Kurtis Townsend (born December 13, 1957) is an American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
who is an assistant
men's basketball coach at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
. Townsend was an assistant on the
Jayhawks 2007–08 and
2021-22 NCAA national championship team.
Playing career
Townsend is a 1982 graduate of
Western Kentucky University, where he completed his bachelor's degree in recreation and played point guard from 1978–80. The team won the 1980 Ohio Valley Conference championship and earned a bid in the
1980 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 1980 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 6th, 1980, and ended with the championship g ...
where they lost in the first round to Virginia Tech in an overtime game.
Prior to Western Kentucky, Townsend spent two seasons playing at Menlo Junior College in California.
After college, Townsend played one season for the
Montana Golden Nuggets
{{Infobox basketball club
, name = Montana Golden Nuggets
, color1 = #ffffff
, color2 = #b79b0e
, color3 = #000000
, logo = MontanaGoldenNuggets.png
, nickname =
, leagues = C ...
of the
CBA.
Coaching career
Townsend had coaching positions at Miami, USC, and Michigan early in his career. He joined Kansas as an assistant in 2004. In his tenure at Kansas, he has won 2 National Championships. Michigan, Eastern Kentucky and Cal. In the 2022–23 season, Townsend and head coach
Bill Self
Billy Eugene Self Jr. (born December 27, 1962) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, a position he has held since 2003. During his 19 seasons as head coach, he has led the Jayhawks to ...
were suspended for 4 games for recruiting violations.
Personal life
Townsend resides in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife and his five children. He is the brother of former NBA player
Raymond Townsend
Raymond Anthony Townsend (born December 20, 1955) is an American retired professional basketball player. He played three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors and the Indiana Pacers. Townsend played co ...
.
References
External links
Kansas Jayhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Kurtis
1957 births
Place of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
California Golden Bears men's basketball coaches
Eastern Kentucky Colonels men's basketball coaches
Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball coaches
Miami Hurricanes men's basketball coaches
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches
USC Trojans men's basketball coaches
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players