COLUMBUS, Ohio — Forward Seth Towns announced he is stepping away from the Ohio State men’s basketball team.
“After a few setbacks this summer and some tough conversations with my coaches and medical personnel, it has become clear that my body is not in a position to endure a full Big Ten season,” the 24-year-old player said in a tweet.
Towns underwent back surgery last September after suffering an injury years ago and missed the entire 2021-22 season.
The Columbus native transferred to Ohio State as a graduate student in 2020 after playing two seasons at Harvard.
Towns was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year twice during the 2016-17 season with Harvard. The following season, he earned Ivy League Player of the Year – becoming the fourth Harvard player and third sophomore in league history to win the award.
The forward missed the last two seasons of his undergraduate career due to his injury.
Towns’ debut at Ohio State was against UCLA in the 2020-21 season. It also marked his first time in action since the Ivy League title match in March 2018.
Towns reached out 900 career points with a bucket at home against Iowa on Feb. 28, 2021.
Even when sidelined because of his injury, his academic talents were still recognized outside of the court as Towns was named an OSU Scholar-Athlete.
Towns expressed his frustration over his injury holding him back from playing on the court with his teammates. But he said having the chance to play at all has helped carried him and he “would be living in vein to let anything overshadow that.”
“As for my immediate future, I’ll be taking some time to figure out what my next chapter looks like. But, I am excited to find what is next for me and rest in my faith that I will be placed – as I always have been – exactly where I am intended to be,” Towns said.
