TUCSON, Arizona — Trey Townsend only had Division Two offers coming out of Michigan's Oxford High School. Therefore, he decided to walk on at nearby Oakland University, where is parents both played college basketball.
"My dream was that I wanted to play Division One basketball," said Townsend, inside the media room at McKale Center. Oakland was the only place I had that opportunity.
Sure enough, before the Golden Grizzlies first game, Townsend went from walk-on to starter.
"Fortunately, I was able to make the most of my opportunity."
Last season, Townsend averaged seventeen points and eight rebounds per game, and was named the Horizon League Player of the Year. His team was a heavy underdog against Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It was national TV and prime time against a school like Kentucky. We knew we were going to have eyes on us."
Townsend helped lead Oakland to one of the tournament's biggest upsets. He started every game in four seasons, and had an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.
"If I didn't have an extra year, I would have finished my career at Oakland. But, since I was blessed with that opportunity, I decided to take it."
Townsend got to be recruited in a way he wasn't four years ago.
"So, when Tommy Lloyd, the head coach at Arizona reached out to me, that's a special thing."
Now that he's an Arizona Wildcat, Townsend will slide into a similar role that forward Keshad Johnson, also a graduate transfer, had last year.
"I'm just so excited to get here and play with these talented players, and I'm just so excited for this season."
