Let’s keep this a secret between you and me… Towson has a chance to be one of the best mid-major teams in the country next season.
The Tigers finished 2021-22 with a 25-9 record, winning the CAA regular-season title. They failed to win the CAA Tournament, leading to a first-round exit in the NIT and a 31st straight season without an NCAA Tournament appearance. Things looked bright though for the future, as Towson was slated to return essentially everyone from that team. No one saw what was coming next.
Superstar Cam Holden entered his name in the transfer portal, and it looked like 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game would be gone. Luckily, head coach Pat Skerry picked up a couple of high-quality pieces in the transfer portal to cancel that out.
But much to Skerry’s chagrin, Holden announced he would return, and the roster looks more loaded than a baked potato. Not only do the Tigers return their top four scorers, three of which were All-CAA players from a year ago, but they bring in two of the most highly touted transfer in Towson history. Bright signs for a Tigers program that was once in the dumps.
Towson Transfer Additions
Nygal Russell, SEMO
3.9 Points/4.0 Rebounds/37% FG%
Sekou Sylla, Nova Southeastern
22.4 Points/10.4 Rebounds/57.8% FG%/78.8% FT%
Ryan Conway, Seton Hall
Redshirted/Offers from seven other Power 6 schools/4-Star Recruit
Towson sneakily landed two of the better mid-major pickups in the portal in Nova Southeastern transfer Sekou Sylla and Seton Hall transfer Ryan Conway. Highly touted in their own ways.
Sylla starred at Nova Southeastern, earning himself D2 Player of the Year honors this past season. In a game against Florida Southern, the 6’5” guard dropped 33 points and 21 rebounds. That was the fourth and final time he scored 30+ points on the season while the Sharks went 31-1, losing their only game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sylla picked Towson over the likes of High Point, Saint Bonaventure, and UMBC.
For Conway, he was one of the highest touted public high school basketball players in recent Baltimore history. In his junior season at Dulaney, he averaged 27.3 points per game which included a 55-point outburst against Hereford. Later in the 4A regional title game, he dropped 30 points as the Lions won their first regional title in 42 years. Conway had offers from Kansas State, Marquette, Providence, Rutgers, Stanford, TCU, Vanderbilt, and more the first time around.
To round up the class, Pat Skerry and company added on SEMO transfer Nygal Russell. Russell impressed in prep school at ASPIRE Academy in Louisville and saw action in 86 games in his time in Cape Girardeau.
Add those three pieces in with Charles Thompson (All-CAA Second Team), Nicolas Timberlake (All-CAA First Team), and Cam Holden (All-CAA First Team) and Towson have a roster who can do some damage this season.
TPR’s Projected Starting Lineup for Towson
PG: Ryan Conway
SG: Nicolas Timberlake
3G: Cam Holden
SF: Sekou Sylla
PF: Charles Thompson
