Toussaint Appreciates Support Of His Teammates
Joe Toussaint said, in the days after the death of George Floyd, Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery had a Zoom video conference with his players.
His message, Toussaint said, was simple.
“‘Everybody just let out your emotions,’” the sophomore guard said McCaffery said to the players. “That’s exactly what we did.”
Toussaint, appearing in a YouTube interview with BTN’s Andy Katz on Friday, said he and his family watched the video of Floyd’s death many times.
“It was devastating to actually witness the video of George Floyd’s death,” Toussaint said. “We just tried to figure out what went wrong there for that to happen.”
Toussaint said one of the first teammates to reach out to him was guard Connor McCaffery, Fran’s son.
“He said, ‘I’m here for you. Anything you need,’” Toussaint said.
Toussaint said he understood the anger that came out in protests around the nation.
“I just felt like people had enough when that came around,” he said. “People just had enough.”
Toussaint grew up in the Bronx, and said there was a “big” transition to living in Iowa City.
“In New York City, I used to get stopped by the cops before because, you know, my color,” Toussaint said. “I really didn’t see too much into it.
“Coming to Iowa City, I actually felt safe over here. Nothing went wrong with me here. Everybody’s loving, caring.”
Toussaint is back in Iowa City now for voluntary workouts after spending the rest of the spring semester at home with his family during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was really tough,” he said. “I didn’t go outside for a long time. I don’t know how long, but I was inside for a very long time.”
Toussaint talked about all of the precautions he and his teammates go through every day to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“I don’t mind it,” he said. “It’s to help us, for our own safety.”
Katz asked Toussaint if he had any idea about Luka Garza’s decision whether to come back for his senior year or keep his name in the NBA Draft. Garza, selected national player of the year by six outlets last season, was a consensus All-American.
“We support whatever he does,” Toussaint said. “Luka will forever be our brother.”
Toussaint said he told Garza recently, “If you go, if you stay, I’ll support you.”
But Toussaint laughed when he said what his preference would be.
“Personally, me, I want him to stay,” Toussaint said.
And if Garza returns? Toussaint said the Hawkeyes would be “a special team.”
