Seth Towns
{{short description|American basketball player and coach (born 1997)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Seth Towns
| image = Seth Towns.jpg
| caption = Towns with Ohio State in 2021
| number =
| position = Assistant coach
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 9
| weight_lbs = 230
| nationality = American
| league = Ivy League
| team = Harvard Crimson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|11|5}}
| birth_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
| high_school = Northland
(Columbus, Ohio)
| college =
- Harvard (2016–2018)
- Ohio State (2020–2021)
- Howard (2023–2024)
| draft_year = 2024
| coach_start = 2024
| cyears1 = 2024–present
| cteam1 = Harvard (assistant)
| highlights = As player:
- Ivy League Player of the Year (2018)
- First-team All-Ivy League (2018)
}}
Seth Emmanuel Towns (born November 5, 1997) is an American basketball assistant coach for Harvard and former college basketball player. He played college basketball for the Harvard Crimson, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Howard Bison. He entered the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as an extremely rare eighth-year senior, but having only played in three seasons.{{cite news |last=Borzello |first=Jeff |date=May 15, 2023 |title=Seth Towns enters portal ahead of 8th college hoops season |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/37658087 |access-date=May 15, 2023 |work=ESPN |location=Columbus, Ohio}} Between injuries, a voluntary year away from the sport, and an NCAA blanket waiver granted to players active during the COVID-19 pandemic, Towns entered 2023–24 with up to two years of collegiate eligibility remaining. He previously played for the Harvard Crimson where he was the 2018 Ivy League Player of the Year as a sophomore, and then the Ohio State Buckeyes which saw him compete in just the 2020–21 season.
Early life
Towns is from Columbus, Ohio and attended Northland High School. He was recruited to Harvard by coach Tommy Amaker, who told him a Harvard degree would give him a platform that went beyond basketball and that he would be crazy not to come to Harvard.
On June 15, 2015, Towns committed to play college basketball for Harvard over Ohio State and Michigan.
College career
Towns led the Crimson in scoring with 15.8 points per game as a sophomore while also contributing 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He shot 49.3 percent of his three-point attempts in Ivy League play and led Harvard to a share of the regular season championship. At the conclusion of the regular season Towns was named Ivy League Player of the Year, becoming the third sophomore to receive the honor.{{cite press release|url=https://www.ivyleaguesports.com/news/2018/3/6/mens-basketball-all-ivy-postseason-awards-announced.aspx |title=Men's basketball Al-Ivy, postseason awards announced|publisher=Ivy League |date=March 6, 2018 |accessdate=March 6, 2018}} He scored 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Ivy League semifinal versus Cornell.{{cite news |last=Feinstein |first=John |date=March 10, 2018 |title=Harvard is a step away from NCAA tournament with a star player who quotes Emerson |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/harvard-is-a-step-away-from-ncaa-tournament-with-a-star-player-who-quotes-emerson/2018/03/10/3c0598e2-2499-11e8-86f6-54bfff693d2b_story.html |accessdate=April 10, 2018 |work=The Washington Post}}
On November 3, 2018, it was announced that Towns was out indefinitely with a knee injury.{{cite news |last=Phillips |first=Scott |title=Harvard’s Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken remain out indefinitely |url=https://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2018/11/03/harvards-seth-towns-and-bryce-aiken-remain-out-indefinitely/ |accessdate=November 3, 2018 |work=NBC Sports |date=November 3, 2018}} Towns would miss his junior season.
On December 23, 2019, it was announced that Towns would undergo a season ending surgery, ending his tenure at Harvard.{{cite web |last=O'Hanley |first=Tom |date=December 23, 2019 |title=Harvard’s Seth Towns will Undergo Season Ending Knee Surgery |url=https://defpen.com/harvard-seth-towns-season-ending-knee-surgery |accessdate=December 25, 2019 |website=Def Pen}} On March 21, 2020, he decided to transfer to Ohio State, choosing the Buckeyes over Duke.{{cite news |last=Borzello |first=Jeff |date=March 21, 2020 |title=Ex-Harvard G Seth Towns transferring to Ohio State over Duke |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28937611 |accessdate=March 22, 2020 |work=ESPN}} Towns was detained by police at a protest on May 29.{{cite news |last=Medcalf |first=Myron |date=May 30, 2020 |title=Ohio State basketball player Seth Towns detained by police during George Floyd rally |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29245219 |accessdate=May 30, 2020 |work=ESPN}} He was involved in a car accident on November 25, and missed the game against Illinois State.{{cite news |last=Gulick |first=Brendan |title=Seth Towns "Okay" After Minor Car Accident En Route to Season-Opener |url=https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/basketball/ohio-state-basketball-seth-towns-car-accident |access-date=November 25, 2020 |work=Sports Illustrated |date=November 25, 2020}} Towns averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game during the 2020–21 season. He underwent back surgery in September 2021 and was expected to miss several months.{{cite news |last=Lind |first=Andrew |title=Ohio State Forward Seth Towns Expected To Miss Three To Four Months After Back Surgery |url=https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/basketball/ohio-state-basketball-forward-seth-towns-expected-to-miss-three-to-four-months-back-surgery-meechie-johnson |access-date=October 14, 2021 |work=Sports Illustrated |date=September 7, 2021}}
On September 4, 2022, Towns announced that he was stepping away from basketball. He took the 2022–23 season off before announcing on May 15, 2023, that he was returning and intending to transfer out of Ohio State. The announcement would make him an eighth-year redshirt senior in 2023–24. On May 21, he committed to Howard University.{{cite web |last=Avila| first=Alejandro| title=College Hooper Seth Towns Commits To 8th Season, Transfers To Howard |url=https://www.outkick.com/stetson-bennett-of-ballers-college-hooper-seth-towns-commits-to-8th-season-transfers-to-howard/|website=Def Pen |accessdate=May 22, 2023 |date=May 21, 2023}}
Coaching career
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Towns was hired as an assistant coach by Harvard.{{cite web |last=Engels |first=Patrick |date=September 13, 2024 |title=Former Ohio State Forward Seth Towns Hired By Harvard As Assistant Coach |url=https://www.buckeyesports.com/former-ohio-state-forward-seth-towns-hired-by-harvard-as-assistant-coach/ |access-date=September 13, 2024 |website=buckeyesports.com}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Harvard
| 28 || 20 || 24.6 || .428 || .388 || .821 || 4.4 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .5 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;"| Harvard
| 30 || 24 || 27.9 || .419 || .441 || .805 || 5.7 || 1.8 || .8 || .6 || 16.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19
| style="text-align:left;"| Harvard
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| File:Cruz Roja.svg Injured
|-
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"| Harvard
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| File:Cruz Roja.svg Injured
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21
| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio State
| 25 || 0 || 10.8 || .421 || .341 || .800 || 2.2 || .3 || .2 || .2 || 3.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22
| style="text-align:left;"| Ohio State
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| File:Cruz Roja.svg Injured
|-
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="12"| Sat out
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24
| style="text-align:left;"| Howard
| 32 || 29 || 32.4 || .368 || .347 || .842 || 6.5 || 2.5 || 1.0 || .4 || 14.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 115 || 73 || 24.6 || .405 || .383 || .823 || 4.8 || 1.5 || .8 || .5 || 12.0
{{S-end}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-baskbl/roster/season/2020-21/seth-towns/ Ohio State Buckeyes bio]
- [https://gocrimson.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/seth-towns/21689 Harvard Crimson bio]
{{Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towns, Seth}}
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Columbus, Ohio
Category:Harvard Crimson men's basketball coaches
Category:Harvard Crimson men's basketball players
Category:Howard Bison men's basketball players