| No. 23 New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | March 16, 1986 |
| Place of birth | Jonesboro, Georgia |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Jonesboro High School |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Florida State Auburn |
| NBA Draft | 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 29th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Pro career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009–present | New York Knicks |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
Toney Bernard Douglas (born March 16, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Jonesboro, Georgia, he attended Jonesboro High School, where he was a starter and top player on the basketball team for three years.
Douglas played college basketball at Auburn for one year, eventally becoming frustrated with his role on the team as a shooting guard. He subsequently transferred to the Florida State University for the remainder of his collegiate career, where he switched to the point guard position; After foregoing eligibility for a season because of college basketball transfer regulations. In his sophomore season, Douglas initially struggled with his transition to a new team and position, but soon resumed a high level of play. Emerging as a defensive force in his junior season, Douglas set school and conference records for steals. He stepped up as a team leader in his final season, breaking personal records in several statistical categories and helped lead the Seminoles to their first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament in 11 years.
Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft with the 29th overall pick, Douglas was traded to the New York Knicks for their 2011 second-round pick and $3 million in cash considerations.
Douglas' brother Harry plays for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL).[1] Toney and Harry are the sixth pair of brothers to play in the NBA and NFL, respectively.[2]
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Toney was born to Harry and Stephanie Douglas in Jonesboro, Georgia. He attended Jonesboro High School, where he was starter for its basketball team for three years. Douglas played alongside his brother, Harry, for the same amount of time. He spent most of his freshman season (2000–01) on the junior varsity team.[3] In the 2001–02 season, when he was made a starter,[3] Douglas averaged 21.5 points per game (ppg), 6.5 rebounds per game (rpg) and 4.0 assists per game (apg), and became the first sophomore to earn first-team honors at the all-region and all-state levels. In his junior season, Douglas averaged 28.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.0 apg, scoring 20 points or more 24 times. He was named the Georgia Class 5A Player of the Year, and helped lead the team to the championship game of the state playoffs. Douglas averaged 34 ppg in his senior season, and the team advanced as far as the state semifinals. When he graduated from high school in 2004, Douglas was Clayton County's leading scorer, with 2,404 points. That year, he was named an All-American by Parade and earned a McDonald's All-America nomination.[4]
Douglas committed to Auburn University during his junior year in high school.[3] Playing as the starting shooting guard in his freshman season (2004–05), he led the team in scoring, at 16.9 ppg, and scored a team season-high (as well as career-high) 38 points against Nicholls State.[4][5] Douglas, who had the second-highest freshman scoring average in the nation, was voted to the All-SEC Freshman team. He earned Freshman All-America Third-Team and All–Southeastern Conference (All-SEC) Third-Team honors—Douglas was the fourth Auburn freshman to be named to the latter.[4]
Douglas submitted his name for the NBA Draft in the offseason, but did not sign with an agent, therefore allowing him to stay eligible for college when he later withdrew from the process.[5][6] Despite Douglas' success at Auburn, he and his family were unhappy with his position on the basketball team. Douglas wanted to be the team's point guard, which he believed was his more natural position and the one he would play in the NBA. However, the powers that be did not accede to his request, prompting him to request a transfer. Then-coach Jeff Lebo granted Douglas his scholarship release on the condition that he transfer to a non-SEC university. On June 29, 2005, Douglas enrolled at Florida State University, where coach Leonard Hamilton allowed him to play point guard.[7] Because National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules stipulate that players who transfer must sit out the following season, Douglas only began playing with the team in the 2006–07 season, although he still practiced with them during 2005–06.[4][5][6]
