Former Women's Tar Heels Star Finds New Home

Despite only playing one season at North Carolina, the Virginia native has agreed to terms on a deal with KFUM Ostersund.

Townsend put together a brilliant resume during her four years at Richmond, prior to transferring to North Carolina for her senior season. She became the first Richmond basketball player to reach 1,000 career points, 500 assist and 500 rebounds. She finished her career as the program's 14th overall leading scorer with 1,244 points. 

Heading into her senior season, Townsend decided to enter the transfer portal and take her skills to another school. She caught the eye of head coach Courtney Banghart who immediately put in her chip to bring her to North Carolina. The rest is history.

“When I went in [the transfer portal], I talked to Coach Banghart the entire time,” Townsend said in October. “Most of the time when you go in the portal you talk to assistant coaches.” 

Townsend credits Banghart with bringing out the best in her game. She let her do what she does best and taught her how to be an effective communicator on the floor.

Townsend said she almost felt like a first-year all over again, molding to her new team. But Banghart continues to support her during her adjustment. 

“She's encouraged me to be more vocal, to [get] comfortable [and] play the way I know how to play,” Townsend said. 

She brought a veteran presence to the Tar Heels backcourt. Townsend came in and played in a reserve role, averaging 4.2 points and 2.4 assists per game in 15.6 minutes per contest.

Townsend will be remembered for leading the Tar Heels to a win over Norfolk State where she scored 14 points, mostly coming from the charity stripe as she went 9-of-10 from the line.

As she looks to begin her professional career, she finally gets the opportunity to take her game to the next level. She is a very capable ball-handler who has shown the ability to score points at a high level.

Townsend started her career with the Spiders as a walk-on. She was an undersized guard at 5-foot-5 who could drive the ball through the paint with authority or dish it off to one of her teammates.