Not just a dunker, Canada's Toby Fournier excelling on all fronts as she leads Duke into March Madness
Toronto native's instant success comes as no surprise to high-school head coach
Star forward and leading scorer for the Duke Blue Devils. Freshman of the year. A conference title and a top two seed in March Madness.
Yes, those accomplishments could describe Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
But they also belong to Toronto's Toby Fournier.
Fournier, 19, has emerged as a star in her first season under head coach Kara Lawson in Durham, N.C., averaging 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the 14-4 Blue Devils women's team. Second-seeded Duke faces No. 15 Lehigh to open the NCAA tournament on Friday.
Highly recruited out of Crestwood Preparatory College, Fournier quickly emerged as one of Lawson's most trusted players, soaking up nearly 20 minutes per contest off the bench in her rookie season.
The Toronto native's instant success came as no surprise to high-school head coach Marlo Davis.
"She's still Toby and still having fun and it looks like she's enjoying what she's doing, her willingness to compete, her willingness to do whatever her team needs from her, and just her willingness and ability to show up," Davis said. "It lends itself to a lot of the success that she's having right now as an individual and as a team."
In high school, the six-foot-two Fournier rose to national fame through her ability to dunk — a rare skill in women's basketball.
WATCH | Fournier on showcasing her dunking:
But her continued development as a player has shown she can be so much more than just a dunker.
"Toby plays the game at a really high level athletically," Lawson told The Duke Chronicle. "She's able to score, she's able to rebound and she's able to block shots."
Fournier racked up 1.1 blocks per game, shot 38.5 per cent from three-point range and nailed just over two-thirds of her free throws.
"She's one of the best defensive players in our league. She can guard one through five. You can count on one hand in our league — not just freshmen — players that can do that adequately," Lawson said.
Davis, also the head coach of Canada's under-18 women's team, is planning to attend the women's Final Four in Tampa, Fla., where he could realistically see a pair of Crestwood alumnae in Fournier (of No. 2 seed Duke) and Shayeann Day-Wilson (No. 3 LSU) meet in the championship game.
The 38-year-old, a former college basketball player himself, remains in touch with Fournier through text.
"When she first got to campus [at Duke], she made a joke and was like, 'Man, you're right about everything. And it's a lot harder [than] in high school. And I actually speak a lot more in practice and things like that.'
"Those were just cool moments to touch on her adapting quickly to the college game."
WATCH | Canadians ready for March Madness:
Part of Fournier's motivation this year might have come from watching fellow NCAA players Syla Swords, Cassandre Prosper and Yvonne Ejim play for Canada at the Paris Olympics last summer while she watched at home.
It's still early, but if Fournier maintains her pace, her spot on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic squad may be undeniable.
And she could even team up there with fellow Crestwood grad Aaliyah Edwards, a two-time Olympian and WNBAer herself.
"Man, that would be amazing to see," Davis said. "I mean, as a high school, we can't be prouder to have had Aaliyah and to say that we've had an Olympian from our program. But to say that we had two I think is nothing short of amazing."
Of course, Fournier isn't the only future Canadian national team star involved in March Madness.
Swords averaged 16.1 points per game in her freshman campaign with Michigan, which earned a No. 6 seed and could meet Fournier's Blue Devils in the Final Four.
Prosper, coming off a leg injury last season, emerged as a solid bench piece for Notre Dame, which is a No. 3 seed and lined up to face Swords and Michigan in the Round of 32.
Tenth-seeded Oregon boasts six-foot-eight Canadian Phillipina Kyei, a former Crestwood player who Davis said brings joy to the basketball court and who could line up head-to-head in the post against Fournier in the Round of 32.
Day-Wilson herself was once an ACC Freshman of the Year with Duke but transferred to Miami last year before landing with LSU this season.
The 21-year-old started 20 games for Kim Mulkey's Tigers, averaging just 3.5 points.
"Shayeann is a competitor, a warrior. And like Toby, when the lights are on, that's when she shines the brightest. And I'm excited to see her because this was something that we talked about when she was 11, 12 years old," Davis said.
It all adds up to optimism for Canada's women's senior team, which is still seeking its first-ever Olympic medal.
"The sky's the limit for our national team," Davis said. "There's a definite trickle-down effect from our national program to our high school programs, to our provincial teams. … They're placing the emphasis in the right places and it's showing with the growth of our game."
And at the centre of it all is Fournier, who could now launch herself into cross-border prominence with a strong March Madness.
"Her competitive nature is going to be on full display," Davis said. "We've been in similar situations at the high school level, where it's big events, big games, a lot of eyes and truthfully those are Toby's biggest moments. So I'm excited to see her under these bright lights."
