Feb. 13, 2008

Like most students choosing a college, Samford senior Taryn Towns had many reasons for choosing to attend Samford. But a question her mother asked her during the recruiting process helped make up her mind.

"My mom asked me before I came here if I would rather be a part of something that is already big, or help something grow," Towns said. "So, that was my decision to come here and help it grow."

When Towns came to Samford in the fall of 2004, the program only had one winning season and it was coming off a season in which the team was 10-17 overall and 3-13 in its first season in the Ohio Valley Conference.

"The program had just started, not even 10 years before I got here," Towns said. "I like being a part of making it better and building a team."

In her first season at Samford, the Bulldogs improved to 13-15 overall and 6-10 in OVC play, and qualified for the conference tournament for the first time. The Bulldogs earned the seventh seed in the conference tournament and they played at second-seeded Southeast Missouri.

Despite a lopsided loss to SEMO earlier in the season, the game went down to the wire, with the Bulldogs falling in a hard-fought game, 47-45.

Even though she was a freshman, Towns played in 27 of the team's 28 games, and she was fourth on the team in assists and steals.

In her sophomore season, the team saw major improvement, as the Bulldogs won a school-record 21 games and they were 15-5 in conference play. The team hosted a first round game in the league tournament, defeating Jacksonville State, 58-56, giving the team its first appearance in the OVC semifinals.

In the semifinals, the team again faced Southeast Missouri, falling, 59-52. Towns was second on the team in assists, third in steals and fourth in scoring, and she was one of only two players to start all 29 games.

In 2006-07, Towns' junior season, the Bulldogs were 18-13 overall and 12-8 in conference play. The season marked the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have posted back-to-back winning seasons. The team hosted a first-round conference tournament fame, and reached the semifinals of the tournament for a second year in a row.

Taryn Towns is one of three seniors on the 2007-08 team.

Towns led the team in assists, ranked second in steals and fourth in scoring as a junior. She played in all 31 games, starting 28 contests.

Heading into her senior season, Towns was named one of the team's three captains. She said as a captain, she has tried to be more vocal on and off the court.

"I've always had to work on communication and talking more," Towns said. "I think this year, I have stepped up and talked more on and off the court."

With six regular-season games remaining in her senior season, Towns leads the team in assists, and she has already dished out a career-high 90 assists this season. She is tied for second on the team in steals and she ranks fourth in scoring. She also ranks second in the OVC in assist/turnover ratio.

The Bulldogs are 18-6 so far this season, tied for the third-most wins in program history. In Towns' four seasons with the Bulldogs, the teams have posted three of the top four records in the program's history.

For her career, Towns ranks in the top 10 in school history in points scored, rebounds, assists, steals, free throws made, three-pointers made, games started and games played.

As she prepares for her final two regular-season home games, Towns says she has enjoyed her time as a Samford student.

"It has been a great experience," Towns said. "I've gotten to meet a lot of new people and have life-long friends."

Towns says her main goal for her senior season is to help Samford to the program's first-ever conference championship.

"Right now, I am just focusing on trying to win the OVC and getting a ring," Towns said. "We are trying to be the first team at Samford to go to the NCAA Tournament."

Towns began playing basketball when she was six years old, playing on an all boys team with her older brother called the Sharks. She says, since she started playing basketball, college basketball has always been something she has been interested in.

"Ever since I was little, I always wanted to play college basketball," Towns said. "In high school, that was always my goal."

When asked what accomplishment she is proudest of, Towns says getting an education is at the top of her list.

"Right now, just getting an education and having the chance to go to school for free, because not a lot of people get that experience," Towns said. "That, and just playing basketball in college, which I had dreamed about my whole life."

Towns says she is still considering different options on what she will do when her career at Samford ends.

"Right now, I am looking at either graduate school or getting a job somewhere," Towns said. "I may go into pharmaceutical sales, something like that."