Adjusting to ACC basketball has been a tradition for 18- and 19-year-olds for decades. Some end up falling off the learning curve, some take time to grow and meet the challenge and a rare few exceed expectations.
But Toby Fournier has been special.
The Canadian was hyped up far before setting foot on campus, and Duke fans were counting down the days until she blew the roof off of Cameron Indoor Stadium with her first collegiate dunk. Many fans only knew her as “the dunker,” and rightfully so; she possesses one of the most unique and showstopping skills in women’s basketball.
However, she has proven herself to be much more than just a one-trick pony. Fournier has been a revelation on the offensive side of the ball, notching remarkable scoring numbers against bigger and more experienced centers.
“For us, she's a really talented scorer,” head coach Kara Lawson said. “That's one of the things that she's best at. Anytime we can get her one-on-one on the block, we feel pretty good about her chances of scoring.”
The Crestwood Prep product is leading the Blue Devils in points per game so far this season with a 12.9 mark. She has achieved this while making 54.3% of her field-goal attempts, which would be third best in the conference. She falls just shy of the five made field goals per game required to qualify for the conference leaderboards.
“She's the best freshman in the league, and I'm not sitting here campaigning, it's just a fact,” Lawson said.
As outstanding as she's been on offense, she’s been arguably better on defense. The 6-foot-2 forward leads her team in blocks with a whopping 28 — more than one per game — seven ahead of Jadyn Donovan, the runner-up. She’s more than just a rim protector as well, able to switch onto a guard and lock her up with ease, as evidenced by her 14 steals on the season.
“She's one of the best defensive players in our league,” Lawson said. “She can guard one through five. You can count on one hand in our league — not just freshmen — players that can do that adequately. I'm fortunate enough to have a couple of them with Jadyn and Toby.”
Her ability to impact every side of the game was on display in Thursday’s win against Clemson. Leading the game, she found the bottom of the net 11 times on nine field goals and two free throws. Alongside her 20 points, she stuffed her stat sheet with four rebounds, two blocks and an assist, alongside only one turnover. All of this was in only 24 minutes.
Fournier has settled into a clearly defined role for Lawson’s team this season. On offense, she’s consistently scored 10 points and had a solid impact in the paint in under 25 minutes.
It’s impressive in itself to score 10 points in a college basketball game alone, but to do so while making an impact on the glass is special. All of that is with coming off the bench and playing limited minutes at times, making it hard to settle into a true routine.
“Toby plays the game at a really high level athletically,” Lawson said. “She's able to score, she's able to rebound and she's able to block shots.”
The totality of her production encapsulates what makes Fournier so special. Statistically, she’s one of the most productive players in the conference, but her ability to have such a strong impact on both sides of the floor in such a short period of time is evident. Adding in that this is her first year in college basketball, and that shows a superstar in the making.
Next on the docket for Fournier and the Blue Devils is a Sunday afternoon date with Miami.
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