Alex Toohey scouting report: Gonzaga Bulldogs signee still developing, but 'he's a winner and a gamer'

Toohey struggled in the Nike Hoop Summit

Every year the Nike Hoop Summit pits America’s best high school basketball players against the top competition from around the world.

NBA scouts and front office executives pay particularly close attention because the week of practices, culminating with a nationally-televised game, takes on a professional feel.

It’s also the first time many are able to see the world’s best against high-level competition.

This year, one of the international prospects that had scouts buzzing was Gonzaga-bound and Australian-born star Alex Toohey.

The 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward has flashed serious upside with the NBA Global Academy and the Australian senior national team, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes at the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in August.

Still, Toohey remained a bit of unknown commodity to many college basketball fans.

While Rivals and ESPN labeled him a four-star prospect, neither site ranked him compared to the rest of his peers in the 2023 class.

247Sports and On3 each tabbed him as a top-100 prospect in the 80-100 range.

After a week up close with Toohey, Team World assistant coach Marshall Cho was impressed by the Australian’s poise and advanced approach to the game.

"He’s a winner and a gamer," Cho said. "Simply put, he may not — especially in a game like this — wow you with his athleticism or strength, but he’s stronger than he looks, more athletic than you give him credit for, and he’s just going to figure it out. He’s going to succeed in whatever position he’s in. He’s a good teammate, he’s super coachable and he’s versatile.”

Photo by Taylor Balkom

That approach has carried over to both his on and off the court presence.

“It’s one thing to watch him on video and it’s another to see him in person,” Cho said. “It’s a whole other thing to see him compete, not just with our world team, but (Thursday) night with the (Portland) Generals. You see he’s able to pick up the ball and go the length of the court, simple crossovers to get himself to the bucket. Nothing fancy, just fundamental and solid. He doesn’t turn the ball over, makes good decisions. He’s the type of player you need to win in games such as this.”

Overall, Cho’s assessment is that Toohey will fit right in with the Bulldogs.

“Gonzaga is getting a super player,” he said.

Cho sees the potential, but the Nike Hoop Summit showed there's still room to grow.

During Saturday’s action, Toohey struggled with the speed and athleticism of Team USA and saw limited minutes after a series in which his shot was blocked on one end and was blown by on the other end for a dunk by Duncanville (Texas) five-star big man Ron Holland.

Toohey played seven minutes, went 0-for-2 from the field, committed a foul and didn’t register any other stats.

Photo by Taylor Balkom

TOOHEY SCOUTING REPORT

Toohey is a fundamentally-sound 6-foot-8 forward who can play the “3” but will likely grow into a “4” at the college level.

Offensively, he’s a well-rounded player who does a little bit of everything. Toohey can score at all three levels, but his lack of elite athleticism limits his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He has a developing three-point shot that will allow him to take them at the collegiate level immediately, but he needs to become a little more consistent to become a true “shooter.”

Defensively, Toohey knows where to be on the floor and because he positions himself well and is stronger than he looks, he has a knack for coming down with rebounds one might not expect him to grab. He may experience some growing pains against high-end teams that put him in pick-and-roll/iso situations due to his lack of elite athleticism and quickness, but he’s an adequate defender.

In two one-on-one situations at the Nike Hoop Summit, Holland and Wheeler (Georgia) five-star point guard Isaiah Collier blew by him for a dunk and foul at the rim, respectively. Foot speed/quickness was an issue.

Toohey’s well-rounded skill-set and high basketball IQ give him a very high floor that should allow him to be a contributor immediately at Gonzaga. While his lack of elite athleticism and quickness limits a true sky-high ceiling and gives him problems against elite talent, he has the skills to develop into a star at the collegiate level over time.