The brotherhood between Aussie next gen stars bound for NBA
Alex Toohey is becoming an NBA lottery pick before our eyes. Here’s how a hardcore California training camp, getting up close with Klay Thompson and the brotherhood between Australia's future stars is prepping the NBL Next Star for the biggest moment of his life.
He’s the clean-cut son of high-ranking Australian Defence Force parents who displays a maturity and basketball ability well beyond his 20 years which has him rising into NBA lottery pick conversations.
But, behind the military precision, the real Alex Toohey has a dry sense of humour that has helped him navigate the fine line between obsession and sanity when it comes to his basketball dreams.
Following what he admits was an up-and-down rookie season in the NBL, the Sydney Next Star exploded at the pre-season Blitz in front of two-dozen NBA talent watchers and he hasn’t taken the foot off the pedal as one of the Kings’ most consistent NBL25 contributors behind MVP candidate Xavier Cooks.
The phenomenon we’re seeing unfold before our eyes in year two isn’t just a product of natural physical gifts — although a 203cm frame, 211cm wingspan, freakish athleticism and an advanced basketball mind help.
The kid from Canberra has a steely focus on achieving his big league goals and it is with that motivation he spent three months in Irvine, California, during the off-season honing his mind, body and skills in four-hour a day workouts alongside the likes of four-time NBA champion under trainer-to-world-basketball’s-stars Jordan Lawley.
TOPPING OFF THE TALENT WITH HARD WORK
Toohey’s stellar play has produced improved numbers — 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 threes and 1.6 steals through round 5 — but that’s just what’s on the page.
It’s how he’s doing it that has those NBA talent watchers steadily shifting him up their draft boards.
“Our focus was three-point shooting, getting to kill spots around the rim — him focusing on where he needs to get to in order to be successful around the paint, slowing down his finishes and then .5 second decision-making — So him getting extremely comfortable when the ball gets swung out to him and he’s got to either put the ball on the deck or get to a shot fake and move it on or get to his shot,” Lawley, who has worked with a who’s who of Australian luminaries including Aron Baynes, Dyson Daniels and Chris Goulding, said.
“For his defence, it was extremely important, him getting switched and being on smaller defenders during our training sessions when we had more group orientation.”
Give every one of those a massive tick. Toohey’s shot is noticeably more rhythmic and he’s made a huge leap in his accuracy from deep —. almost 35 per cent, up from 25 per cent last campaign.
KLAY’S INFLUENCE
Toohey says the chance to go head-to-head with long-time Golden State Warrior, now Dallas Maverick, Thompson — one of the NBA’s best ever shooters — has played a major role in his improvement.
Over a stellar 11-year career, Thompson has mastered the mechanics of shot-making through methodical and meticulous training.
Toohey had a front-row seat to the 34-year-old’s dedicated approach during his session in California and it’s given him the blueprint to shooting success.
“Just watching him (Klay) shoot made you feel like you could become a better shooter,” Toohey said.
“He pays so much attention to detail on every shot and that level of care is something I’m trying to develop.
“It’s a complex thing to shoot a basketball. There are a lot of different layers.
“Your feet have to be balanced, your legs need to give the shot power.
“Every shot that Klay shot was exactly the same.
“That is something that a lot of players can’t do but, when you can replicate your shot every time, that’s when you start to become one of those great, elite shooters.”
It’s now with a confidence, absent last season, Toohey catches the ball, fires, puts his head down and careens to the cup or finds a teammate in an advantageous position.
And it just so happens he has the best plus-minus on the team — behind only Cooks — at +74 through seven games.
Translation — good things happen for the Kings when this kid is on the floor.
Toohey understands the importance of improving his shot to achieve his dreams.
“Because if you can’t shoot, it’s hard to get on the court in the NBA,” he said.
“So, it’s an area we really looked at and tweaked a few things with my shot and release point.
“Also, my finishing and trying to be a bit more composed. Last season there were times when I went in there without a plan, but I now know I have to use my feet.”
‘HE’S A LOTTERY PICK’
So what does that all mean?
Well, it means Toohey continues to firm as a 2025 NBA draft pick.
Sustain what he’s doing and current mock projections in the second round will quickly shoot into the first round and then the lottery — picks 1-14 — becomes a very real prospect.
Lawley admits he might be a little biased but he describes Toohey as “a prototypical new-aged basketball player” — and it’s hard to argue.
“He’s a Swiss Army knife. He can be put anywhere, he can guard any position,” Lawley said.
“I’m biased but, knowing what I know and working with the guys who I’ve worked with, especially in the Next Stars program, he’s a lottery pick, to me.
“It’s hard to look at his frame, to look at his abilities and, when he shoots the ball like he’s shooting it this year, it’s a huge eye opener for everyone, especially in the analytical side of what those NBA scouts look out for.
“He is definitely a gadget guy who can play any role you give him. Last year, he didn’t quite get pigeonholed into a position but, with all the vets on Sydney’s roster, he did find himself in more of that corner position, three-and-D role.
“This year’s good for him. He’s showcasing what he has developed and the kind of athlete that he is.”
THE BROTHERHOOD LEADING AUSTRALIA'S NEXT GEN
NBA draft hopeful Alex Toohey says there's a competitive brotherhood among the NBL's finest young Australian talent that drives each to get better.
