Trey Townsend disputes report that he chose Arizona over Ohio State due to NIL concerns

Former Oakland forward Trey Townsend committed to Arizona out of the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday.

His commitment reportedly came down to the Wildcats and Ohio State after visiting both schools last week.

After his decision was made public, a reporter on X, Zyavier Ricks, reported that Ohio State paid $200k of $450 in NIL compensation to “one of their best players last season,” and that they are “refusing to pay the rest.” Townsend’s circle reportedly caught wind of this, which “heavily influenced” his decision to play for Arizona as opposed to being a Buckeye.

Townsend debunked the report with one word:

Lies https://t.co/JxQCyrh9ZY

— Trey Townsend (@treyt430) April 25, 2024

Ricks has since doubled-down on his report, despite Townsend’s denial.

“I see folks are doubting the credibility of the Ohio State story put out earlier,” he wrote. “I 100% stand by its credibility. I don’t do this for clicks. When players are intentionally getting screwed by schools, I feel obligated to report on it. I will not stop speaking the truth.”

Regardless, Townsend is heading to Arizona, where they will be acquiring a two-time All-Horizon League selection and won the conference’s Player of the Year award in 2024 after leading a first-place finish in the league plus a victory in the conference tournament championship to make it to the NCAA Tournament. He notably helped the Golden Grizzlies take down Kentucky in the first round.

He averaged 17.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Oakland this past season. Across four seasons, Townsend has logged 1,813 points and 889 rebounds. One more season in college gives him the chance to become a 2,000-point scorer while also logging 1,000 career rebounds — a feat not every forward gets to compete for.

While he stayed true to his 17-point average during the Kentucky upset, he went above and beyond in Oakland’s Round of 32 game while attempting to quell NC State’s eventual run to the Final Four. He put up a 30-point, 13-rebound performance before falling to the Wolfpack 79-73 in overtime.

That wasn’t his best performance of the season, either. Against Milwaukee in the Horizon League Tournament championship game, he recorded 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting, including cashing in of 14 of his 18 free throw attempts.

Now heading to Arizona, he’ll likely continue this same dominance in the paint and on the glass. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.