Why a 4-Star F Decided to Play Basketball at Harvard Over Michigan & Ohio State

Four-star basketball prospect, small forward Seth Towns, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, surprised many when he verbally committed to play for Harvard over traditional powers Ohio State and Michigan. He is slated to graduate high school next year and arrive at Harvard in the fall of 2016.

Wednesday afternoon, Towns explained his decision in his own words to Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles.

There's a quote I love by [Ralph Waldo] Emerson: "Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path." Dismantling normality, that's what I stand for. I'm attempting to dismantle normality, personally, by going to Harvard.  

My goal is to go pro with a Harvard degree. That's the perfect scenario.

Outside of basketball, my dream is to work at Google. I want to be a software developer and plan on majoring in computer science. A degree from Harvard would be special and set me apart.

It was extremely difficult to turn those other schools down. I've been a Buckeyes fan all my life, and I have a really close relationship with Michigan. 

The gym I go to is pretty popular around Columbus. When I got there, I was on the local news. Everybody's looking at me asking why I picked Harvard.

I'm thinking, "Are you kidding?"

Why go to Harvard? For some people, it should be a no-brainer, especially if you know me. It's the perfect place to go. I prayed about it, and God answered my prayers.

Academically, there aren't many that will challenge Harvard. Athletically, I think they're on an unbelievable rise. They even signed [Siyani] Chambers, who was Mr. Basketball for Minnesota. It's just the perfect time for me to represent the best academic school athletically.

A lot played into my decision. A major factor was going to Crimson Madness [Harvard open practice] before the start of the season. It was then that I just fell in love.

With all the intelligence around me there, it will be such a great opportunity to learn, and that's really the goal as you progress through life.

[Harvard coach Tommy Amaker] also played a huge role in all of this. With him in charge, a lot of things have changed within the program. He's a great person, a great role model and a great coach.

Not a lot of 17-year-olds want to make the decision of going to Harvard over going to bigger, championship-contending schools. For me, it's a chance to do something different. We had a heart-to-heart talk at one point that kind of set it off for me. He laid out everything. I'm making my own path to create my vision, and he's going to help me do it.

Life has been great since I committed. So much weight has been lifted off my shoulders since committing. Now, when I'm playing, I'm not trying to prove myself every time. I'm not worried about all the scouts. It's so relieving now.

I see this as an opportunity for me to do something that nobody else will. I fell in love, and I followed my heart. This basketball recruiting thing is a business, and I had to make a business decision. It just made sense—everything about it. This is the perfect situation, and I'm really blessed to get the offer and accept it. 

All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.