This year, several Grady student athletes have committed to play Division I sports in college. The most recent of these athletes is Avi Toomer, a starting shooting guard on the Knights varsity basketball team.
Toomer has verbally committed to play at Bucknell University, a liberal arts Division I college in Lewisburg, Pa. Bucknell plays in the Patriot Conference and made its last NCAA tournament appearance in 2013. Toomer also received offers from Tennessee Tech, Furman, Wofford, Jacksonville University in Florida, U.S. Naval Academy, and Kennesaw State. Despite these other schools’ interest in him, Toomer believed Bucknell was the best place to go.
“The coaches were excited to have me, and I fit in with the team well,” Toomer said.
Toomer credits his parents, boys varsity basketball coach Brian Weeden, and Phillip Harper, who made videos for to help get him noticed by recruiters from Division I schools around the country. Weeden said that Toomer was recruited for his athleticism.
“He has the ability to facilitate and score,” Weeden said. “That gives him a dual threat and a more faceted game. He is able to play a lot more positions than just one.”
Toomer used these abilities to cap off his junior season leading the team in scoring with an average of 19.8 points per game. With Toomer’s help, the team made it to the state playoffs for the third consecutive year. Although he has impressed his coaches and has been a starter every year, Weeden said his success in high school did not come until late in his freshman year.
“Through the first 10 games [of Toomer’s freshman season], he wasn’t really scoring any points, he wasn’t really a factor,” Weeden said. “So, I told him to come work with me after practice, and that’s what he did.”
Toomer responded positively to Weeden’s extended coaching in the following two games by scoring 16 points against Southwest DeKalb and 27 against Morrow, including the game-winning, three pointer. These performances, along with others, led Toomer to be named Region 6-AAAA Freshman Player of the Year in the 2012-13 season, earning him the spotlight in only his first season of high school basketball. Ever since, Toomer has become a key player for the team.
“He’s a leader,” junior guard Kolby Morton said. “He’s played varsity all four years, so he has a lot of experience, and he can take over and score when called upon.”
This season, Toomer looks to continue to improve on the court and is confident that he can extend his success. His goals for this season include being named region Player of the Year, winning the region tournament and helping his team do well in the playoffs.
“I have to make sure to stay in the gym and continue to get better,” Toomer said. “I expect to be a part of the All Metro team and want to lead the region in as many things as I can.”
Considering what he has done in high school, Weeden is confident Toomer can succeed at the next level.
“With a lot of hard work, he’ll end up on TV somewhere. Either here or overseas,” Weeden said.
Toomer has only verbally committed to Bucknell, meaning he can still change his mind if a better option presents itself. Toomer is open to a change in commitment.
“I might,” Toomer said. “It just depends on the offer.”
