Karl-Anthony Towns reveals high school inspirations
11/12/2024 06:30 PM
Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns has been a basketball phenom long before he ever ended up in New York — or even on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ — radar.
Growing up in Piscataway, New Jersey, Towns was an elite high school recruit at basketball powerhouse St. Joseph in Metuchen. That’s where then-Kentucky coach John Calipari first started watching him, and Towns was soon a Wildcat on the fast-track to the 2015 NBA Lottery.
Sitting down with Hall of Famer Ahmad Rashad, Towns reflected on growing up in Jersey, across the Hudson River from his current home arena, Madison Square Garden. As Rashad pointed out, his area has produced a plethora of NBA players, including Tim Thomas, Kyrie Irving, David West, JR Smith, Al Harrington, and Luol Deng.
“It’s a good list, a lot of talent. [Don’t forget] Derrick Character,” Towns added. “It just showed me it was possible. I think that’s what the OG’s and vets showed me. They took the chance at the dream and they went to capture the dream and showed it was possible in our neighborhood.”
It was Character, drafted in the second round in 2010, who showed Towns that the NBA was a realistic dream.
“For me in Piscataway, Derrick Character getting drafted to the Lakers and playing for them showed that it’s possible to make it in the NBA,” he said. “I just wanted my opportunity so I just worked tremendously hard. It never started with the NBA dream. It started with getting to pillars and moments in my career.”
Karl-Anthony Towns’ dreams went beyond the NBA, New York Knicks
As he alluded to, Towns was more than an aspiring NBA player growing up. He explained to Rashad that he appreciated all the steps along the way.
“It never started with the NBA dream,” Towns said. “You start with getting to pillars, moments in your career. I just wanted to get a [Division I] scholarship. Then you get a D-I scholarship, I want to play professional.”
Towns made his international debut in 2012, two years before he ever suited up in Lexington. The experience playing for the Dominican national team at age 16 put his dreams into perspective.
“For me, I was lucky. I played for the Dominican national team so I knew the world was bigger than just the NBA,” he said. “It showed me what it was to be a pro. I was a young kid, super happy to be around players I watched on TV and got chances to study their games from afar, and to be able to be in a setting where I got to now learn first-hand what makes them special was really, really cool.”
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