Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | Fight For Iowa | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19
By MATT WEITZEL
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Joe Toussaint is one of two scholarship student-athletes joining the University of Iowa men’s basketball team this fall.
The native of Bronx, New York, arrived on campus last month to begin training with his new teammates and beginning summer school. Toussaint said that he fell in love with the campus and his new team when he visited Iowa City for the first time last fall.
“When I came on my official visit, all of the coaches and players made me feel like this is my new home,” Toussaint said.
Toussaint is a six-foot, 165 pound guard who prepped at Cardinal Hayes High School. He was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in the state of New York as senior. When asked to describe his game in one word, Toussaint said, “tough.”
“I have good court vision. I’m quick and I can run a team,” said Toussaint. “Coach (Fran) McCaffery’s style of play fits me extremely well. The transition offense is basically what I did in high school. I feel like this is going to be a smooth transition for me.”
Toussaint believes being able to train with his new Hawkeye teammates this summer will be beneficial to his growth as freshman college basketball player.
“I need to start working on my body; training and eating right,” Toussaint said. “On the court, I need to be more vocal and work on all aspects of my game – dribbling, shooting, defense, and passing.”
This past March, Toussaint became the all-time leading scorer at Cardinal Hayes HS, breaking the previous record set by former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn. Toussaint comes to Iowa with a winning pedigree, helping his high school team win numerous games the past four years.
“I want to win. I want to help this team compete for a Big Ten championship and return to the NCAA Tournament. Whatever I can do to help us win games — if that’s scoring zero points, but having a handful of steals and assists or vice versa, that’s what I want to do.”
Toussaint will wear No. 1 this upcoming season for the Hawkeyes.
Season ticket renewals are currently underway through the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office. Requests for new season tickets can be accessed HERE.
