Lucas Toohill is weighing up offers from New Plymouth Boys' High School and St Peter’s College in Auckland. Photo / Mike Tweed
Whanganui basketballer Lucas Toohill is growing on and off the court.
The 1.98m (6′5″) 14-year-old has been selected in Hoop Nation’s Under-16 men’s team to play in the Eltham Dandenong Junior Basketball Tournament in Melbourne, Australia.
Hoop Nation, founded by Whanganui’s Paul Berridge, is a basketball event brand.
The Whanganui High School student took up the sport three years ago and plays for the district’s Under-16 representative team.
Mother Holly Toohill said Lucas was 1.82m (6′) at 10 and taller than all the teachers at his primary school. Rugby teams had “tried to pull him in for years”.
“He played for a season but was a gentle giant – he didn’t want to hurt anybody. Basketball is the one that stuck,” she said.
Lucas said he wanted to get to 2.1m. He plays as a centre and said his job was more defence than offence.
“Basically, you’re a rim protector and you stop the ball going in the hoop. You’re setting most of the screens on offence and trying to get the easy buckets and lay-ups.”
He said playing in the United States for Duke University in North Carolina and the Orlando Magic in the NBA (National Basketball Association) was the ultimate dream.
He said there were five weekly training sessions during the season and he would try to keep that up over the school holidays.
“You have to put a lot of hard work into it to succeed.”
His coach at Whanganui High School, Karney Herewini, said it had been awesome to watch Lucas’ progress.
“We’ve worked more on the holistic side of the game over the last six months – the right technique, looking after your body – and talked about the mental aspects,” he said.
“He’s really flourished and his love for the game is pretty inspirational. It’s the passion that will take him wherever he needs to go. Hopefully, that’s the big games under the big lights.”
Lucas has been fielding interest from New Plymouth Boys’ High School and St Peter’s College in Auckland.
Herewini said part of a coach’s role was to help young athletes “get on the journey they want to be on”.
“Sometimes, that means linking them up with the right people and the best opportunities,” he said. “Knowing the staff and programmes at those schools, they are both really good offers.”
Holly Toohill said the whole family was behind Lucas and his little brother was already eyeing up taking over his bedroom.
“Lucas comes from the least sporty family. I know absolutely nothing about basketball,” she said. “It’s been all him and he’s been lucky to have Karney as a mentor and a coach.”
Following Melbourne, Lucas will be back in Whanganui to play at Hoop Nation’s Junior Showcase in April 2025.
A fundraising page has been set up to help him get to Australia.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
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