Returning to France last season after a five-year exile in the United States, Amandine Toi was determined to prove that she could immediately readapt to the basketball played on the courts of her home country. “It’s a different game from American university, and even though the level of LF2 has obviously evolved since my years at INSEP, I was eager to see how much I had progressed.” For her debut among the professionals, the guard successfully integrated into the rotation of a Charnay team calibrated to win the championship. “I was able to show what I could do,” says the player who averaged 7.5 points in 20 minutes per game. “We won almost all our games, and I finished my first season with a title, which is quite good.” During this significant debut, the rookie revealed some promising skills on the outside, an area where she had to reinvent herself in university. Arriving at Virginia Cavaliers in 2017, the French player overcame two ACL injuries and two seasons without play before contributing her expertise to the team. “I didn’t yet master the language perfectly, and watching others play was super complicated. However, I was always part of the group, and it allowed me to understand the game differently and progress in other aspects. I truly went from being a driver to a shooter.” To refine this new style, the expatriate could rely on the confidence of her coach and former player Tina Thompson, a four-time WNBA champion and double Olympic gold medalist. “Playing for a legend, learning from her every day, is clearly the best memory of this whole experience.”
Today, Toulouse is reaping the rewards of this long-term effort. Moving from Burgundy to the “pink city” last summer, Amandine Toi committed herself to a mission similar to the one accomplished in Charnay. “We play to move up.” In this ambitious project, the guard has taken on the role of the first rotation in the backcourt. “I have to contribute points in support of the main scorers while using my defensive energy.” With almost identical playing time to her first season (22 minutes on average), the substitute has improved her contribution (9.4 points) and optimized her shooting efficiency (47.5% compared to 38.6%). “In Charnay, I mainly came in to make my three-pointers. This season, I’m expected to play a more complete role because I have the ball in my hands more.”
Intelligently alternating between mid-range play and shots beyond the arc, she ranks in the top 10 of LF2 in long-distance shooting accuracy (41.2%, 6th). “Last summer, I worked on my shot with a personal coach in the United States to be able to shoot faster and with opposition. Today, I take shots as they come.” In confidence, the guard is following her own roadmap. “I signed for two seasons with the goal of moving up and then staying in Toulouse at the higher level.”
AMANDINE TOI, THE SPARK OF TOULOUSE