Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann announced on Tuesday afternoon that sixth-year senior forward Seth Towns will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab from offseason back surgery.
“He will do everything he can to return to full health,” Holtmann said during his media availability at the Schottenstein Center. “I’m disappointed for Seth. I know he’s had a go of rough injuries. He’s a terrific young man and has really worked at this thing.”
The 6-foot-8 and 230-pound Towns averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 25 games for the Buckeyes last season – his first with the program after transferring from Harvard.
However, this is the latest in a long line of injuries for Towns, who was named the Ivy League Player of the Year following his sophomore season in 2017-18 – when he averaged 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game – but missed the next two years with separate knee injuries.
When it was announced in September that he was undergoing back surgery, the expectation was that Towns would miss just three to four months, putting him on track to return to action by mid-December. Things haven't worked out as the Buckeyes had hoped, though.
“This was something that we literally just got news on in the last 24 hours,” Holtmann said. “Up until that point, we assumed that he was going to be able to return at some point. The doctors said, ‘Hey, let’s just shut you down and focus on rehab.’ They evaluated him early this week and that’s the evaluation they made. There was no setback.”
Holtmann added this isn’t a career-ending injury for Towns, but noted he will have to make a decision on whether or not he wants to return for the extra year of eligibility granted to all student-athletes amid the pandemic.
“It’s important for him to represent this university. It means something to him. He’s a Columbus kid,” Holtmann said. “I’m optimistic that his days in a Buckeye uniform aren’t over, I really am.
“For him, it’s disappointing that he doesn’t get a chance to get out there with his teammates this year and perform because he worked all summer for that. Again, I’m optimistic there will be brighter days for him.”
Be sure to check out our new message boards, Buckeye Forums. We'd love to have you part of the conversation during the season.
More must-reads: