Canberran basketball star Alex Toohey joins Sydney Kings in NBL Next Star program, withdraws commitment to US college Gonzaga

The teenager from Canberra is one of the biggest rising stars in basketball. As part of the NBA Global Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport since 2020, he's already represented the Boomers three times.

Toohey was set to head to America to begin his college basketball career with Gonzaga in Washington, having wrapped up his time in the NBL1 East with the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence team earlier this month.

However, on Saturday, it was revealed that Toohey had instead opted to join the Kings as an NBL Next Star signing.

The 19-year-old will follow the same path fellow NBA Academy graduate Josh Giddey took with the Adelaide 36ers before being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Toohey will now be able to get his first taste of fully professional basketball, and use the NBL as a launching pad into the NBA, which he said was a "proven path".

"An opportunity came up with with the Next Star program and hearing about the players they've had previously that have been to the NBA, which is where I'm ultimately trying to get, it seemed like a good decision for me," Toohey told The Canberra Times.

"I talked to a few different teams. Sydney was the choice for me because they've had a history of winning and a good winning culture.

"The way that the staff and the administration of the organisation go about it, having Luc Longley and Andrew Bogut at the head of that.

"Those NBA players I'm trying to learn from and having expert professional players on my team, I'm really excited to learn from them too."

Toohey didn't want to comment on Gonzaga's reaction to his surprise decision, wanting to instead focus on what's ahead in the NBL, with a view toward potentially fulfilling his NBA dream after his time with the Kings.

The beauty of the Next Star program is he gets to do all that just three hours from his family and friends in Canberra rather than on the other side of the world.

"If it does take a year in the NBL then I get to the NBA draft, then that'd be awesome, or if it takes however long, I'll just focus on getting better every day," Toohey said.

"Being close to the family will be good too.

"I just missed Josh [Giddey] at the NBA Academy but I had a few conversations with him and heard about his experience.

"I'm excited to play in front of Australian fans, and hopefully we can get Canberra people up to Sydney and fill some seats to enjoy some good basketball."

The 201-centimetre-tall forward was averaging 17.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the NBL1 East semi-professional competition.

Earlier this year, Toohey was the youngest Boomer named for two FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, backing up his debut in 2022.

Then, in April, he was selected for the renowned Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, which featured the world's top under-20 players in an exhibition in front of NBA scouts.

NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger was pleased with the Kings' coup to snag Toohey from Gonzaga.

"Alex is poised to be the next big thing in Australian basketball and his signing is another indication of how strong and respected our Next Stars program is," he said.

"Basketball has never been stronger in Australia, and Alex represents the next wave of exciting talent coming through.

"He possesses a versatile skillset and will be an instant difference maker on both ends of the floor for the Kings.

"He joins a highly professional and successful program in Sydney where he is sure to advance his development both as a player and a person."

The Kings will be aiming for their third-straight title this season under new coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah.

Sydney's season begins on September 30 against Illawarra.

"Alex is an elite young talent and is someone we have been recruiting for a while," Sydney Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass said.

"There is a collective focus to continue developing Alex's game, allowing him the best opportunity to achieve his NBA aspirations - at the same time, we feel he will have an immediate impact on the court.

"We are intentional in our signings, and Alex fills a lot of needs for us - we strongly believe he will contribute to winning."

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