The Google search result for “Joe Toye dunk” immediately helps you understand why Vanderbilt wanted the talented 6-foot-7 swingman from Chicago back in 2015.
Toye’s elite athleticism was something that the Commodore coaching staff couldn’t ignore.
These were the highlight reel plays that people saw before he got to Vandy:
These were the highlight reel plays that people saw once he got to Vandy:
But the ability to throw down rim-rattling dunks at will is only one part of Toye’s story.
Toye made noticeable strides during the his sophomore season. His numbers weren’t eye-catching – 6.4 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the floor – but they didn’t paint the full picture.
He played 482 more minutes than he did in his freshman campaign, earned his first career start in a mid-January game at Georgia, and became a very good defender down the stretch.
However, the most glaring improvement in Toye’s overall game was his shooting from beyond the arc. He had a career-high 18 points in Vandy’s SEC Tournament trouncing of Texas A&M, which included a personal-best five 3-pointers.
Toye went 31-of-78 from three (39.7%) on the season and aided the Commodores in finishing 14th in the country in 3-point field goals per game (9.9).
But let’s go back to Toye’s performance against Texas A&M for a second.
Guess how long it took him to earn those career-best five 3-pointers? Eight minutes and 43 seconds.
Toye’s shooting onslaught came from the 18:53 to 10:10 mark in that game, allowing Vandy to turn a three-point halftime lead into a 25-point victory – one that essentially locked up the Commodores’ at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
That particular stretch of action was all you needed to regarding Toye’s potential as a big-time player in the SEC. That potential has always been there, and it’ll still be there going into the new season.
Now it’s just a matter of showing that potential on a consistent basis during his junior season.
Toye’s role this season will be intriguing because he’s shown success as both a slasher and a shooter. Of course, that’s a good problem to have if you’re Bryce Drew. You can use a player like Toye in several areas on the floor due to his athleticism and versatility, and that’s typically the type of player that thrives in Drew’s system.
And Toye will certainly have those opportunities to thrive thanks to Drew’s increased confidence in him during last season’s stretch run. After playing only 20 minutes or more in four of the team’s first 16 games, Toye played 21 or more in 17 of the team’s final 19 games.
Plus, the Commodores return three of their top four scorers – Matthew Fisher-Davis, Riley LaChance, and Jeff Roberson – from a season ago, so they’ll command a lot of attention from the opposition.
That should once again allow Toye to have the type of opportunities that he had in that memorable eight-minute stretch against the Aggies, with a few nice dunks thrown in for good measure.
So, don’t forget to refresh that Google search result sometime next March. There are sure to be plenty of new additions from 2017-18 campaign.
However, this time around, several thunderous dunks may only be part of the bigger story of Toye’s potential breakthrough season in Nashville.
This story is a part of the “100 Reasons to Watch SEC Hoops in ’17-18” series.