TOWSON, Md. – Former Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) standout Nygal Russell will join the Towson University men's basketball team for the 2022-23 campaign.
 
The Houston, Texas native played 117 games over the past four years for SEMO, helping the Redhawks earn a trip to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) semifinal round for the first time in 17 years this past season.  He comes to Towson with one year of eligibility.
 
In 2021-22, he was the team's top rebounder with 6.5 rebounds a game, adding 7.9 points and 2.1 assists per contest.  Russell had 10 double-digit scoring games and five double-digit rebounding contests.  He ranked 13^th in the OVC with a 35% three-point field goal rate and earned a 1.4 assist/turnover ratio.
 
"Nygal is a welcome addition to our program, an experienced veteran whose rebounding, defense, three-point shooting percentage and ball security really stood out to us," said Towson head coach Pat Skerry.  "He grew up in Baltimore County and has many relatives in the area that he is excited to return home and play his final season of college basketball in front of them.  He is an outstanding student, comes from a great family and shares many of the same values that his new teammates possess.  We are excited to get working with him very soon."
 
Last season, Russell was a member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll and a SEMO Scholar-Athlete as a computer information systems major.  In his career at SEMO, he has a 31.4% three-point field goal rate, has averaged four rebounds a game plus has a 1.1 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Russell will be the first-ever Towson player under Coach Skerry from the state of Texas.
 
Before SEMO, Russell played at the ASPIRE Basketball Academy in Kentucky, earning 11 points and five rebounds a game. 
 
Towson earned its winningest Division I season and first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season title in 2021-22, finishing 25-9 overall and 15-3 in the league with its first-ever trip to the National Invitation Tournament.  Towson ranked at No. 10 in the March 7 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 as one of the top mid-major programs in the country.