Adriana Timberlake (’23) scored her 1,000th point for the SNHU women’s basketball team in an 81-43 victory over The College of Saint Rose on February 11th at the Stan Spirou Field House.
Timberlake acknowledges that this accomplishment has been a long time coming, even stating that she has played basketball since she was four years old.
“I have been around basketball my whole life,” said Timberlake. “My brother plays…and my dad played. My brother plays division 1 at Towson University and my dad played at Boston University.”
Head Coach Karen Pinkos of the women’s basketball program has been with SNHU for 18 years and has witnessed Adriana grow into the player she is now.
“Adriana has grown up and matured on and off the court. She is a very skilled player with speed and shooting being her two strengths. This year, she has become a very good leader and was named one of our co-captains…As a coaching staff, we have seen [Adriana’s] communication skills grow which have helped her become a more confident person as well as become a more mentally tough player,” said Pinkos.
Pinkos discussed how the significance of Timberlake’s 1,000th career point reflects the work she has put in during her time with SNHU women’s basketball.
“[I’m] super proud of her 1,000 point milestone,” said Pinkos. “She has worked hard to become a better scorer and has reached this in three seasons! It’s a shared proud moment among the coaching staff and her teammates.”
Timberlake was unaware that her 1,000th point was so close until her roommate told her.
“My roommate, Jenna Roche, had told me I was pretty close about a month before I had scored my 1,000th point, but I did not know when I was scoring it that I was that close,” said Timberlake.
Timberlake mentioned how excited her teammates were when she finally reached the milestone.
“My teammates went crazy and were so excited that I had scored my 1,000th point. They all knew how many points away I was, but I had no idea,” said Timberlake.
The energy in the air after her milestone-achieving shot at the game on SNHU’s home court was felt by everyone in attendance.
“The energy in the gym was at a high. Not only had I scored but we were winning the game, so it was a very good atmosphere. It was during the Pink Day game which is a game that we play to raise awareness [for] breast cancer, so the gym is usually packed during this game,” said Timberlake.
Coach Pinkos also spoke on how the energy in the room shifted upon Timberlake reaching her milestone.
“Her teammates and coaches are her SNHU family. When one player succeeds, we are all extremely happy and proud for that player. The team screamed and yelled during the game once she hit the second free throw which put her at 1,000 points,” said Pinkos.
Pinkos spoke on what the celebration was like post-game, for both Timberlake’s accomplishment and the team’s victory.
“The locker room was fun as the coaching staff may or may not have dumped a few cups of water on her as the team cheered on. I’m sure [Adriana] will keep this entire day as a memorable one for a lifetime! It was special,” said Pinkos.
Being a senior, Timberlake reminisced on the teammates and leaders who have helped her along her journey to success.
“Being a senior is a great feeling because all the years leading up to it, I had looked up to some amazing senior leaders and always wanted to fill their shoes as the time got closer,” said Timberlake.
Timberlake plans to come back to SNHU as a fifth year and play her last year at SNHU as a graduate student.