Douglas initially struggled at the point guard position while adjusting to the Florida State offense, but continued to play well in other respects. On February 7, 2007, Douglas injured the fourth metacarpal in his right (shooting) hand, forcing him to sit out six games (nearly a month)—of which Florida State lost five.[8][9] In his first game (against the University of Miami) after sustaining his injury, Douglas scored 13 points, including a three-pointer that tied the game and forced overtime; Florida State went on to win the game.[9] Douglas finished the season with averages of 12.7 ppg, 2.9 apg, and 2.7 rpg.[4] In three games of the 2007 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), he averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds, as Florida State won twice before losing to Mississippi State University in the semifinals.[4][10]
In Douglas' junior season, he continued his transition to point guard, creating offensive opportunities for others on the team in addition to scoring by himself. Although Douglas still needed to work on polishing the distribution aspect of his game, Hamilton said in January 2008 that "he's done an exceptional job when you take into consideration this hasn't been his role prior to coming to Florida State."[11] Douglas' defense improved considerably; he accumulated 2.6 steals per game (spg) as a junior (compared to 1.2 steals in the previous season), the highest rate in the ACC. After the regular season concluded, Douglas was selected into the ACC All-Defensive Team and the All-ACC Third Team.[12] Despite Douglas' efforts (18 points, 5 assists and 3 steals) against North Carolina in the quarterfinals, Florida State lost the game, effectively shutting them out from the NCAA tournament.[4][13] After Florida State lost in the first round of the 2008 NIT, Douglas finished the season with 90 steals, second only to Sam Cassell in the number of steals made in one season (97).[13][14] He led the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), steals (2.6 spg; also highest in the ACC) and assists (2.6).[4]
The 2008–09 Florida State team was composed of mostly freshman and sophomores, which meant that the veteran Douglas, now a senior (one of three on the team),[15] featured more prominently in the offense than in previous years. He started all 35 games of the season, one of two Seminole players to do so. Douglas became the primary threat on offense, and was the sole top scorer for the team in 23 games. His scoring average increased by more than six points, to 21.5 ppg, which was the highest average on the team and in the ACC; he also averaged 2.9 apg, a team and career high, and 3.9 rpg.[4][16] He earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors again and was selected to the All-ACC First Team.[4] His other major honors included being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, receiving the second-most votes for ACC Player of the Year and his selection to the Associated Press' All-America Third Team.[17][18] Douglas' strong play in the ACC tournament, in which the Seminoles upset top-ranked North Carolina and advanced to their first ACC final, led to his selection to the ACC All-Tournament team, another first for a Florida State player.[19] The Seminoles made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 11 years, playing against the University of Wisconsin. Douglas played well, scoring 26 points, but he missed an important three-point attempt late in the game and had Trevon Hughes score the winning shot while defending him. Wisconsin won 61–59 in overtime, thus ending Douglas' collegiate career.[20]
In preparation for the 2009 NBA Draft, Douglas worked out at the draft combine during May 28–29, and participated in pre-draft workouts with ten teams.[21][22] At the 2009 NBA Draft, on June 25, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him with the 29th overall pick in the first round, making him the first Seminole guard to be drafted in the first round since Bob Sura (1995).[23] Later that day, the New York Knicks acquired the rights to Douglas in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2011 and $3 million in cash considerations.[1][24] He was signed on July 9, 2009, and will be able to earn up to $900,000 in his rookie season.[25] In NBA Summer League play, Douglas averaged a team-high 7.0 apg.[26] During the 2009–10 season, Douglas was a reserve guard. He scored a career-high 30 points in a win against the Chicago Bulls on November 4, 2010.[27] On March 17, 2011, Douglas tied a Knicks record with 9 three pointers.
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | New York | 56 | 12 | 19.4 | .458 | .389 | .809 | 1.9 | 2.0 | .8 | .0 | 8.6 |
| 2010–11 | New York | 81 | 9 | 24.3 | .416 | .373 | .794 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.1 | .0 | 10.6 |
| Career | 137 | 21 | 22.3 | .430 | .378 | .800 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .0 | 9.8 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | New York | 4 | 3 | 28.0 | .366 | .389 | 1.000 | 3.3 | 2.3 | .5 | .0 | 10.8 |
| Career | 4 | 3 | 28.0 | .366 | .389 | 1.000 | 3.3 | 2.3 | .5 | .0 | 10.8 |
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