By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Joe Toussaint came halfway across the country, from his home in the Bronx to Iowa City, with the expectation of starting at point guard for the Iowa men’s basketball team.

He knew he wouldn’t start right away, not with Jordan Bohannon firmly entrenched in that role.

But at some point, Toussaint knew that the circumstances would be in his favor to start at point guard, and that point finally has arrived after two years in the program.

Although, how it came to be is unusual to say the least since Bohannon still is part of the team despite having been in the program for five years, and since Bohannon is also one of the most statistically accomplished point guards in program history as the all-time leader in 3-point field goals, assists and games played.

But it was Bohannon who recently agreed to switch from point guard to shooting guard in order to create a spot in the starting lineup for the lightning quick Toussaint.

Bohannon spoke with Toussiant before announcing earlier this week that he planned to return next season despite having participated in Senior Day this past season, and despite it being his sixth year in the program.

“I actually talked to Jordan before, and he told me that he was coming back,” Toussaint said Thursday night in a telephone interview. “He just said, ‘this is your time. I’m not here to mess up your opportunity. The ball is in your hands. It’s your time to run the show.’”

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery also believes it’s time for Toussaint to run the show, and earning the trust from his head coach has lit a fire under Toussaint.

“Coach is showing that he actually trusts me with the team and with the ball in my hands, and that’s all I needed, to be honest,” Toussaint said. “That’s all I needed. Somebody just saying I trust you with the ball. I trust you with my team. Now go play your game.”

Flashes of Brilliance

The 6-foot Toussaint has shown flashes of brilliance during his first two seasons as the backup point guard. He is without question the quickest player on the team, and one of the quickest players in the Big Ten.

Toussaint’s quickness helps him get to basket on offense, and to pressure the ball on defense.

His athleticism was on full display in Iowa’s 84-78 victory over Michigan State on Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena when Toussaint came off the bench to score 10 points and dish out six assists in nearly 21 minutes of playing time.

He also scored 12 of his season-high 14 points in the first half of a 99-88 loss to then-top-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 19 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

“I can play at that level every single game, to be honest,” Toussaint said. “Definitely last year, I had to take a step back just because we had a bunch of leaders, a bunch of people in front of me. My role on the team wasn’t really to do anything but get my players some shots. So that was my role last year. My role wasn’t to score the ball at all.”

Toussaint wasn’t asked to score much during his first two seasons as a Hawkeye because the roster was stacked with proven scorers, including the all-time leading scorer in program history in All-America center Luka Garza.

But with Garza now having finished his career, and with All-Big Ten wing player Joe Wieskamp exploring the NBA draft process for the second time in three years, and with power forward Jack Nunge having transferred to Xavier, and with shooting guard and two-year starter C.J. Fredrick in the transfer portal, there will be more opportunities for Toussaint to contribute as a scorer, and he relishes the challenge.

“This year with a lot of roles changing and my minutes increasing I’m going to showcase that I’m a better scorer, a better passer and a better shooter,” Toussaint said. “There’s a whole lot that’s going to be different.”

The Missing Piece

Toussaint’s main focus during this offseason is to improve his shooting range, in order to become a more reliable 3-point threat. He knows that defenses will have to back off to stop his penetration, while also focusing on Bohannon, and Toussaint is determined to make defenses pay.

“I’ve been working on my jump shot a lot,” said Toussaint, who only attempted 11 shots from 3-point range this past season, making three. “My form, getting the reps up and doing the same thing every single time because I know I can shoot it. I have confidence to shoot the ball, and I know when I make shots it just makes me very difficult to guard. If you play up on me, I can just go around you. So I’m working on my shot a lot.”

Toussaint is eager to show that he is more than just a passer and a defender. He scored a lot in high school, and he feels he can do the same in college.

“I’m a way better scorer than I’ve shown before and I know I am,” Toussaint said. “Of course, my role on these teams was to work the ball to Luka and get the ball to Jordan and get the ball to (Wieskamp). We’ve had better scorers and better shooters. But I’m a really good scorer, I believe, and I’m definitely going to show that this year.”

