Townes was born in Edison, New Jersey to Bryant and Luisa Townes but grew up in the nearby city of Rahway. While in fifth grade, he moved to South Amboy, New Jersey. Townes began his high school years at Cardinal McCarrickHigh School in South Amboy, where he played basketball under head coach Joe Lewis. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, earning first-team All-County honors from The Star-Ledger and leading the team to a 22–7 record. At the time, he was being recruited by several major college programs, including Miami, Rutgers, and Virginia. Before his junior season, Townes announced that he would transfer to St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, in pursuit of "bigger and better opportunities." He joined a lineup that featured future National Basketball Association players Karl-Anthony Towns and Wade Baldwin IV. As a senior, he averaged about 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game, being a third-team All-State pick by The Star-Ledger. His team, which was ranked the 12th best in the nation by USA Today, finished with a 30–2 record and won the state's Tournament of Championsfor the first time in program history. He accumulated 1,863 points, the most in school history behind Jay Williams. Townes also saw success on the football field at St. Joseph, where he played the outside linebacker position. He drew interest from various college football programs, such as Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers, but eventually chose to focus on basketball.
College career
A three-star recruit, Townes decided to start his college basketball career with the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, turning down offers from Saint Peter's, South Alabama, Hartford, and Charleston Southern. In his freshman season for the Knights, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. On December 29, 2015, against Towson, he recorded 18 points, six rebounds, and five steals, all season-bests. As a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson, Townes started in all 33 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He led the team to the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, where they lost to Florida Gulf Coast in the First Four round. After his second season in college, Townes announced that he transfer to play for the Loyola Ramblers. He sat out in the 2016–17 season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association transfer rules. On November 24, 2017, he scored a season-high 23 points to help beat UNC Wilmington. At the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Townes helped Loyola, an 11-seed, make a Cinderella run to the Final Four. In the team's Sweet 16 match-up with Nevada, he made a game-winning three-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in regulation. With his success in the tournament, he garnered national attention, being featured in the New York Post and Chicago Tribune. Coming into his senior season, Townes was named to the Preseason Second Team All-MVC. He was named MVC Player of the Year. Townes averaged 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game as Loyola won 20 games and earned a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.
Professional career
On July 23, 2019, Townes signed with UCAM Murcia of the Liga ACB. He averaged 6 points per game during his rookie season. On June 10,2020, Townes extended his contract by one season.
