Three-star Towns stock on the rise

College basketball coaches love when they find perimeter players who combine great length and athleticism with some skill. That's exactly why Columbus (Ohio) Northland small forward Seth Towns has become a hot commodity this year. He's been hearing from schools all over the country of late.

"Lately, I've been talking to a lot of schools. I've been in contact with Iowa, Harvard, Michigan, Ohio State, Princeton, Purdue and UCLA. Those are the main ones. There have been a few more here and there, but those are the regulars," Towns said.

So far, he says Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue have come through with scholarship offers, and he feels like Harvard is close. He's already visited Ohio State, Harvard and plans to visit Michigan soon.

Towns says five of the schools recruiting him have caught his attention.

"The ones that are standing out are definitely Michigan, Ohio State, Harvard, Iowa and UCLA."

Ohio State is the closest school to where the three-star prospect lives, so he's become very familiar with the Buckeyes.

"It's a really good program. I really like the style they play," Towns said. "I really like the way they play defense too. I really like the coaches and their enthusiasm. I like how the players carry themselves, on and off the court. It's a definitely a program I'm going to look into."

Some kids prefer to get away for college, while some prefer to stay closer to home. Towns wouldn't have to go very far if he chooses Ohio State, and he wouldn't have a problem with it.

"I would be perfectly fine with that. My family is a really tight-knit family. We're all really close to each other. My sister is actually thinking about going to Ohio State."

Ohio State's biggest rival is a making a serious play for Towns as well.

"Michigan is a great program too. They have a lot of history and tradition. The basketball program has been on a spectacular run lately. They have had some tough losses this year, but that happens to everybody. They have an awesome engineering program."

John Beilein has had great success at Michigan both on the court and with developing NBA players, and that's not lost on Towns.

"I'm definitely looking at their success with having players drafted, especially at my position. Caris [LeVery] is being looked at really by NBA scouts and [Nik] Stauskas just got picked high last year."

UCLA also has a ton of former players playing in the NBA, but it's the combination of basketball and academics that has Towns interested in the Bruins.

"That's the best of both worlds when it comes basketball and academics. And it's in Los Angeles. They have a really good program too. It seems like whenever I hear of a good player in the NBA, it's somebody from UCLA. It's insane. They have been showing a lot of interest, so hopefully they offer."

Iowa's coaching staff has built a strong relationship with the Ohio native.

"I'm really close with them. I have a good relationship with one of the assistant coaches and the head coach, too. That's also a great program. They are definitely beating really good teams. They just beat North Carolina. They have a really good program going."

Harvard's rise in basketball over the past several years combined with their academic reputation has them firmly in the mix for Towns.

"Harvard was gorgeous. I've always loved Harvard. Just the thought of going there, that's basically any kid's dream, well any smart kid."

Basketball will obviously play a big role in his decision, but Towns says academics will hold just as much with him.

"Academics are huge when it comes to my decision. It's got to be a good school where I can really flourish in my major so that when I say 'I graduated from this school,' people look at it as impressive when I'm trying to get a job. I'm thinking about computer science or engineering right now for my major."

Towns hopes to have his decision out of the way relatively early if possible.

"I really have no clue when I'll decide. After this high school season sounds pretty good. It's a stressful process and I want to get it out of the way, but I don't want to rush it either."

Through two games as a junior, Towns is averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Dan McDonald is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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