High School

Father of NBA star Karl Towns, Sr. resigns after controversial season at St. Joseph High School (New Jersey)

The first-year head coach was not present in the gym in at least one St. Joseph game and his assistants generally led the team in games throughout the season

John Beisser

Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) presses against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) presses against Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Karl Towns, Sr., the father of NBA superstar Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, who was hired in June amid a wave of positive local media coverage, has stepped down as the head coach of St.Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ after one season – a season that was not without controversy.

According to CJSportsRadio.com, Karl’s assistants generally led the team in games this season. When Central Jersey Sports Radio broadcast the St. Joe’s-Montgomery in December, Towns, Sr. told the radio crew before the game that his assistant, John Nessler, would be coaching the team, not him. While he was present on the bench, during timeouts, Towns was not generally in the huddle as Nessler took the lead in communicating with the team.

CJSportsRadio.com also reported that Towns was not present in the gym for the Falcons’ February 13 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament (GMC) game vs. Timothy Christian, a game St. Joseph’s would lose, 56-53.

St. Joe’s finished the season with a mark of 6-16, 3-7 in the GMC Red Division, a year after winning the Red under head coach Jan Cocozziello, who was let go last April after five seasons at the helm.

Towns, Sr. was named the St. Joe’s head coach at his son’s alma mater before Towns, Jr. was traded to the Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Throughout the season, Towns, Sr. was often seen on television sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden during his son’s games.

Saint Joseph High School Director of Athletics Bill Tracy announced in a press release that Towns, Sr. P’14 had stepped down to pursue other opportunities.

“We thank Coach Towns for his contributions to the Saint Joseph basketball program,” Tracy said. “Coach Towns has been a part of our school community for over 15 years and has always put the team first. We are sorry to see him leave, but look forward to seeing Karl-Anthony’s success continue to rise on the world’s biggest stage.”

More From High School On SI 

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school boys basketball season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school boys basketball news.

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

Published |Modified
John Beisser
JOHN BEISSER

A recipient of seven New Jersey Press Association Awards for writing excellence, John Beisser served as Assistant Director in the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office from 1991-2006, where he primarily handled sports information/media relations duties for the Scarlet Knight football and men's basketball programs. In this role, he served as managing editor for nine publications that received either National or Regional citations from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). While an undergraduate at RU, Beisser was sports director of WRSU-FM and a sportswriter/columnist for The Daily Targum. From 2007-2019, Beisser served as Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Media Relations at Wagner College, where he was the recipient of the 2019 Met Basketball Writers Association "Good Guy" Award. Beisser resides in Piscataway with his wife Aileen (RC '95,) a four-year Scarlet Knight women's lacrosse letter-winner, and their daughter Riley. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.

Home/New Jersey