How Joe Toussaint is unlocking his full potential with Texas Tech basketball
The clock strikes 6 p.m. as Joe Toussaint walks through the home tunnel of United Supermarkets Arena. Two hours before the Texas Tech basketball team's home game against Oral Roberts, student and graduate assistants are already positioned under the basket on the other side of the court.
They know the drill by now.
Dressed in athleisure wear, bopping his head to the music coming from his wireless headphones, Toussaint begins his shooting routine before the opponent has arrived to the arena. It's a system Toussaint has utilized for every home game as a member of the Red Raiders.
Aiki Kitomoto, a graduate assistant for the team, is Toussaint's designated passer as the Tech point guard makes his way around the perimeter. Kitomoto makes sure to put the proper spin on the ball, placing the pass into Toussaint's shooting pocket for the easy rhythm jumper.
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This session is shorter than others have been. About 15 minutes in total. As always, Toussaint daps up Kitomoto and the managers who rebounded for him as he heads back to the locker room.
The real warmup begins in 45 minutes.
Toussaint makes a point of being the first one on the floor for warmups, just as he's quickest to pick up a teammate on the ground, bring the group in for a quick huddle on dead balls, or offer an encouraging pat on the chest — like he did after Warren Washington missed a dunk in the 82-76 win over ORU.
The last official signing in Grant McCasland's first transfer class, Toussaint quickly became the glue to the team. McCasland wanted a steady, defensive-minded guard to pair with Pop Isaacs in the backcourt.
Toussaint has been that, and much more for the Red Raiders. For the first time in his career, he's producing on the offensive end on a consistent basis while being the head of Tech's defensive attack. It's a role Toussaint has been ready for for a while. It just took a few stops to tap into his full potential.
"I'm gonna be honest with you," Toussaint said, "I feel like I've been this player since I stepped in college. I just want to thank Coach Mac and his staff for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to show what I can, honestly, and that's just a testament to my work."
Helping hands
When taking over the Red Raider program in April, McCasland made a concerted effort to bring in players who had NCAA Tournament experience.
Toussaint fit that role, having participated in March Madness in three of his first four collegiate seasons — the exception being 2020, when the tournament was canceled because of COVID-19.
But Toussaint wasn't initially on Texas Tech's radar. He already had a team, Big 12 foe West Virginia. That changed with Bob Huggins' departure, so Toussaint went looking at other options.
McCasland pounced quickly.
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"When you talk to people about Joe," McCasland said during Big 12 media days in October, "what they'll tell you is he's tremendous in the locker room and everybody loves playing with him. And if you can get those components with a new team, you can get that unselfishness."
Initial conversations between Toussaint and Tech's coaches were centered around one thing: winning. Toussaint's done plenty of that in his time in college. What the Red Raiders ultimately needed was someone who could do the things Toussaint does off the court just as much as on to achieve success in Lubbock.
"We chart how many times people give high fives or interactions, like how do you pat people on the back, and he leads our team and it's not close," McCasland said. "I think those things are honestly what we've learned to appreciate."
All-in-one leader
Toussaint hasn't just been Texas Tech's emotional leader, he's also become an indispensable weapon on offense.
In his first four years — three at Iowa, one at West Virginia — Toussaint's longest stretch of double-digit scoring was three games in a row. He opened his first, and only, season with the Red Raiders with eight such games — the streak ended with nine points against ORU.
Being Texas Tech's leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, Toussaint also heads the team in assists (38), steals (tied with Isaacs at nine) and minutes played (33.7 per game). Toussaint's full capabilities are starting to unfold in real time, and the Red Raiders have needed all of it as the team continues to find its rhythm together.
"He's as efficient as he's ever been," McCasland said.
Inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City two months ago, Texas Tech's table — featuring Devan Cambridge, Washington and Toussaint — sat directly between two former Red Raiders: TCU's Micah Peavy and Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr.
McCullar to his right, Peavy to his left, Toussaint looked at both, realizing the humor of the situation. Sandwiched between what once was, the Bronx native shook it off, pointing to what Texas Tech is now.
"It's a new era," Toussaint said. "and I'm pretty sure they know the brand of basketball and tradition at Texas Tech, and we're bringing it back."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Joe Toussaint unlocking full potential with Texas Tech basketball
