Notre Dame Basketball's Newest Addition: Carson Towt

Brenden Duffy
6 days ago
3 min read

It has been a quiet transfer portal for Notre Dame Men’s Basketball, but they did receive a commitment from Northern Arizona's Carson Towt on April 13.

Photo via Carson Towt (X, @CarsonTowt)

The 6-8, 235-pound big man committed to the Irish with one year of eligibility remaining. 247 Sports ranks Towt as a three-star transfer and a top 350 player in the portal. Two players who received the same grade as Towt (89.00) from last year’s portal include Notre Dame’s Matt Allocco, who played relatively well when healthy, and Wisconsin’s John Tonje, who went on to earn an AP All-American Second Team selection in his lone season as a Badger.

Born and raised in Gilbert, Arizona, Towt was unranked and under-recruited in high school. As a senior and team captain in 2019 at Gilbert High School, the big man led his hometown school to a State Championship victory.

Out of high school, Towt originally committed to Cal Baptist but made the move back home to Northern Arizona after just one semester. Due to these circumstances, he was redshirted for the 2019-20 season.

Towt made an impact when he did eventually touch the court in 2020-21 as a redshirt freshman. He appeared in all 22 games, making 19 starts. The big man tallied 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 21 minutes per game. He shot an efficient 53.1% from the field while leading the team in offensive rebounds (38) and blocks (13). In addition, he finished second on the team in total rebounds and assists.

The big man used his extra year of eligibility from the COVID season in 2021-22, retaining his redshirt freshman status. Towt started all 32 games, averaging 30 minutes per contest. He posted 8.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, leading the team in rebounds and assists. Additionally, he led the Big Sky conference in offensive rebounds per game with 2.9. He had 11 games with double-digit rebounds, including a season-high of 18 at South Dakota. Against Embry-Riddle, Towt recorded the second triple-double in program history when he finished the contest with 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Arguably, his best performance of the year occurred in the Big Sky Tournament when he scored a season-high 21 points while adding 16 rebounds in a loss to Eastern Washington.

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As a redshirt sophomore in 2022-23, Towt started all 35 games as he helped NAU to a Big Sky Tournament Final appearance. While receiving about 29 minutes per game, he averaged 10.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3 assists throughout the season. The big man shot 53.2% from the field in addition to leading the team in rebounds, assists, and blocks. His season-highs include a 23-point outing at Montana and a 19-rebound performance at Utah Valley. After leading the ninth-seeded NAU to the Big Sky Final, Towt was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Towt missed the entire 2023-24 season due to a back injury, granting him an extra year of eligibility.

The big man made his return last season and exploded for a career-best year. After starting all 34 games, Towt was selected to the All-Big Sky Second Team and Defensive Team. In 34 minutes per game, he averaged 13.3 points on a very efficient 56.9% from the field. His 12.4 rebounds per game led the nation as he also dished out 3.4 assists per game. He totaled season-highs in points with 24 at Idaho State and rebounds with 19 at Northern Colorado.

At Notre Dame, it is expected that Towt will play "the five" primarily. If he starts, the Irish will be playing positionless, small-ball a majority of the time. Towt's ability to finish over bigger defenders in the paint and grab rebounds should translate to the ACC. His defense, specifically in the post, will be tested throughout the year as he adjusts to ACC-level big man talent.