Ohio State Forward Seth Towns Stepping Away From Basketball

The seventh-year senior has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, including a back issue that cost him all of last season.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Sep 4, 2022 4:43 PM EDT

In this story:

Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State seventh-year senior forward Seth Towns announced on Sunday afternoon he is stepping away from the game of basketball after an injury-riddled career

“It comes with sadness and faith that I must announce I am stepping away from Ohio State and Team 124, and that I will not be playing this season,” Towns said in a post on Twitter. “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.

“I share with many of you the frustration of not having been able to compete at the level I am capable of, or at least something close to it. Yet, it is the immense gratitude I feel for having the change to play at all that has carried me through for so long. I have been remarkably blessed and would be living in vein to let anything overshadow that.”

Towns – who is a Columbus native – transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2020-21 season from Harvard, where he was the Ivy League Player of the Year. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 25 games that year, but missed all of last season with a back injury that required surgery.

That was the latest in a string of injuries for Towns, who also missed two full seasons with recurring knee issues. He also missed his first six games with the Buckeyes while rehabbing.

Head coach Chris Holtmann said this summer he was hopeful that Towns and sixth-year senior forward Justice Sueing would be cleared for basketball-related activities by September, as preseason practice is set to begin later this month. Sueing was able to return to action, while Towns was not.

“Whether I was playing or sidelined by injury, our success mattered to me all the same because I was bought into you all and the culture we built together,” Towns said. “As for my immediate future, I’ll be taking some time to figure out what my next chapter will look like.

"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.”

With Towns’ decision to step away from the team, Ohio State now has one scholarship available for the upcoming season, as those taking advantage of their extra year of eligibility – like Towns intended – count against the 13-man limit this year.

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