Kurtis Townsend is an American basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

. He is currently assistant men's basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 coach at the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

, under Bill Self

Bill Self

Bill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....

. Townsend was an assistant on the Jayhawks 2007-2008 NCAA national championship team

2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...

.

Playing career

Townsend is a 1982 graduate of Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....

, 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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1980 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1980 NCAA Men's 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 6, 1980, and ended with the championship game on March 24 in Indianapolis, Indiana...

 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

Montana Golden Nuggets

The Montana Golden Nuggets are a former Continental Basketball Association that played from 1980/81 to 1982/83.Montana reached the CBA finals in 1981 and 1983, with George Karl earning Coach of the Year honors both seasons....

 of the CBA

Continental Basketball Association

The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...

.

Coaching career

Townsend is currently an assistant coach at the University of Kansas and helped the team win the 2008 NCAA Championship. Previous positions include Miami, USC, Michigan, Eastern Kentucky and Cal.

Personal life

Kurtis currently resides in Lawrence Kansas with his wife, Linda, and his five kids, Tanika, Marques, Keisha, Kaliyah and Myka.

Kurtis is the brother of former NBA player Raymond Townsend

Raymond Townsend

Raymond Anthony Townsend is a Filipino-American retired professional basketball player.A 6'3", 175-lb point guard, Townsend attended Camden High School and Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, California before playing college basketball at UCLA...

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External links

• Official Website for University of Kansas men's basketball