it was definitely doable, but if I missed, I knew I had Tuesday."

The next game for Woodbridge was against New Brunswick on Tuesday night, and neither father nor daughter knew the significance of the opponent or the date until after Saturday's game. 

Bobby Timinski said he went to enter the results of the win over Colonia and happened to cast a glance at the basketball he received when he scored his 1,000th career point. The date was Jan. 23, 1990. 

"I had no idea of any of the anniversary stuff until after the game, it never entered my mind," Timinski said. "I had come down to put in the score to the game, and I saw on my basketball 1/23/90, and the next thing what really made the story more amazing was I pulled out my scrapbook, and I did it against New Brunswick. The time of it, 28 years later, is something else."

Brooke Timinski scored her 1,000th career point with 2:30 remaining in the first quarter in a 56-45 victory over New Brunswick, which made them the first father/daughter combo to reach the milestone in the history of the township. 

"After the Colonia game my dad told me, and I was like, 'That’s so crazy, maybe it’s meant to be.' Maybe I wasn’t meant to score 26 on Saturday," Brooke Timinski said. "It’s definitely pretty cool, and especially because my mom scored 1,000 points, it’s the three of us, but the same day is pretty cool. I knew they both did it, but like I said, if I got it, I got it, and if I didn’t. I would have been a little upset, but I would have known that I gave it my all."

Brooke Timinski became the seventh girls basketball player and first since Taylor Stanley in 2013 to reach the milestone for Woodbridge. She's averaging 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game for the Barrons (9-5) this season. 

"Even though both my wife and I scored 1,000 points, we never pressured her, this is Brooke’s accomplishment," Bobby Timinski said. "We weren’t dragging her to AAU every weekend, we always supported her and encouraged her, and all we talked about was effort and attitude. It’s her accomplishment, her achievement. She chose to do it, which makes it even more special for us as a family."

Now that the pressure of 1,000 points is off her shoulders, Brooke Timinski is ready to leave the excitement of Tuesday behind her, focus on the rest of the season and win  games.

"Just to make sure my team can win every game possible," Brooke Timinski said of the goal for the rest of the season. "Surprise some people in the GMC Tournament and see how far we can go and play hard every game."

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego