When Karl Towns, the father of current New York Knick Karl-Anthony Towns, was hired as head coach of the boys’ basketball program at St. Joseph of Metuchen – KAT’s alma mater – it seemed like the proverbial slam dunk.

Here was a connection with the father of arguably the school’s most prominent alum, who was singlehandedly the biggest draw in the league during his three years with the Falcons and helped fill the seats at the GMC Tournament Finals at Rutgers. Who helped his team to three trips to the now-defunct Tournament of Champions, winning the title in 2014. Who went on to Kentucky to play for John Calipari, was taken first overall in the NBA Draft after one season by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and who came “back home” in a blockbuster trade with the Knicks.

But that trade might have indirectly led to Towns deciding to leave St. Joe’s, where the school and head basketball coach Karl Towns, Sr. have parted ways. In a press release sent out Thursday afternoon, the school says Towns “stepped down to pursue other opportunities.”

Towns’ was hired in June of last year, to much fanfare. It was seen as a golden opportunity for fundraising and publicity for the Falcons’ program. And it helped smooth over a long rift between Karl-Anthony and the school, after it let go of his coach, Dave Turco, in 2017. Towns’ displeasure with the move was reported by Jeremy Schneider of NJ.com.

But he had no idea at the time that Karl-Anthony would get shipped to New York in September, and his father was away at times once the season started, often shown on television courtside at Madison Square Garden. He would travel to see him play over the years, but now, he was just across the river.

Karl’s assistants generally led the team in games regardless. When Central Jersey Sports Radio broadcast St. Joe’s against Montgomery in the Friends of South Amboy Tournament in December, Towns told us in our pregame prep that his assistant John Nessler would be coaching the team, not him. While he was there on the bench, during timeouts, Towns was not generally in the huddle.

That would continue throughout the year. And per MyCentralJersey.com reporter Josh Rosenfeld – who posted updates of the game on social media – Towns was not in the Maglio Gymnasium on February 13th, for example, when the Falcons played their First Round GMC Tournament game against Timothy Christian, which they lost, 56-53. Watching the game on the school’s livestream, Towns was not seen on camera in the bench area.

In the end, St. Joe’s finish 6-16 this season, 3-7 in the GMC Red Division, a year after winning the Red under Jan Cocozziello, who was let go last April after five seasons at the helm.

“A search for the next head basketball coach will begin immediately,” the release by the school said.

“We thank Coach Towns for his contributions to the Saint Joseph basketball program,” Director of Athletics Bill 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.”