Alex Toohey always knew the physicality of the game would be one of his biggest early learning curves in the NBL — and then it hit him, literally. Kouat Noi, that is.
All 103 kilograms of him “charging downhill” at Toohey and “dropping shoulders every play”, as the 20-year-old told foxsports.com.au last week at Sydney Kings training.
“It definitely got to me,” he said.
Toohey, who added he is set for an “elevated role” this year, was speaking ahead of his second season in the NBL as part of the league’s Next Stars program.
The expectation is that it will be Toohey’s final season in Sydney before turning his attention towards the NBA Draft, where ESPN had him projected as a late second-round pick.
Toohey admitted his first pre-season with the Kings was a “big shock”.
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“My body was probably one of the biggest prohibitors in my game,” he said, recalling those early sessions trying to guard Noi.
“But I think getting into that early and realising that Kouat is a very talented player and a very physical man… playing against that in pre-season gave me the confidence in the season where if guys are coming down at me, I’ve played through this before and I can kind of adjust to it.”
That was the benefit of playing in the NBL too. Toohey was given the time and space to make those adjustments, not just to the physicality but also the speed of the game.
Although Toohey very easily could have taken a different route, having initially committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the college route before having a change of heart.
What followed was a “super tough decision”, as Toohey described it.
Here, foxsports.com.au speaks to Toohey about that decision, what he learned in his first season at the NBL and what is to come in his second year with the Kings as he looks to become the next Australian to make it to the NBA.
Goorjian sees bright future for Boomers | 01:50
‘IT’S UP TO YOU’: WHY TOOHEY CHOSE NBL OVER COLLEGE
Starting with the decision to pass up the college route, Toohey said that while a “hard” call, the opportunity to learn the right habits in a professional environment was appealing.
It was something he had heard from Australian NBA veteran Joe Ingles, who told Toohey that playing in the NBL and then later overseas was “the best thing” for him.
“Obviously everyone is different but I model myself on Joe a bit so seeing that, I took that on board too,” Toohey said.
More recently, he had also seen the success recent Next Stars including Josh Giddey had in the NBA after coming through the program.
He had also seen players go down the college route only to not be ready to produce at NBA level right way, spending a few years in the G-League before dropping off the radar.
“It was definitely hard,” Toohey said.
“It’s such a nurturing environment in college where everyone has been done before and it has all been laid out for you. But with the pros it’s up to you.
“You can be as good as you want in the pros and maximise your time and go wherever you want in basketball.
“So, throwing myself into that early and making sure I figure out my priorities and my daily habits, I think that was super important for me and I feel like last year there was a lot of learning but this year I feel like I’m really nailing down on a few things and areas where I was a bit lapsed last year so the body is feeling good and every part of my game feels good for this year.”
Giddey, one of the Next Stars program’s biggest success stories so far, wrote in a column for News Corp last year that the NBL is the “perfect stepping stone” to the NBA.
“There’s little doubt that playing in the NBL accelerated our development and readiness for the NBA,” he added.
“Often, it wasn’t even about statistics.”
Instead, it is about how you fit into a system. How you buy into the team’s playbook.
You may not be the most talented player on the roster and even Toohey, while on a clear pathway to the NBA, had to earn playing time in a forward rotation that included Noi, DJ Hogg and Jaylin Galloway.
But it was the fact Toohey had to earn those minutes and earn the respect of his teammates, fitting into the Kings’ playing style and adopting a team-first mentality, that made the NBL all the more appealing.
“The scouts understand that if you’re not the best player in the league you’re not going to play 30-35 minutes a game,” Toohey said.
“It’s such a physical and fast league. It’s the second-fastest league in the world, so understanding the minutes aren’t going to be there for a lot of guys but it’s just about showing glimpses and being in that system and showing that when you get to the NBA you can play along the superstars like LeBron James, Giannis, Jokic.
“That’s ultimately where everyone starts — at the bottom of the food chain and making sure when you get there you’re ready to play and ready to step up. I just think getting into that early and understanding that if you have a good year it means twice as much as in college.”
That kind of forward-thinking is what stood out to Marty Clarke, technical director of the NBA Global Academy, when he first met Toohey in his early teenage years.
Toohey’s name first popped up on Clarke’s radar when he made an under-15 team to go to the Oceania Qualifiers, although he broke his arm and couldn’t end up going.
But even at that point, at just 14 years old, the same qualities shone through.
“He’s always organised, he’s very self-motivated,” Clarke told foxsports.com.au.
“He had ambitions, he kind of knew what he was wanting to do. Now he’s still got a bit to go because his ambitions were high. He wanted to represent Australia at the Olympics, he wanted to play in the NBA.
“He’s got those things still in front of him but he’s certainly made some good strides towards getting those two things done.”
As was the case with Johnny Furphy, who was able to lean on Clarke for guidance on mapping out his pathway to the NBA, Toohey — who joined the Global Academy and Centre of Excellence in 2020 — was also able to benefit from having a second opinion.
Although, as Clarke pointed out, it was less a case of him making suggestions and more a matter of informing Toohey and his family of the different pathways that were available.
After all, if there is one point Clarke always stresses when it comes to player development, it is that progress is not linear and, in a similar sense, everyone goes on their own individual journey.
For Toohey, that meant playing in the NBL and now under the coaching of Brian Goorjian.
“He had a good opportunity to play last year and he’ll be in a situation where he couldn’t have a better coach to help him get to where he wants to get to this year,” Clarke said.
EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF GOORJ… AND OVERCOMING SHOOTING STRUGGLES
Speaking of which, it didn’t take long for Goorjian to leave an impression on Toohey at the Kings pre-season — and that was without saying much either.
