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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1]
 Towns with Ohio State in 2021 | |
| Harvard Crimson | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | Ivy League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 5, 1997 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northland (Columbus, Ohio) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Coaching career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 2024–present | Harvard (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
| |
Early life
editTowns 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.[2]
On June 15, 2015, Towns committed to play college basketball for Harvard over Ohio State and Michigan.
College career
editTowns 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.[3] He scored 24 points and 12 rebounds in the Ivy League semifinal versus Cornell.[2]
On November 3, 2018, it was announced that Towns was out indefinitely with a knee injury.[4] 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.[5] On March 21, 2020, he decided to transfer to Ohio State, choosing the Buckeyes over Duke.[6] Towns was detained by police at a protest on May 29.[7] He was involved in a car accident on November 25, and missed the game against Illinois State.[8] 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.[9]
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.[1] The announcement would make him an eighth-year redshirt senior in 2023–24.[1] On May 21, he committed to Howard University.[10]
Coaching career
editAfter going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Towns was hired as an assistant coach by Harvard.[11]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Harvard | 28 | 20 | 24.6 | .428 | .388 | .821 | 4.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 12.3 |
| 2017–18 | Harvard | 30 | 24 | 27.9 | .419 | .441 | .805 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .8 | .6 | 16.0 |
| 2018–19 | Harvard |  Injured
| ||||||||||
| 2019–20 | Harvard | Injured
| ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Ohio State | 25 | 0 | 10.8 | .421 | .341 | .800 | 2.2 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 3.8 |
| 2021–22 | Ohio State | Injured
| ||||||||||
| 2022–23 | Sat out | |||||||||||
| 2023-24 | Howard | 32 | 29 | 32.4 | .368 | .347 | .842 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .4 | 14.2 |
| Career | 115 | 73 | 24.6 | .405 | .383 | .823 | 4.8 | 1.5 | .8 | .5 | 12.0 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Borzello, Jeff (May 15, 2023). "Seth Towns enters portal ahead of 8th college hoops season". ESPN. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Feinstein, John (March 10, 2018). "Harvard is a step away from NCAA tournament with a star player who quotes Emerson". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Men's basketball Al-Ivy, postseason awards announced" (Press release). Ivy League. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ Phillips, Scott (November 3, 2018). "Harvard's Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken remain out indefinitely". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
- ^ O'Hanley, Tom (December 23, 2019). "Harvard's Seth Towns will Undergo Season Ending Knee Surgery". Def Pen. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 21, 2020). "Ex-Harvard G Seth Towns transferring to Ohio State over Duke". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Medcalf, Myron (May 30, 2020). "Ohio State basketball player Seth Towns detained by police during George Floyd rally". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Gulick, Brendan (November 25, 2020). "Seth Towns "Okay" After Minor Car Accident En Route to Season-Opener". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Lind, Andrew (September 7, 2021). "Ohio State Forward Seth Towns Expected To Miss Three To Four Months After Back Surgery". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Avila, Alejandro (May 21, 2023). "College Hooper Seth Towns Commits To 8th Season, Transfers To Howard". Def Pen. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ "Former Ohio State Forward Seth Towns Hired By Harvard As Assistant Coach". buckeyesports.com. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.