By R.L. Bynum
Speed and quickness are common traits in talented point guards, but North Carolina graduate transfer Grace Townsend will bring some rare intangibles to Chapel Hill.
The 5–5 dynamo, who played four seasons at Richmond, possesses a unique blend of shiftiness that can confound defenders and extraordinary court vision, which she calls her ‘third eye.’
You read that right. A third eye.
It’s not another eye but a skill she honed from working with former NBA point guard Ed Sherod for years, starting when she was a freshman at James River High School in Midlothian, Va.
“We developed what is called a third eye, and it’s seeing things before they happen,” Townsend said. “So, definitely working with him a lot, repping it out. As my game developed throughout the years, it came together as to who I am and how I play now.”
Townsend averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds while shooting 47.8% from the floor and a career-high 83.9% at the free-throw line, a big reason the Spiders had a historic season. Richmond went 29–6, won the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament titles — the program’s first league title in 34 years — and earned its first NCAA berth in 19 years.
Her exceptional court vision, ability to shift gears effortlessly, and fearless approach to challenging taller players around the basket are just a few of the qualities that set her apart from most guards.
“The change of speed, that’s one of the things you can’t teach almost,” said Townsend, who scored a career-high 26 points twice last season (at George Washington on Dec. 30 and at home against Rhode Island on Jan. 14) and a career-high five 3-pointers on Jan. 3 against VCU. “Being able to do that is my forte, in controlling my speed and changing my speed.”
Speed describes her recruitment. She went in and out of the transfer portal as rapidly as she gets down the court. Townsend entered the portal at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, and chatted on the phone with Coach Courtney Banghart at about 8 o’clock that night.
Banghart’s pitch was more than just about basketball.
“ ‘We think you are what we need and everything we’re looking for,’ ” Townsend remembers Banghart telling her, in addition to expressing a desire to get someone who could play fast and was an experienced point guard.
The basketball discussion was important, but Banghart sealed the deal when they weren’t talking hoops.
“It was getting to know one another; she was very personable. It was genuine, and that’s when I got the inkling … I really like talking to her,” said Townsend, who, along with her parents, visited Chapel Hill for the first time the following Tuesday.
“Then I went on a visit, and it all fell into place and felt right,” Townsend said. “Her as a person was her pitch.”
She said the dinner with her parents and the coaching staff was fun, full of laughter and good conversations.
“It was great, honestly,” said Townsend, who hung out with the players, had ice cream and got to know them. “It all kind of fell all together. It all kind of started making sense. It just seemed right for me — that’s where I’m supposed to be.”
Townsend canceled plans to visit Maryland and Michigan State after her UNC visit and committed on Wednesday, April 3.
“I had the emotional pull to stay Richmond,” Townsend said. “But, at the same time, I wanted to be challenged. I knew this was the best move to push me, to challenge me, to get me where I wanted to go and grow as a person as well as a basketball player. So, it was emotional, but I’m confident in my decision.”
Townsend will earn undergraduate degrees in political science and PPEL (philosophy, politics, economics and law) from Richmond and pursue a master’s in applied professional studies, concentrating on global studies or political science, at UNC.
She will play with another James River High point guard, Lanie Grant, who reclassified and will begin her UNC career next season. They’ve never played together because Grant was in eighth grade when Townsend was a senior.
Townsend credits her faith and how her parents raised her for going from a walk-on her freshman season at Richmond to being an in-demand graduate transfer recruit four years later.
“I’ve always loved working hard, and I think that’s where you build a lot of character, you build a lot of morality, you build a lot of trust and confidence in yourself,” said Townsend, who was on scholarship by the second semester of her freshman year. “So, just working hard, regardless if I were a walk-on or now going to North Carolina.”
Townsend vowed to keep working hard and with a chip on her shoulder.
She realizes that the competition in the ACC will be tougher than it was in the Atlantic 10 and welcomes the challenge. She got a taste of that when she scored 18 points against Duke in the NCAA tournament.
“I want to compete with the best of the best,” Townsend said. “I’ve shown that I can, but I wanted to do it day in, day out. I went into the portal trying to see what’s out there so that I would never regret not knowing what opportunities were out there.”
She stands out from other guards her size because 53.8% of her shots last season were around the rim. To put that in perspective, the average for Division I women’s players of any height last season was 29.9%.
Townsend says that Richmond’s offense — which often features five players outside the arc — made that easier.
“But also knowing how to play and what I want,” Townsend said. “I just set things up so where I get to the basket, that’s my strength. And I think definitely being undersized to some has also allowed me to find new ways to finish and still get to the basket. I’m most confident when I go to the basket, so I just keep going to the basket and being confident when I shoot it.”
Her ability to make twisting moves around the basket against taller players is remarkable. She often produces a basket, a pass to a post player or a kick-out pass to a perimeter shooter. She also frequently cuts to the basket on give-and-goes, scoring after taking a pass from a teammate.
She realized the size difference early in her college career but said adjusting didn’t take long.
“It’s all about timing,” she said. “It’s all about going up strong and looking for the foul. So, I just keep repping it out. It helps that I was surrounded six-footers all day. I got a lot of practice with that.”
While UNC isn’t likely to play a five-out setup like Richmond, Banghart has told her that creating spacing will be important.
“We’ve talked about in terms of getting out in transition more,” Townsend said. “Her big thing is creating a lot of space and me being able to create space for myself but also for others.”
There’s no doubt that Townsend will bring another element to UNC’s offense next season, third eye and all.
Potential UNC 2024–25 roster
| Year | No. | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | — | Lanie Grant (5 star) | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | — | Blanca Thomas (5 star) | C | 6–5 | |
| Freshman | — | Jordan Zubich (4 star) | G | 5–11 | |
| RS Freshman | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS Freshman | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 10 | Reniya Kelly | PG | 5–7 | |
| Sophomore | 15 | Sydney Barker | PG | 5–6 | |
| RS Junior | 11 | Kayla McPherson | PG | 5–8 | |
| Junior | 24 | Indya Nivar | G | 5–10 | |
| Senior | 5 | Maria Gakdeng | C | 6–3 | |
| Graduate | — | Grace Townsend | G | 5–5 | |
| Graduate | 20 | Lexi Donarski | G | 6–0 | |
| Graduate | 1 | Alyssa Ustby | F | 6–1 |
2023–24 UNC players to enter transfer portal
| Class | Player | Date entered | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | Paulina Paris | March 26 | G | 5–9 | Arizona |
| Graduate | Ali Zelaya | April 1 | F | 6–4 | UNCW |
| Graduate | Anya Poole | April 1 | F | 6–2 | Clemson |
| RS junior | Teonni Key | April 2 | F | 6–4 | Kentucky |
| Sophomore | RyLee Grays | April 5 | F | 6–3 | Virginia |
| Graduate | Deja Kelly | April 8 | G | 5–8 | TBA |
Photos via @SpiderWBBall
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