Toney
Douglas
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, and became
frustrated with his role on the team as a shooting guard. Douglas
transferred to the Florida State University for the remainder of his
collegiate career, where he switched to the point guard
position—after forgoing eligibility for a season because of college
basketball transfer regulations. In his sophomore season, Douglas
initially struggled in his transition to a new team and position,
but soon resumed a high level of play, overcoming a hand injury in
the middle of the season. He emerged as a defensive force in his
junior season, setting school and conference records for steals.
Douglas stepped up as a team leader in his final season; he broke
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). Toney and Harry are
the sixth pair of brothers to play in the NBA and NFL, respectively.
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. In the 2001–02
season, when he was made a starter,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.
Douglas committed to
Auburn University during his junior year in high school. 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. 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.
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. 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 Tigers
(Auburn's mascot) 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
In Douglas' junior season, he
continued his transition to point guard, which includes creating
offensive opportunities for others on the team in addition to
scoring by himself. Although Douglas still needed to work on that
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." 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.
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). He led the team in
scoring (15.4 ppg), steals (2.6 spg; also highest in the ACC) and
assists (2.6).
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), 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. He earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors again and was
selected to the All-ACC First Team. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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). 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. He was signed on July 9, 2009, and
will be able to earn up to $900,000 in his rookie season. In NBA
Summer League play, Douglas averaged a team-high 7.0 apg. 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. On
March 17, 2011, Douglas tied a Knicks record with 9 three pointers.
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