Timberlynn Yeast finished her high school career with over 2,100 points and 1,000 rebounds despite missing her senior season. (John Herndon Photo)
About eight months ago Timberlynn Yeast thought she had the perfect college basketball fit when she verbally committed to Buffalo. Since then, a lot has happened. First, Yeast tore two ligaments in her left knee just before her senior season at Mercer County was ready to start and just a few weeks after she officially signed with Buffalo and first-year coach Becky Burke.
She was a Miss Basketball candidate and one of the state’s top players but missed her entire senior season and likely will also miss the entire track season — she is also one of the state’s elite sprinters. Now, Yeast is looking for another place to play her college basketball after asking for her release for Buffalo and receiving it.
Her father, Terry Yeast, said it was a “bunch” of things that led to her change of heart about Buffalo including four other players in the freshman signing class also deciding they will not play at Buffalo next season. One of those players is Ella Weaver, Yeast’s teammate on the West Virginia Thunder during AAU play.
Yeast averaged 20.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a junior while shooting 52 percent overall from the field and 66 percent at the foul line (she got to the foul line 263 times in 31 games). Despite not playing as a senior, she played in 134 games and finished with over 2,100 points and 1,000 rebounds along with 408 assists, 337 steals and 79 blocks. She was a career 53 percent shooter overall from the field.
“You are talking about sending your 18 year old nine hours away to the big city where some athletes have left the program, not to mention four other girls in the incoming class and then all the assistant coaches are gone … just that overall situation led us to making this decision,” Terry Yeast said.
He emphasized they had “no issues” with Burke.
“I love Becky Burke and she was great with us,” he said. “Yes she was disappointed with our decision. We talked to her about it. It was a huge decision where as a dad and family we just had to realize this might not work out like we thought.”
Timberlynn Yeast had over 20 college scholarship offers when she picked Buffalo and made her only official college visit there. She still has three official visits remaining and has drawn plenty of interest from coaches in the last week.
“It is completely wide open (about her college choice) and has been a crazy week,” Terry Yeast said. “We have been on the phone with some coaches and she has some places and coaches she wants to visit in the next month or so.”
She’s also continuing her rehab so she can be as close to being ready to go as possible when preseason practice starts in the fall. She got cleared by doctors last week to start jogging.
“She is always trying to push the envelope and do more than she should,” her father said. “She is just doing some easy mileage now.”
Timberlynn Yeast can shoot and do basketball drills that do not force her to cut and risk reinjuring the knee.
“She is in the gym shooting quite a bit,” Terry Yeast said. “She has weightlifting class every day and does more upper body work at school and then does her physical therapy after school.
Terry Yeast knows it has been a stressful senior year for his daughter but is confident it will all end well for her.
“We are strong in our faith and know God has a huge plan and that makes it easier,” Terry Yeast said. “The whole transfer portal thing now brings lots of different opportunities at this time of year so I know she will find something that is good for her.”
