NIU hires men's assistant basketball coach

Northern Illinois hired Todd Townsend on Wednesday to be its newest men's assistant basketball coach. Townsend replaces Dennis Gates, who left NIU to take a similar position at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Townsend was an assistant coach at Northeastern University from 2007-08 and has also served as the director of basketball operations at Marquette, where he played for the Golden Eagles.

"Everyone I spoke with about him had nothing but quality things to say about him and his relationship with the players," NIU coach Ricardo Patton said. "That was important to me. That was top priority, that we brought in a guy that our players could embrace."

Townsend played 114 games for Marquette and started all 33 games during the team’s Final Four run in 2003. 

"Being a part of a Final Four, how did you get there? I think that's a question I hope most of our players would want to know," Patton said. "He started all of those games in the Final Four and it wasn't because he was a great player. It was because he understood a role."

Patton said Townsend and Gates have different personalities, but Townsend will be able to gel with the current coaching staff.

"I think it'll be a great experience for not only coach Townsend and our players but our staff. It was important to bring in someone that fit in well with coach Sundance [Wicks] and Will Smith," Patton said." We all three have been together a while now. So I wanted to bring someone in that fit."

As for Townsend's reputation as a recruiter, Patton had this to say:

"Coach's Townsend's name is good throughout the state, certainly in the city of Chicago he's well-received, just as Dennis is," Patton said. "Not only with the high school coaches but the AAU coaches talked about seeing coach Townsend in their gym. He seems to be a guy who really enjoys his work and the recruiting piece of it."