Nick Townsend (basketball)
| Stanford Cardinal | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 23, 2004 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Nicholas Townsend (born October 23, 2004) is an American college basketball player for the Stanford Cardinal of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He previously played for the Yale Bulldogs.
Early life and high school
Townsend grew up in Chappaqua, New York and initially attended Horace Greeley High School.[1] In 2020, he received the "Mr. Basketball" award as the top basketball player in Section 1 of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, the youngest player and first sophomore to earn that recognition.[2] The New York State Sportswriters Association named Townsend to the Class AA all-state second team that year.[3]
Townsend transferred to the Hotchkiss School to improve his chances of playing basketball during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] However, his junior season at the Hotchkiss School was cancelled due to the pandemic and Townsend missed his senior season due to injury.[4]
College career
Yale
During his first season with the Yale Bulldogs, Townsend appeared in 11 games off the bench. In his sophomore year, Townsend appeared in all 33 games and started 8 games, averaging 6.0 points and 3.9 rebounds. He was recognized with the team's Most Improved Player Award.[5]
In his junior year, Townsend started in all 30 games, averaging 15.4 points (second on the team), 7.1 rebounds (first on the team), and 3.6 assists per game (second on the team). He scored 15 points in an 80-71 NCAA Tournament loss to Texas A&M.[6] Townsend was one of five players named First Team All-Ivy.[7]
Townsend was named captain of the team for the 2025-26 year. In his senior campaign, Townsend led the Yale Bulldogs in points (16.3), rebounds (7.4), assists (4.3), 3-point field goal percentage (46.3%), and steals (1.1).[4] Yale Coach James Jones gave him the nickname "Twinkle Toes" inspired by his footwork on the court.[8] He was named the 2025-26 Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year.[9] The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) named Townsend as one of ten players to the 2025-26 Mid-Atlantic District First Team.[10] His other senior year awards included All-ECAC Second Team honors,[11] College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District,[12] Second Team Academic All-American,[13] and a selection to play in the Reese's Division I All-Star Game held at the NCAA Final Four.[14]
Townsend and his teammates in the Class of 2026 set the Yale school record for most wins as a class, having won 89 games in four years.[15]
On August 18, 2026, Townsend announced that he would be entering his name into the NCAA transfer portal while seeking a fifth year of collegiate eligibility.[16]
Stanford
On August 25, 2026, Townsend announced that he would be transferring to Stanford.[17]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Yale | 11 | 0 | 4.7 | .600 | .333 | .429 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 2.5 |
| 2023–24 | Yale | 33 | 8 | 17.8 | .448 | .296 | .796 | 3.9 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 6.0 |
| 2024–25 | Yale | 30 | 30 | 30.5 | .529 | .482 | .744 | 7.1 | 3.6 | .8 | .2 | 15.4 |
| 2025–26 | Yale | 30 | 30 | 33.3 | .511 | .463 | .753 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.1 | .2 | 16.3 |
| Career | 104 | 68 | 24.5 | .508 | .442 | .750 | 5.6 | 2.7 | .7 | .2 | 11.3 | |
Personal life
Townsend's family includes many Ivy League athletes including his maternal grandfather Chet Boulris (football and baseball at Harvard), uncle Craig Boulris (baseball at Harvard), uncle Mark Boulris (football at Harvard), mother Lori Townsend (track and field at Harvard), sister Meaghan Townsend (track and field and crew at Harvard), and older brother Matt Townsend (basketball at Yale).[4]
References
- 1 2 Thomson, Josh (July 14, 2020). "Boys basketball: Greeley's Nick Townsend, Section 1's best, transfers to Hotchkiss". The Journal News. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Thomson, Josh (March 25, 2020). "Boys basketball: Horace Greeley's Nick Townsend the youngest Section 1 Mr. Basketball ever". The Journal News. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "NYSSWA's RoadToGlensFalls.com: 2020 all-state basketball teams". roadtoglensfalls.com. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Nick Townsend - 2025-26 - Men's Basketball". Yale University. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Bennett, Tim (March 26, 2024). "Wolf, Townsend Named Academic All-District". Yale Bulldogs. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- ↑ Megargee, Steve (October 28, 2025). "Yale's Nick Townsend is one of several players from traditional one-bid leagues who bear watching". NBC Connecticut. Associated Press. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Ivy League Announces Men's Basketball Major Awards and All-Ivy Teams". ivyleague.com. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Anthony, Mike (November 5, 2025). "Nick Townsend waited for his turn. Now he's leading Yale men's basketball into season". CT Insider. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Men's Basketball Major Awards and All-Ivy Teams Announced". ivyleague.com. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "NABC Announces Division I All-District Teams, Coaches of the Year". National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "ECAC Announces 2026 DI Men's Basketball All-ECAC Teams and Major Award Winners". ecacsports.com. March 25, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ↑ "Townsend Tabbed CSC Academic All-District". Yale University. March 25, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ↑ "2025-26 Academic All-America® Men's Basketball teams announced for all NCAA and NAIA divisions". academicallamerica.com. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Townsend Selected for 2026 NABC Reese's Division I All-Star Game". Yale University. March 31, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ↑ Gilkinson, Brody (March 4, 2026). "Bulldogs to host Princeton, honor three seniors in final home game". Yale Daily News. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ @JoeTipton (August 18, 2026). "Yale forward Nick Townsend, the Ivy League Player of the Year, plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agent Adam Godes tells @On3. The 6-7 senior averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game this past season, shooting 46.3% from three" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ Burke, Jason (August 25, 2026). "Stanford Adds Size and Shooting in Yale Transfer Nick Townsend". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved August 26, 2026.