Iowa is coming off a season in which it finished 22-9 overall, and 14-6 in the Big Ten. That was good for fourth place in the conference, and it was the most conference wins since the 1986-87 season.

However, the season ended with Iowa having failed to advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament and that was considered by some a disappointing since Iowa was ranked fifth nationally in the Associated Press preseason poll.

And now with Garza having moved on, and with some younger players stepping into more prominent roles, expectations won’t be nearly as high for next season.

Toussaint isn’t concerned about outside expectations. He believes strongly in himself, and in the returning players.

“I put on my shoes just the same way that other people put on their shoes,” Toussaint said. “They’re going to have to show us that they’re better than us. That’s the mentality I play with.”

Toussaint, along with forwards Keegan Murray and Patrick McCaffery and guards Connor McCaffery, Tony Perkins and Ahron Ulis, give Iowa a solid nucleus to build around.

Keegan Murray made the Big Ten All-Freshman team this past season and can player either forward position.

North Dakota transfer Filip Rebraca, a 6-9 power forward, is also expected to play a significant role next season, while 6-7 freshman forward Kris Murray and 6-7 incoming freshman Payton Sandfort will be in the mix for playing time.

Kris Murray, who is Keegan Murray’s twin brother, didn’t play much this past season. But Kris is a gifted shooter and should have more opportunities to show that skill next season.

Iowa will also have 6-10 freshman Josh Ogundele and 6-11 incoming freshman Riley Mulvey competing at the post position.

And then another piece was added Thursday night when shooting guard Austin Ash announced that he would return for a fifth season despite having been in the transfer portal, and having participated in Senior Day this past season. Ash is also expected to be on scholarship after coming to Iowa as a walk-on.

“Last, year, we had a bunch of good players, if I’m being honest with you, like a bunch,” Toussaint said. “And I know it was hard for coach to play all of us, only because so many minutes had to go around. But Tony Perkins, he’s a really good player, and Ahron Ulis is a good player.

“Kris Murray I would say is just as good as Keegan to be honest with you. But there just weren’t a lot of opportunities because we had a really good veteran team. I feel like everybody is going to step up. Everybody knows what they have to do.”

The NCAA transfer portal has had a huge impact on college basketball with more than 1,000 players currently in the portal.

Nunge’s decision to enter the transfer portal wasn’t a surprise because he had spent four seasons in the program and he wanted to play closer to his family in Indiana.

Fredrick’s decision, on the other hand, did come as a huge surprise.

And while Toussaint is well aware of the heavy traffic in the portal, he pays little attention.

“I’m just focused on myself, to be honest with you,” Toussaint said. “I see a lot of people going into the transfer portal, but I don’t really pay attention to it. I’m just worried about being better, to be honest, better in my game.”

A Special Bond

Iowa has a unique dynamic with Connor McCaffery and Patrick McCaffery both playing for their father at a Big Ten school.

Connor McCaffery has started in each of the past two seasons, and is the best passer on the team, while the 6-9 Patrick McCaffery is a versatile scorer whose game emerged this past season.

Patrick McCaffery and Toussaint both came to Iowa at the same time, and have since become very close friends.

“Patrick is my boy,” Toussaint said. “That’s like my brother if I’m being honest. He’s like my brother now. I don’t even call him my best friend. He’s really like my brother.”

The Iowa players are currently lifting weights, training four times a week and putting up shots on a daily basis as part of their offseason routine.

And in Toussaint’s case, putting up lots of shots because he knows what could happen if he becomes a better jump shooter.

“That’s what I’ve been working on,” Toussaint said. “Once I start hitting that jump shot, people start to play up and it’s going to be so different just because I’m too fast and I make the right reads.

“It’s going to be amazing to me because I know I can do it.”

Toussaint also looks forward to playing in front of fans again. Very few fans were allowed into games this past season due to the global pandemic, but now things are moving in the right direction, thanks largely to more people being vaccinated.

More fans were allowed the Big Ten Tournament, and in the NCAA Tournament, and Toussaint felt the difference.

“Not having the fans last year was weird,” Toussaint said. “The first time that ever happened. But during the Big Ten Tournament, and during the NCAA Tournament, it was a real good experience. It felt so good. You felt the energy.”