How Australian Alex Toohey became a coveted Gonzaga basketball recruit

'He’s going to succeed in whatever position he’s in.'

Like many basketball players, Alex Toohey grew up playing multiple sports, and eventually, it came time to focus his attention on one of them.

That decision will be familiar to hoopers across the U.S. Toohey’s second choice, though? Not so much. 

Growing up in Canberra, Australia, Toohey split his time between cricket, which his father had played, and basketball. Eventually, his mind was made up for him. In 2018, Toohey, 14 years old at the time, was selected to the Australian U-15 national team for the Oceania Games. Looking back, he thinks he made the right call in accepting the invitation, even though it meant giving up cricket.

“I was playing that at a pretty high level, and it was kind of taking up a few weekends here and there,” Toohey said of cricket. “So, when I kind of got called up to the first junior national team, it kind of made the time a bit too consuming, so I kind of had to focus on basketball. But I feel like it was the right decision.”

Nearly five years later, Toohey has become a fixture on Australia’s international basketball teams. In early April, he represented his home country as a member of the Team World roster at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. He will continue playing in the U.S. next season, having committed to Gonzaga.

TOOHEY'S PATH TO GONZAGA

Photo by Taylor Balkom

How did an Australian native whose parents never played basketball wind up a coveted U.S. college recruit? Toohey credits just about everyone but himself — his older brother, his coaches. That’s characteristic of the four-star prospect, who won’t wow anyone with flashy plays on the court or headline-grabbing quotes off it.

But the real answer is that he’s honed the ability to do a little bit of everything, including things that often go unnoticed — at least to everyone except his coaches.

“He’s going to succeed in whatever position he’s in,” said Lake Oswego head coach Marshall Cho, who coached Toohey as an assistant for Team World. “He’s a good teammate, he’s super coachable and he’s versatile. He goes at his own pace. He’s really comfortable in his own skin.”

Toohey started playing basketball because his older brother, James Toohey, took up the sport. And he began thinking about coming to America to play in college when James did so. The elder Toohey played at Saginaw Valley State, a Division-II program in Michigan, from 2017-22.

But Alex Toohey had something the 6-foot-2 James didn’t: length. He’s now 6-foot-8, with a wingspan that can help him shoot or pass over defenders and harass opposing players on the defensive end.

Given his size, it would have been easy for his coaches to pigeonhole him as a post player. Looking back, he’s grateful they didn’t. Toohey praised Robbie McKinlay in particular, who coached him at the NBA Academy in Canberra, for teaching him a lesson that has stuck with him through the years: “The best place to play is on the court.”

Ever since, he’s worked to make sure that he can play every position and fill any role, regardless of a team’s personnel. That has come in handy during international play, when he’s constantly taking the court alongside new teammates.

“Coach Robbie McKinlay is big on just being a good basketball player before anything else,” Toohey said. “If the team needs me to play big, I’ll play big, for sure. Like here, I’m probably playing a bit bigger. If the team needs to play small, I’m happy to play small. But it’s just about being ready to slot into different lineups for each team I’m playing for.”

'HE'S JUST GOING TO FIGURE IT OUT'

Photo by Taylor Balkom

Toohey didn’t do much to stand out during the 2023 Hoop Summit, a 90-84 win for Team USA. He went scoreless in a little more than seven minutes of playing time. But he did flash his ability during Team World's practice scrimmage, grabbing a rebound and dribbling coast-to-coast for a layup. The basket was waved off because of a charge, but it still highlighted Toohey’s agility and ball-handling, including a smooth crossover that got him past a defender around mid-court.

That ability to handle the ball, combined with his size and shooting, will make him a difficult matchup at the college level, regardless of what position he’s asked to play.

“He’s able to pick up the ball and go the length of the court, simple crossovers to get himself to the bucket,” Cho said. “Nothing fancy, just fundamental and solid. He doesn’t turn the ball over, makes good decisions.”

The other hallmark of Toohey’s game is his willingness and ability to do the “little things.” He credits that to his experience playing alongside professional players in Australia and for professional coaches during his stints with the national team.

“Coaches of pro teams have been really good for me, just helping try to understand the little things that some people wouldn’t pick up on,” Toohey said. “I feel like that’s a big part of my game, as well, just little things that people, if you know what it is, you appreciate it.”

Some of the “little things” Cho noticed from Toohey in Portland: He’s likable, he’s coachable and he’s smart, rarely putting the ball in harm’s way.

Another underrated quality: He’s funny. Cho recalled how, when the international roster arrived in Portland and the players were first getting to know one another, the team was shown a hype video with past Hoop Summit alumni. When Ben Simmons, the Australian native who has become something of a punchline for the Brooklyn Nets this season, appeared on the screen, Toohey stood up out of his seat, took a few steps toward the screen and clapped, according to Cho. That elicited laughter from the rest of the roster.

“He can break a locker room with his little sense of humor, the timing of it,” Cho said. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and I’ve just been super impressed by him.”

The casual fan who watched Toohey for the first time might not see it yet. But after spending a week coaching him, Cho noticed what the Australian national coaches — and Mark Few, Juwan Howard and Brad Underwood, among others — saw in Toohey’s game.

He might not make many highlight-reel plays. But eventually, his ability to do a little of everything becomes impossible to ignore.

“He may not — especially in a game like this — wow you with his athleticism or strength,” Cho said. “But he’s stronger than he looks, more athletic than you give him credit for and he’s just going to figure it out.”