Monte Towe

Monte Corwin Towe (born September 27, 1953) is an American basketball coach and retired basketball player.

Towe attended Oak Hill High School in Converse, graduating in 1971.

There, he played golf, shooting in the eighties.

He also starred on the basketball team, baseball team, and football team—earning All-Area honors for the latter two.

As a quarterback, he led the Oak Hill football team to two undefeated seasons, for a total of eighteen consecutive victories.

At NC State, he played varsity basketball from 1972 through 1975 and varsity baseball from 1972 through 1974.

His roommate was Tommy Burleson.

When he first arrived on campus at North Carolina State University to play varsity basketball, Towe was considered "a novelty, or another publicity gimmick, much like a midget in Barnum & Bailey's" because of his the five foot seven inch (1.7 m) height.

At the time, Towe said, "I've never thought a small man couldn't play sports. I just figure what I lack physically I can make up for mentally—with mental toughness."

Towe played much of his sophomore season with a broken wrist and a broken nose.

Towe, along with David Thompson, is credited with inventing the long pass or alley-oop.

Because dunking was illegal at the time, Towe would throw the basketball to Thompson while he was in the air and Thompson would gently drop the ball in the basket.

As a result, the UPI selected Towe for its small-American team after his sophomore year.

At NC State, Towe also played varsity baseball, covering second base for his first five games in the spring of 1972.

However, he got a late start to the season because he was still playing basketball.

Coach Sam Esposito said, "He came in cold and has been playing second base like he's been here all his life. He's alert, aggressive, and just does things excessively well. Monte's something else, something we've been needing on this team. He keeps us alive, he's a winner and he'll be my second baseman the rest of the year. I'd bet anybody right now that he'll be starting in basketball next year too."

True to his word, Esposito played Towe for the remaining games of the season and he helped the team win seven of its remaining eight games.

His sophomore year, Towe was one of the featured players in the team's media guide However, his broken wrist was expected to hamper a starting position.

He was a starting point guard on the 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team which won the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

At five feet seven inches, Towe is also one of the ten shortest players in NBA history.

Towe was born in Marion, Indiana.

His hometown is Converse, Indiana.

In his junior year, Towe was the starting point guard on 1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team which won the 1974 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

He was the team's assist leader with five or more assists in ten games.

He had eleven assists in the game against Furman University.

Towe was recognized by his selection for the All-ACC team and the all-NCAA Finals team.

With Towe, NC State won the 1973 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament.

In his junior year, Towe was also a member of the baseball team which won 1974 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament.

He attended North Carolina State University, graduating with a B.A. in 1975.

His senior year, Towe received the 1975 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the year's best college player under 6 ft tall.

Towe was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the third round of the 1975 ABA Draft and by the Atlanta Hawks in the fourth round (3rd pick, 57th overall) of the 1975 NBA draft.

Towe joined NC State teammate David Thompson in signing with Denver under coach Larry Brown on June 17, 1975.

He played for the Nuggets 1976, the final year of the American Basketball Association, and in the 1976–1977 season when Denver joined the National Basketball Association.

He played in the 1976 ABA All-Star Game when the game format was Denver vs. All-Stars.

The Denver Nuggets waived Towe in September 29,1977.

After his retirement as a player, Towe returned to NC State and became an assistant under his former college coach, Norm Sloan, from 1978 to 1980.

He then followed Sloan to the University of Florida from 1980 to 1989.

In 1990, Towe did television analyst work for the Charlotte Hornets.

He coached professional teams associated with the Global Basketball Association in the 1990s, including being the head coach of the Raleigh Bullfrogs from 1991 to 1992 and head coach of the Fayetteville Flyers from 1992 to 1993.

In 2016, the 1974 Men's Basketball Team was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame.