MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Back in April, point guard Joe Toussaint decided on West Virginia after opting to transfer from Iowa.
More than six months later, Toussaint has still yet to play a meaningful game for the Mountaineers, but that’s done little to deter him from making a strong impression ahead of his first season in Morgantown.
“He really works hard. He’s very receptive to coaching,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “His shot has improved dramatically in the time that he’s been here, because he’s put a lot of time in. His mechanics are better and he has that toughness to him and physical size. Not height particularly, but strength.”
Huggins went on to add that the Mountaineers’ coaching staff may have felt better about Toussaint’s performance in an October 22 closed scrimmage against Dayton than any player on the team.
One week from today, the 6-foot, 190-pound native of Bronx, N.Y., will make his regular season debut when the Mountaineers welcome Mount St. Mary’s.
Over the next few weeks, it’ll become more clear what the transition has been like for Toussaint, who while classified as a senior, played three seasons for the Hawkeyes and has two years of eligibility remaining.
“I always thank God for my three years there and I learned a lot there offensively,” Toussaint said of his time at Iowa. “Huggs is a pretty simple coach. The system here is not hard. It was easy for me to pick up.
“Bringing my knowledge from there to here made it easier from a scoring standpoint and knowing when to score, picking my spots, knowing where and when to go and looking at time management. It’s definitely been easy for me, because I’ve been part of a good offensive team already.”
Indeed, the Hawkeye teams Toussaint were part of were among the better offensive teams in all of college basketball, including last season’s squad that finished fifth in the country with a scoring average of 83.2 points.
On the surface, the Mountaineers employ a much different and what would be considered more of a defensive-minded style than the one Toussaint was part of at Iowa, though he says there are more similarities than the common fan recognizes.
“One hundred percent different, but from the running standpoint, I don’t think it’s that different,” Toussaint said. “We’re trying to score on makes and misses, so running hasn’t been different at all. But defensively, it definitely picks up here. I enjoy it. I’m that type of person. I play defense and that’s my cup of tea, so I feel I fit in very well.”
Toussaint was a key contributor at Iowa in each of his three seasons and played 98 games, 41 of which he started. He left with a career scoring average of 4.8 points to go with 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals over 15.6 minutes.
Each of the last two seasons, Toussaint attempted fewer than four field goals on average after trying nearly six per game as a freshman.
“I never lost my confidence, but knowing a coach wants you to shoot the ball or wants you to make the right play and mistakes are going to happen and letting you play through mistakes, you can’t go wrong with that,” Toussaint said. “I feel like I’m in high school again. A coach that believes in me, trusts my work ethic and is ready to let me play my game.”
Toussaint figures to start the season in a reserve role with Kedrian Johnson returning at point guard for his third season at West Virginia.
Yet because of the defensive prowess of both Toussaint and Johnson, two of the team’s fastest players, Huggins envisions a scenario when he plays both points guards together, though likely for brief periods of time due to potential foul trouble.
“I have no problem with their size. I have a problem with one of them getting in foul trouble and really not having a sub to put in,” Huggins said. “Playing them together, we can do for a short period of time. I would rather have both of them at the end of the game, because they both have really good ball security, can make free throws and they’re both strong with the ball.”
Those thoughts likely changed to an extent following Sunday’s announcement that reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jose Perez would transfer to West Virginia from Manhattan. Perez, a 6-foot-5 guard, averaged 18.9 points and 4.5 assists for the Jaspers last season, though he likely won’t be eligible until either after fall semester ends December 17 or when spring semester starts January 9.
Regardless, Toussaint and Johnson have consistently gone against each other since Toussaint’s arrival, which he believes is beneficial to both as they develop a better understanding of one another’s game.
“That’s a Big 12 defender guarding me every day, so I feel like I’m really prepared for the Big 12, even though that doesn’t start until December,” Toussaint said. “I came from the Big Ten and we’re tough over there, too, so me guarding him is really good for his offensive game.
“Us playing together, we just sync in very well. The scrimmage against Dayton, we played together for a long time and it worked really well. We were active on defense, running the offense well. It was like a well-oiled machine. It was really good for me to see that I could play alongside him.”
Including Perez, Toussaint is one of 10 new additions to this year’s roster, putting plenty of other players in a similar spot as it pertains to getting acclimated to both West Virginia’s program and Morgantown.
Toussaint, guard Erik Stevenson and forward Emmitt Matthews all have an abundance of past Power 5 Conference experience that Toussaint believes puts extra emphasis on the trio to make things work early on.
“We gained the concept quickly, but it’s on us to help the freshmen and kids from JUCO,” he said. “I feel like we mesh really well now. It’s been three or four months now that we’ve all been together running the same offense and defense. It’s all about your mental. If you’re mentally there, anything is possible.”
Besides, the transition from Iowa to West Virginia pales in comparison to the one Toussaint made out of high school by going from New York City to Iowa City.
“Some people say it’s hard or it’s tough. I had adversity, but one thing about me, I’m never going to quit,” Toussaint said. “My mom taught me not to quit and always be a winner and always look at the bright side of whatever situation you’re in. Coming here opened up doors and was an opportunity for me. Coach believes in me. Everybody on the coaching staff and I feel like my teammates believe in me as well. I feel like I’ve been playing at a high level. I can’t wait to get on the court and show the world what they’ve been missing.”