The Ohio State basketball program got a shot in the arm when Harvard graduate transfer and Columbus native Seth Towns announced his decision this weekend to transfer to the Buckeyes instead of Duke. It was especially noteworthy on the heels of both D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney deciding to leave the program to pursue other opportunities after just one season.
Towns’ decision though didn’t come out of the blue. He was a graduate of Northland High School in Columbus and visited Ohio State during his recruitment back in 2014 and 2015. He even landed an offer from Thad Matta and staff at that time but decided to head to the Ivy League school Harvard instead. There he became a star, but also dealt with injuries that kept him away from the game since the tail-end of the 2017 season.
But why now? Why is Ohio State the right place for him at this point in his career? Especially after playing for Harvard, and after being courted by several big-time programs this offseason, including Duke?
Towns answered that very question during the segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter when he announced his decision to attend OSU.
“In the end, what was the deciding factor,” asked SportsCenter’s John Buccigross? “Why Ohio State in the end?”
“Well, I think overall it was a perfect fit,” said Towns. “I mean across the board, being at home, the school, my relationship with coaches I mentioned before. And then, some really incredible teammates I’ll have that I’m excited to play alongside. Super excited to play for Ohio State. You know, Buckeye Nation, just know how excited I am, and additionally the support system I’ll have coming to Ohio State — coming home.”
You can watch and listen to the quick segment that aired just a couple of days ago by clicking on the below video.
Top grad transfer @seth_towns17 committed to Ohio State.
“Overall it was a perfect fit. … Buckeye nation, just know how excited I am.” pic.twitter.com/KuZtBH7FM1
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 22, 2020
Sounds like a pretty sound decision to me. Towns should plug right into the mix next season and has a very good shot at cracking that starting five. We’ll see how it all transpires when things begin to take shape this winter.
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