Toohey, along with the likes of Brisbane's giant teen Rocco Zikarsky, smooth-moving Perth guard Ben Henshall and Illawarra big unit Lachlan Olbrich are among the country's next gen hoping to make the leap to the big league.
The Sydney Kings' Next Star says each is navigating their own basketball path, but there's a mutual understanding of the highs and lows of chasing a shared dream that both ties and fuels them.
“I think it’s super cool that we’re all trying to get to the same spot, and everyone has different paths there,” Toohey told CODE Sports.
“We’re all just committed to it and we’re all inspired by one another who’s trying to do the best they can.”“I had Henshall (Ben Henshall) as a roommate (at the Centre of Excellence in Canberra) so I got to know him very well and we still catch up all the time when we can.
"(We) play video games together and obviously it’s the same thing with Rocco. Any time we’re around we’ll try to catch up and stay in touch with each other.”
Toohey, 20, has taken leaps in his second season at the Kings under Brian Goorjian and, while he's conscious of staying focused on what's in front of him, he admits there are moments when his mind wanders to what his future may hold.
“It’s hard, I mean as a kid you’re always trying to dream so it’s hard to get that out of your mind but it’s about acknowledging it and getting back to work,” Toohey said.
“It’s definitely something that I’ll think about, but I try not to get too caught up in it and try to get back to the simple things."
CONFIDENCE, MAN: GOORJ’S PRIZED TALENT
Lawley hinted at Toohey being pigeonholed.
The kid comes right out and says it.
Rookie Toohey — under coaching great Brian Goorjian’s early-exit predecessor Mahmoud Abdelfattah — was relegated to a bit-part power forward role, standing in the corner and, when the youngster’s shot inevitably hit a wall, so did his former coach’s confidence.
But there’s no malice or regret over it. There is, however, ownership, and that’s why coaches adore him.
“My performance at the start, last season, was pretty good and then I dropped off, so it’s natural that that kind of thing happens,” he said.
That has plenty to do with his upbringing. Mum Kath — a Major General who is now the GWS Giants AFL club’s Canberra-based director — and dad Michael — a Colonel who was a former Australian Defence Adviser to NATO and the EU.
He’s combining that ownership and maturity with a greater belief under Goorjian.
“I definitely feel confident that Goorj will stick with me and ride out those hiccups,” he said.
“I feel like this year I’ve got a lot more confident, and I think Goorj is confident in me.
“And then obviously the work in the off-season, I’m feeling good with where I’m at, my shot feels good, my body feels good. It’s a perfect recipe.”
Early in pre-season, Code Sports asked Goorjian where the improvement in the Kings was going to come from.
His first answer was “Toohey” in that trademark thick American drawl that’s never faded, despite the best part of five decades Down Under.
“He’s just been big on making sure that I’m aggressive, looking to score, and trying to put me in positions that, last year, I wasn’t in,” Toohey said.
“This year’s obviously going to have ups and downs, I’m still learning, but I think the downs will be a lot shorter.”
TAPPING JOE
Goorj sees Toohey as a “wing archetype” — and it resonates.
Toohey’s had deep conversations about basketball with Boomers great Joe Ingles, given the obvious parallels in their respective games.
“Joe’s been big in contact with me and I can reach out to him,” Toohey said.
“At the start of his career, he was a straight catch-and-shoot guy and it’s obviously how you get there (NBA) in the first place.
“But then, once they trust you with that, they give the ball to you a bit more and put you in onballs and allow you to make decisions.
“Last year proved I could shoot it a bit, so this year, there’s now more opportunity to create for others.”
COLLEGE PLAYERS ‘CAN’T FATHOM’ LEVEL OF NBL
Had the doors slid another way, Toohey might never have been in purple and gold.
In 2023, he initially committed to NCAA powerhouse Gonzaga — before a Next Star change of heart.
There are zero regrets — he’s steadfast that the NBL is a far better pathway than US college.
“When I look at college, it’s cool and you can get a lot of money there if you’re American and have a good time, but the level of basketball is just not even close to the NBL,” he said.
“Obviously the fact that you’re playing against pros, but you look at colleges and the best teams have three or four guys that are elite.
“NBL teams have eight, nine guys who could play with the best players at college and then you compare that with their age and how long they’ve been playing, I get confidence, just from that, knowing I can compete with them.
“Those guys in college, they just can’t fathom the level that this is.”
Belted from pillar to post in training and games during his first pro-season, Toohey’s building his own brand of physicality as a man more in tune with his body and understanding his own strength.
And he’s clearly bulked up, no longer that long, lean kid who dominated the junior nationals for the ACT. The arms are bulging — not quite at hulking teammate Keli Leaupepe levels — but the change is stark.
EYES ON THE PRIZE — MOSTLY
Lawley says ballers — young and old — can often get caught up in the bright lights — and fun nights — of So-Cal.
Not Toohey.
“He knows how to not let those lines and boundaries get blurred, which is very special in a young athlete,” Lawley said.
“Toohey found himself in his down time doing more cardio at the beach, swimming, getting extra shots up late in the evening.
“It was something that was special to see.”
Of course, Lawley was taken by Toohey’s streak of Aussie humour.
“Oh, I think the reason why Toohey and I get along so well is because of his dry sense of humour,” Lawley said.
“He can have a crack at you, joke with you and hang out but, in the same breath, get down to business at the drop of a dime and that’s not really the American culture.
“I think that’s a healthy training relationship.”
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