Michele Timms
Encyclopedia
Michele Margaret Timms (born 28 June 1965 in Melbourne
, Victoria
) is a retired Australia
n professional basketball
player who played for the Phoenix Mercury
in the Women's National Basketball Association
. Many consider the Melbourne native to be one of Australia's greatest basketball players in history.
, played Australian rules football with her 6 brothers Mark, Ross, Bruce, Ian, Paul and Neil, as well as cricket
. She also has 2 sisters, Wendy and Karen. In July 2003, she announced she was pregnant, and on 25 January 2004 she had a daughter named Kalsie.
in 1998, losing to the Houston Comets
. Timms came within inches of giving the Mercury their first title that year; with the Mercury up 1-0 and needing only one more win for the championship, and Game Two tied at 66 with three seconds to go, Timms took a three point shot that bounced off the rim's back. Ultimately, the Comets won that game 74-69 in overtime, and then the championship in Game Three. In 2001, Timms announced her retirement and almost immediately joined the Mercury's television
broadcasting crew, a job which she held only for that season. She averaged 4.6 points and 4.0 assist
s per game with the Mercury; her highest scoring average in one season being 12.1 points per game in 1997. On 7 August 2002, her number "7" jersey became the first to be retired by the Phoenix Mercury, and only the 2nd jersey ever retired by the WNBA. Upon her retirement, she was the Mercury's career leader in assists.
In February 2005, the Phoenix Mercury announced that she had been signed as an assistant coach under fellow Australian and Mercury head coach Carrie Graf.
Timms played a very influential role in opening the flood gate for many of the future international women's players, especially Australian women basketball stars.
to play with the Lotus München team. While there, she got a chance to play alongside Marlies Askamp
, who would later also play with her on the Mercury. While there, she was named the Women's International Player of The Year in 1994 and 1996. She was selected to the WNBL
All team 7 times (1988-92, 1994, 1996)
Also in 1996, at her second Summer Olympics, she helped the Australian national women's basketball team earn their first Olympic
medal, a bronze at the Atlanta
competition. Four years later Timms was on the squad that captured the silver medal in front of their own crowd.
in the Australian National Basketball League
. During her time with the Dragons, she impressed many of the club's staff and players with her sound knowledge of the game and excellent coaching skills. She left the club on 9 January 2008 and during the middle of the Dragons' season, to fulfill her career ambitions by moving to the United States
.
She was an assistant coach with China women's national basketball team, reuniting her with her former Opals coach Tom Maher
.
In 2008, Timms was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
, located in Knoxville, Tennessee
.
In 2009, Timms was appointed as an assistant coach of the Jayco Australian Opals, the Australia women's national basketball team
. She was also appointed an assistant coach of the Global Metals Bulleen Boomers
in the Women's National Basketball League
.
She was named the Women's International Player of The Year 1994 and 1996
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) is a retired Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
in the Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
. Many consider the Melbourne native to be one of Australia's greatest basketball players in history.
Personal
In addition to playing basketball, she has also parachuted from an airplaneFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, played Australian rules football with her 6 brothers Mark, Ross, Bruce, Ian, Paul and Neil, as well as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. She also has 2 sisters, Wendy and Karen. In July 2003, she announced she was pregnant, and on 25 January 2004 she had a daughter named Kalsie.
WNBA career
At the onset of the WNBA in 1997, she went to the Phoenix Mercury, for whom she played in the FinalsWNBA Finals
The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association and the conclusion of the sport's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002....
in 1998, losing to the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
. Timms came within inches of giving the Mercury their first title that year; with the Mercury up 1-0 and needing only one more win for the championship, and Game Two tied at 66 with three seconds to go, Timms took a three point shot that bounced off the rim's back. Ultimately, the Comets won that game 74-69 in overtime, and then the championship in Game Three. In 2001, Timms announced her retirement and almost immediately joined the Mercury's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasting crew, a job which she held only for that season. She averaged 4.6 points and 4.0 assist
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
s per game with the Mercury; her highest scoring average in one season being 12.1 points per game in 1997. On 7 August 2002, her number "7" jersey became the first to be retired by the Phoenix Mercury, and only the 2nd jersey ever retired by the WNBA. Upon her retirement, she was the Mercury's career leader in assists.
In February 2005, the Phoenix Mercury announced that she had been signed as an assistant coach under fellow Australian and Mercury head coach Carrie Graf.
Timms played a very influential role in opening the flood gate for many of the future international women's players, especially Australian women basketball stars.
International career
Timms began her professional basketball career in 1984 in Australia. In 1989, she became the first Australian (male or female) to play professional basketball internationally when she went to GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to play with the Lotus München team. While there, she got a chance to play alongside Marlies Askamp
Marlies Askamp
Marlies Askamp is a German professional basketball player. She was one of the original players to play in the U.S...
, who would later also play with her on the Mercury. While there, she was named the Women's International Player of The Year in 1994 and 1996. She was selected to the WNBL
Women's National Basketball League
The Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
All team 7 times (1988-92, 1994, 1996)
Also in 1996, at her second Summer Olympics, she helped the Australian national women's basketball team earn their first Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medal, a bronze at the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
competition. Four years later Timms was on the squad that captured the silver medal in front of their own crowd.
Coaching career
She worked as the basketball development officer for the South DragonsSouth Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...
in the Australian National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
. During her time with the Dragons, she impressed many of the club's staff and players with her sound knowledge of the game and excellent coaching skills. She left the club on 9 January 2008 and during the middle of the Dragons' season, to fulfill her career ambitions by moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
She was an assistant coach with China women's national basketball team, reuniting her with her former Opals coach Tom Maher
Tom Maher
Tom Maher is a basketball coach from Australia, who is the most successful coach in the WNBL history, having won seven WNBL titles...
.
In 2008, Timms was elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors men and women who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA...
, located in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
.
In 2009, Timms was appointed as an assistant coach of the Jayco Australian Opals, the Australia women's national basketball team
Australia women's national basketball team
The Australia Women's National Basketball Team is the women's National Basketball team for Australia. They won Gold at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 defeating New Zealand's Tall Ferns in the final match with a score of 77–39. They then followed it up with a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA...
. She was also appointed an assistant coach of the Global Metals Bulleen Boomers
Bulleen Boomers
-History:The Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club was established in 1969 and after missing out in 1983 was accepted into the Women's National Basketball League, WNBL, in 1984. Applications were prepared and presented by Jan Collinson, who remained the club’s delegate to the League for many years...
in the Women's National Basketball League
Women's National Basketball League
The Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
.
Vital statistics
- Position: Guard
- Height: 5 ft. 7 in. / 1.7 m
- College: AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Team(s): Phoenix MercuryPhoenix MercuryThe Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
(WNBA), Bulleen Melbourne BoomersBulleen Boomers-History:The Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Club was established in 1969 and after missing out in 1983 was accepted into the Women's National Basketball League, WNBL, in 1984. Applications were prepared and presented by Jan Collinson, who remained the club’s delegate to the League for many years...
(WNBLWomen's National Basketball LeagueThe Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
)
She was named the Women's International Player of The Year 1994 and 1996