Greeley Alumni Nick Townsend is having a career year for Yale basketball
In 2020, Horace Greeley basketball had an all-time year. The group led by first-year head coach Matt Simone went 22-3, won the Class AA title, and was scheduled to play in the 2020 Class AA State final, a game tragically canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The star of this team was sophomore Nick Townsend. The 6’7 PF was unstoppable in his time at Greeley. Despite only playing two seasons, he averaged 21 points and 15 rebounds, was the first sophomore to win the section one Mr. Basketball award given to the best player in the section, and was all-league, conference, and section in both his years at Greeley. Nick credits the relationships and bonds that were built and the team chemistry for their successful season. He also speaks extremely positively of Coach Simone, saying “We still stay in touch and I love seeing him when he comes up to Yale a few times a year”
Following his two years at Greeley, Nick transferred to the Hotchkiss prep school in Connecticut. He never got to fully showcase his basketball talent there, as his Junior and Senior seasons were riddled with COVID cancellations and injury issues. Despite these two tough seasons, Yale coach James Jones saw something in Townsend’s abilities. Townsend’s older brother had also played basketball at Yale before him, which created an early connection between Nick and Coach Jones. On April 2nd, 2021, Townsend announced that he would be heading to Yale to play basketball. Before heading to Yale, Townsend returned to Greeley to graduate with his closest friends.
Nick played limited minutes in his freshman season, only appearing in 11 games and playing 55 total minutes. It wasn’t until his sophomore campaign that his abilities were showcased. On a team that made a magical Cinderella run to the round of 32 in March Madness, Townsend played key minutes off the bench. He played in 33 games and averaged 18 minutes per game. His 6.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG were extremely helpful to Yale. Nick also spent this season sitting behind and learning from Danny Wolf, a 7 ‘0 center who transferred to Michigan in the offseason and is now a projected first-round pick in the NBA Draft. Townsend said he created a close bond with Wolf early on in his time at Yale, as they were in the same recruiting class. Townsend’s growth and Wolf’s exit opened a spot for him to be a premier scoring option for the Bulldogs in 2024-25, and he has thrived.
Townsend is currently averaging 14 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Nick leads the team in rebounds per game and is second in scoring, only following star guard and March Madness legend John Poulakidis. Since playing Minnesota on November 16th and struggling with just four points, Townsend has scored double figures in each of Yale’s last 11 games. Nick has started all 16 games this season and has been instrumental in Yale’s dominant opening to IVY League conference play.
Townsend most credits his breakout year to his disciplined routine. His offseason work in both the court and the weight room made Nick feel more confident in his abilities to execute in the game. Townsend also credits his coaches for the belief and persistence they had in his game. As the IVY League season continues, Nick will hope to build on his strong start to the season and help lead Yale to its second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.