You see, Goorjian just has a presence. There is a confidence there, not arrogance, but a kind of aura that comes with being a six-time NBL championship-winning coach.
“Seeing him around, kind of having him over your shoulder when shooting, you just know what he’s about to say,” Toohey said.
“So you’re kind of thinking like that and then one look at him and you can tell exactly what he’s about to say. He knows the game inwards and out. He’s been doing this for so many years so there’s nothing new to him.”
It also helps that Toohey has been in and around the Boomers set-up too, so Goorjian is already familiar with the 20-year-old’s game.
But on a broader scale, Toohey said early indications are that Goorjian — who is replacing Mahmoud Abdelfattah after Sydney finished with a 13-15 record last season — is not looking to make any wholesale changes or force his coaching style onto the team.
Instead, he has been all ears and so, the first few days after he arrived for pre-season, Goorjian just took it all in and listened.
“He didn’t say much,” Toohey said.
“He just wanted to watch and get a feel for where we were at. He trusted his assistant Billy T (Bill Tomlinson) to run that, they’ve been together for a while so he wanted to see what we had going and what was working for us from the start.
“He didn’t want to change everything straight away, he just wanted to tweak things he saw. He just wants to keep playing to everyone’s strengths and making sure he’s getting the most out of everyone.
“I think that’s definitely the best thing about him coming back, how much he listens and how much he knows what he’s doing but doesn’t control every aspect of it. He lets the guys make their own decisions and I think that’s what gets the most out of us.”
Getting the most out of Toohey can mean a lot of things, although a major developmental focus for the 20-year-old has been his outside shooting.
While Toohey was able to rely on getting to the rim early in his career, he also knew that adding the shooting piece to his game would be important, particularly given how valuable versatile wings are in the modern NBA.
Toohey said he “struggled” with his confidence at times last year, adding he would shoot five 3-pointers in one game and then go another four without attempting a single shot.
But this year he is “expecting an elevated role” and with that comes the need to be ready every time the ball comes his way. That includes showing no hesitation as a shooter.
“I think it’s about making sure I’m staying ready this year and I think I’ve come leaps and bounds compared to where I was last year,” Toohey said, and he proved it at the recent NBL Blitz, going 6-for-8 from deep while scoring 26 and 24 points against the Phoenix and Breakers.
“The coaches have been great. Billy T, our assistant coach and Goorj have put a lot of faith in me and they’re always egging me on to get more reps and shoot before training and encouraging me in training that there are no bad shots.
“So, just making sure I build that confidence and obviously it’s playing a team game and we want to win so I’m not going to just shoot terrible shots all the time, but it’s just having that belief that I can make any shot on the court.”
Again, while Toohey’s focus is currently on the Kings, how he performs in the NBL will obviously also impact his draft stock, and so improving his shot will only add to the well-rounded skillset that makes him a solid two-way NBA prospect.
The return of former NBL MVP Xavier Cooks after a short stint overseas will also open up even more shooting opportunities for Toohey, who is underrated as a passer and versatile on the defensive end.
Liam Santamaria, GM of Next Stars Recruitment, said Toohey has an “NBA skillset” on the wing.
“Every NBA team has bigs who can roll to the rim and be a lob threat and they have guys who can operate out of pick-and-roll and they’re primary scoring threats,” he told foxsports.com.au.
“In addition to that, they need guys who have positional size, are multi-positional defenders and who can knock it down from long range. Alex has all of those strings to his bow.
“There’s a lot to his game but what I think is particularly attractive to NBA teams is that he has good size for a wing, can knock down the corner 3 and is a versatile defender.”
Funnily enough, that description could also apply to a current NBA player that Toohey idolises — or at least during the peak of his career.
But even now, at 34 years old, he still has it in him and Toohey said it first-hand this summer.
THE SESSION WITH AN IDOL THAT PROVED THE NBA ISN’T SO FAR AWAY
Toohey is far from the only Australian to work out with renowned NBA skills trainer Jordan Lawley, who has also trained Giddey and Dyson Daniels along with the likes of Julius Randle, Jalen Suggs and even Carmelo Anthony.
Toohey first worked out with Lawley last NBL pre-season when he was over in Los Angeles for six weeks. This time around he had around two months, so he was able to really make the most of the opportunity.
That opportunity included the chance to train with his aforementioned idol, Klay Thompson.
“(Klay is) a similar size as myself,” Toohey said.
“Being able to shoot the three at an unconscious rate and then the way he puts the ball on the floor and plays defence is something I try pride myself on so I definitely watch a lot of him and try see what I can do to get to his level.”
Like Goorjian, Toohey said Thompson and Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, who also worked with Lawley both summers, had a particular presence that carried weight.
“Just seeing them walk into the gym,” Toohey said.
“They’re obviously normal people so there’s nothing crazy about them but the fact they’ve mastered their skill, they’re so renowned for what they do… just seeing how good those guys are compared to the level we’re at now, it’s just incredible to see.
“It helped me see where I’ve got to be at to get to that next level.”
And suddenly, in moments like that one, when he was sharing a court with the same player he looked up to as a starry-eyed teenager, getting to that next level didn’t seem too far away.
“It’s weird now that I’m close to those guys when a year or two ago that was just another dimension for me,” added Toohey.
“The NBA was so far away but now it’s kind of creeping up and when I see it and those pros being around I realise this is something where it’s obviously another level from me but that gap between myself and them is definitely closing.
“So, I see myself progressing well and hopefully getting there one day.”
The 2024-25 NBL season begins in Perth with the inaugural HoopsFest from September 19 to 22. You can watch every game of the first ever NBL Hoopsfest LIVE on ESPN, via Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
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