Seth Towns attracts all-star lineup of coaches at Northland open gym

Following a frantic summer of recruiting pitches and scholarship offers, junior Columbus Northland forward Seth Towns can expect much of the same in the fall. Attracting a who's-who cast of college coaches, including Ohio State head coach Thad Matta,Towns was the star of the day in Thursday's open gym at Northland High School.

Despite a slow start, Towns picked up the pace as the games went on, putting together a solid offensive performance. While the 6-foot-8 junior forward's jump-shooting has always been a strong suit, Towns attacked the basket with greater success, showing some improved strength and body control. Playing in front of coaches from Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA, Iowa, Dayton, Harvard, and Wright State, Towns showed the type of skill and versatility that have made him a top priority on the recruiting scene.

"I played alright, came out with a pretty slow start, but I feel like I played pretty good overall," Towns said. "They saw what I could do."

While two schools in attendance, Ohio State and UCLA, have yet to offer Towns, the major player in the gym seemed to be Michigan and assistant coach Bacari Alexander. Spending some time with Alexander concluding Thursday's action, Towns spoke the school that is the early favorite on 247 Sports' CrystalBall.

"You know, it's a great system, great school," Towns said.  "[Alexander] was talking about how I fit just right into their program, I mean, I can't argue with him, so I'm just looking forward to seeing how things work out."

Meeting with OSU and UCLA as well on Thursday, Towns spoke a bit on his interactions with two schools that many feel the 6-foot-8 junior could wind up at.

"They're coming at me pretty hard, talking about how I fit into their systems, and how I would be a great addition to their programs," Towns said. "Right now, I'm just sitting back, seeing how things work out, you know, whoever shows me love, I show love back to."

While fellow 2016 prospects Matthew Moyer and Jon Teske have made college commitments in recent weeks, with Moyer pledging to Syracuse and Teske giving a verbal to Michigan, Towns has not set a timetable on when his anticipated decision may come.

"Kinda waiting things out, letting things fall in place, really," Towns said. "It's like a puzzle. So, just putting things together, and whichever fits, fits, whichever school fits."

At this point in time, Michigan is Towns' top offer, while fellow Big Ten member Iowa has extended a scholarship to the junior wing. Towns also holds offers from Dayton, Ohio, Xavier, and Virginia Tech, with OSU, Wisconsin, and UCLA showing more interest in recent weeks.

Towns is coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 51 percent from the field. Northland will be back in action for open gym on Monday, where Arizona State is expected to be in attendance.

Check out the interview with Towns below.