Earl Timberlake ’24 has been called the best basketball player to ever don a Bryant Bulldogs uniform, and the 2024-25 season was the senior’s best campaign yet. A rare all-around talent, the shooting guard has helped propel Bryant to the top of the America East Conference this season.   

A day before the Bulldogs square off in first-round playoff action, the America East Conference announced Timberlake as its 2024/25 Player of the Year. He’s the first Bryant player to receive the honor in the school’s NCAA Division I history. 

“Earl, from the day he stepped foot on this campus, has been a professional,” says Bryant head basketball coach Phil Martelli, Jr., who himself was honored this week as the conference’s Coach of the Year. “He shows up every day to work. He cares about winning. He cares about his teammates. He cares about doing things the right way. He has been a major driving force in our success this year because of who he is.” 

Timberlake, who graduated with a Sociology degree in May 2024 and is now taking additional undergraduate classes in Communications to retain his collegiate eligibility, is just the second player in NCAA history (after 2020 Penn grad A.J. Brodeur) to average more than 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game in a single season. He’s also the only player in Bryant history with more than 1,200 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists, and 100 blocks in his career. 

“I'm not shy about saying this: He should have been the player of the year last season, too,” says Martelli. "To do the things that he's done is just incredible. It’s really a joy to have him around and be part of his journey.” 

Bryant News sat down this week with Timberlake to talk about individual and team accomplishments this season, and to reflect on his career at Bryant. 

Bryant News: You were just named the America East Conference Player of the Year. How does that feel? 

Earl Timberlake: First and foremost, I want to thank God, without whom none of this is possible. I want to thank the whole staff for giving me the opportunity to come here and play basketball. I want to credit my team the most; shout out to my team. 

It means a lot, all the hard work, all the hours, it's starting to pay off. It’s a testament to how my family raised me to never give up. 

The team had a big win this week, defeating the University of New Hampshire, 90-56, to clinch the America East Conference regular season championship and finish the season with a 20-11 record. What does this win mean to you?  

Timberlake: The program is obviously on the uprising, and we’ve been that way dating back to last year when Coach Martelli took over a couple days before the season started. So it’s been big for him and for the rest of our group.  

Next up are the conference playoffs, which start this weekend with a 4 p.m. home game against University of Maryland Baltimore County. How are you feeling going into that game? 

Timberlake: Very confident. We’re going to take it one game at a time and just play as hard as we can. Every possession matters. We know everybody is going to give us their best effort because we’re the top seed. We’ve got the home court advantage, so we’ve just got to be ready to play. 

How has Coach Martelli’s approach helped the team get to this point? 

Timberlake: The whole coaching staff gives us confidence each and every game by always having the right game plan and the right scouting reports. 

What do you want out of the Bryant home crowd in the next couple of games?  

Timberlake: We want to feed off their energy; that’s what home court is for. So be there and be loud. 

What do you think about the prospect of advancing to the NCAA’s March Madness tournament, which the team would automatically qualify for if you win the America East playoffs? 

Timberlake: That's all I've been thinking about since the summer, getting to that level, but it’s got to be game by game.  

You come from the Washington, D.C., area and won two championships at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland, then played at the University of Miami and the University of Memphis before transferring to Bryant as a junior. Tell us a little about the journey that brought you here. 

Timberlake: I had an injury and I was going through a lot in my previous schools, so I just wanted to get back to people I trust, which was this staff here. You see what's happening now: It's working out well for me.  

What do you like about the Bryant atmosphere on and off the court?  

Timberlake: It’s family oriented, and it's probably the hardest I’ve ever worked since I've been in college. The leaders here really take pride in skill development.  

How have you been improving your skill set?  

Timberlake: I feel my overall game has gotten better year to year; I feel I've made huge improvements since the first time I stepped on the court. The main thing probably is being in better shape. I feel like when I first got here, I was not in great shape at all; now I feel like I’m able to run and not get tired. Other than that, just playing the game within the game, being smart, taking good shots, and playing the game the right way. 

Coach Martelli says that while he can get upset about turnovers, he never gets mad at players for shooting the basketball, even if they don’t score. How does that message help the team? 

Timberlake: He wants us to be aggressive and not second-guess ourselves. He never says anything to us about the type of shots we take. He just wants us to play hard and compete.  

How’s the chemistry on the team this season? 

Timberlake: It's great. All of us like each other. There are no egos. We all want to see each other win.  

What did you like about Bryant when you decided to transfer here? 

Timberlake: I transferred the year Bryant won the Northeast Conference. I was big on their skills development, and I saw the way they played, how many possessions they got, and how they like playing fast. 

Will there be more basketball in your future after this season? 

Timberlake: God willing, yeah, I want to continue to further my career playing basketball. 

Tell us something about yourself that fans might not know. 

Timberlake: I'm a jokester; I'm real laid back. I'm a people person and a real giving person: I like to see other people succeed, probably more so than my own success.  

What do you like to do when you're not playing basketball?  

Timberlake: Watch movies. Hang out with friends and family. Occasionally play a video game.  

Any favorite movies?  

Timberlake: He Got Game (a 1998 Spike Lee movie about the challenges faced by a star high school basketball player). 

Had you ever been to Rhode Island before you came to Bryant?  

Timberlake: My first official recruiting visit when I was in high school was at Providence College, so it's just crazy how everything came back full circle.  

Rhode Island, it's a little different up here. It's super cold compared to where I'm from in D.C. But I love Rhode Island; I love the whole New England area. The culture here is great, especially for basketball. 

PC and the University of Rhode Island have always gotten most of the college basketball love around here. Is it Bryant’s turn? 

Timberlake: We here now.