Adam Grant and SaBastian “Bash” Townes were friends and teammates from a young age.
They starred for Norfolk Collegiate School and then were teammates at Bryant University, a Division I school in Rhode Island.
Grant was floored this week when he learned the devastating news that Townes was killed in a single-tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 64 in Kentucky.
Asked how will he remember his friend, Grant paused and held back tears.
“That’s a hard one. But that was my brother,” he said. “We’ve known each other since I was 11. I stayed with him for four years in high school. After high school, we went straight to college. You’re talking about eight years, back to back. We’re so close. He’s family. He was someone I could trust. Someone I respected. Someone I looked up to, even though I’m 10 days older. He was humble. He was genuine. And he was loving.”
Television station WSAZ reported that Townes died Monday after a crash on the interstate.
Townes, who finished his high school career with 2,053 points, was a two-time All-Tidewater selection and was named all-state four times.
Grant, who was second-team All-Tidewater in 2016, had already committed to Bryant when the school’s coaches became interested in Townes.
“When I heard that, I had to try to keep my composure,” he said. “And I told them, ‘Don’t ask me because that’s my brother, but I don’t want him to make that decision because of me. I’m coming regardless, but take that up with Bash.'”
A few days later, Grant got a phone call from Townes.
“I was trying not to show too much excitement because he had other offers on the table. And I told him, ‘This is your decision, bro. You know where I stand,'” Grant said as he remembered the call and emotion filled his voice. “He called me back and said, ‘I’m riding with you, bro.’ When he said that, man, it was one of best moments of my life.”
The two were introduced by AAU coach Kip Sutton, now the head girls basketball coach at Deep Creek High. One of their teammates included current Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo.
Sutton said he spoke to Townes a few days before this week’s accident, and said he’d never forget when Townes and Grant surprised him last month at the Class 5 Region A championship game at Norfolk State.
His team had just lost to Princess Anne, and Sutton was feeling low.
“When we lost against Princess Anne at Norfolk State, I was down,” he said. “What brought me out of it, I saw Adam and Bash. I hadn’t seen them in a couple of months, so it really made me feel a lot better.”
Grant said he and Townes knew they had to support Sutton.
“We went there to pay homage to the guy who helped us meet,” he said. “He’s the reason we met and played together. He was a pivotal part of why were able to compete at such a high level and continue forward.”
Townes, Grant and Kyonze Chavis helped lead the Oaks to the TCIS Tournament title at Norfolk Collegiate.
“That was a special group, and (Townes) was the center of it all,” former Oaks coach Jim Markey said. “You teach players, and then you coach them. And then every once in a while, you get a player and you just coach that player, and let him teach you. That’s Bash Townes. He was a very special person to me.”
With a heavy heart, we share the news of the untimely passing of SaBastian (Bash) Townes, a 2020 Bryant graduate. He passed away from an accident. A forward on the men's basketball team, Bash credited basketball for changing the course of his life and was a third-Team All-NEC… pic.twitter.com/lGMtwpZWO1
— Bryant University (@BryantUniv) April 17, 2024
At Bryant, Townes was selected third-team All-Northeast Conference as a junior. He averaged 15.1 points and 4.9 rebounds that season. The school said on social media that Townes graduated in 2020 with a degree in communications and a minor in management and psychology.
The last time Grant spoke to Townes was two weeks ago on FaceTime.
“He was telling me how he was going to take some time and enjoy himself and take a vacation,” Grant said. “It was supposed to start next week.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
