Not just a dunker, Canada's Toby Fournier excelling on all fronts as she leads Duke into March Madness
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:
'I got a huge reaction from dunking': Canadian women's basketball player Toby Fournier
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