Seth Towns scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in Howard’s 64-53 win over Boston University on Wednesday. The NCAA cleared the 26-year-old Towns, granting him a rare eighth year of eligibility.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Towns’ collegiate career began in 2016 at Harvard University. He played two years for the Crismon, averaging 16.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in 30 games as a sophomore. Towns got named to the All-Ivy League First Team.
A 6-foot-9 forward, Towns looked promising playing in the Ivy League. However, his college career took the first of many turns when he suffered a knee injury ahead of the 2018-2019 season.
The knee injury cost Towns the entire season. He lost the following year when he underwent a season-ending knee surgery. After missing back-to-back seasons due to injury, Towns transferred to his hometown Ohio State in March 2020.
With Ohio State, Towns appeared in 25 games during the 2020-21 season. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds. Towns underwent back surgery before the 201-22 season, which put him on the shelf for the third season in four.
Ultimately, Towns stepped away from basketball in September 2022. With his back healed, Towns committed and enrolled at Howard. On Tuesday, the NCAA cleared Towns to be eligible.
Towns made his presence felt off the bench. In 25 minutes, he had 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from three. He also had six rebounds.
The addition of Towns gives the Bison more depth, giving head coach Kenny Blakeney a confident eight-man rotation.
Howard is the reigning MEAC regular season and tournament champion, looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. Towns’ next opportunity to get in the groove is Saturday when the Bison travel to play at Rutgers.
