Fournier’s Journey Is Just Beginning
From Toronto playground courts to Duke stardom, the 2025 ACC Rookie of the Year continues to carve her path as one of the conference’s most dynamic players.
Meredith Rieder, GoDuke The Magazine
The famous Doctor Seuss once wrote:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
Standing at 6-foot-2 and wearing size 11 Nike sneakers, Duke women’s basketball sophomore Toby Fournier is certainly steering herself to great places. The 2025 ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC First Team pick, Fournier has continued to forge ahead in her sophomore season with an undeniable focus on her own and the team’s success.
In year two in a Duke uniform, Fournier has been a formidable force on both ends of the court, ranking third in the league in scoring and second in blocks. She was the only player in the ACC to average at least 16 points, five rebounds and two blocks per game as Duke secured its first ACC regular season title in 13 years. And Fournier is just getting started on her basketball journey.
“She’s never denied,” said associate head coach Tia Jackson, who works closely with the Toronto native as Fournier’s position coach. “She is a player, especially offensively, who understands the assignment and knows, ‘Okay, this is what’s coming. How can I be productive and still do my job?’ She always finds a way.”
Basketball hasn’t been a part of Fournier’s life for that long in comparison to many of her basketball peers. Her early memories are from the courts near her house where around age 11 or 12, she’d play with a group, which included her dad, older sister Zadie, and younger brother Walker.
“There was a school near my house, and there was a basketball hoop there,” said Fournier. “I think I was like 11 or 12. I wasn't super young, but we used to always go there and shoot hoops. I remember we'd scrimmage with the guys because there was always a group of guys playing and because we wanted the court, we’d be like ‘Let's play against them.’ And I remember kicking their butts. I remember being really nervous to do it, but I remember loving it as well.”
Whatever nerves Fournier felt when she was younger slowly wore off over the years as she gained more experience. Standing at 6-0 by the time she was 12 or 13, Fournier was always athletic. She won the long jump at the Toronto City Track and Field Championship in sixth grade and not too long after that she was dunking a basketball — which now has become a pregame tradition for the Blue Devils.
“You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights. Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.”
Fournier, getting a relatively late start in basketball, quickly made a name for herself on the court. She started playing North Toronto basketball and dominated the league. Fournier, despite being nervous early on, was the player turning heads and having opposing coaches come up to her asking her to play on their team. Despite having doubts sometimes, she was that girl.
“I was a very anxious kid about putting myself out there and doing things,” Fournier said. “I remember I was really good, and they wanted me to play on the older girls’ team. I almost cried at that idea. I was so nervous to even go play along with them. And then I got there and again, we killed the other team. Older girls were mad and wondering who this young girl was coming in and scoring points on them.”
Basketball quickly came to mean so much more to Fournier. Of course, she enjoyed being good and finding success, but she also cherished the people she met, the friends she made and all the places she went to.
“I feel like basketball creates a sisterhood,” Fournier said. “You meet so many people through basketball. Obviously at Duke I have some of my best friends who I’ll know for the rest of my life. The opportunities I’ve gotten through basketball are so special. You can travel anywhere in the world. I have traveled to so many different places and met so many different people and I think it’s all about that experience.”
Fournier continued her rise through the youth basketball system in Toronto, landing a spot in Canada’s national team system. At 16 years old, she helped lead Canada to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup. One year later, Canada took a bronze at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup where Fournier averaged 16.1 points and a tournament-best 13.7 rebounds per game.
It was during one of these international trips that Fournier created what is now a core memory. She was with Team Canada on a bus in the Germany countryside and she remembers feeling the serenity that surrounded her in that moment. The sunset, the views out the window and the quiet moments to herself on the bus allowed her to reflect on how basketball, even through the tough times, provided her with a plethora of amazing experiences.
“I’m sorry to say so, but, sadly it’s true that bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you. And when you’re in a slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.”
Fournier, admittedly experiencing difficult moments even through all her basketball success, was not immune to roadblocks. This was true last season as she navigated her way through her first year at Duke, where she was far away from home for the first time, had to balance a demanding academic and athletic calendar and, perhaps most daunting of all, had to learn head coach Kara Lawson’s playbook.
“I remember thinking at practice, ‘Oh my god, there’s 50,000 plays Coach Kara is putting in,’” Fournier said about her first season in Durham. “I think the mental and physical effort practice took and running 64s meant by the time I got to a game nothing surprised me.”
Fournier signed with Duke in November of 2023, headlining the Blue Devils’ recruiting class as the 10th-ranked player by espnW and a 2024 Jordan Brand All-American her senior season.
Heralded as a player who could impact the game on both ends of the court, Fournier played 10 minutes off the bench her first game, scoring 10 points and pulling down three rebounds. She came off the bench for each of the next 34 games, finishing the season averaging 13.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to earn All-ACC first team to go with her Rookie of the Year award.
There were difficult moments that first season. Everything moved fast. Practices were intense, the playbook was thick and that was just the basketball part.
Fournier, leaning on her family and the people basketball brought into her life for support, took the lessons from year one and successfully applied them in year two. She has grown tremendously on and off the court in her second season.
“Emotionally, for sure,” Jackson said about Fournier’s growth off the court. “It matters to her. If it doesn’t matter to a kid, then it just rolls off their back. It matters to her and I’d say those mountains are no longer mountains. They’re mole hills to her. She sees it. She knows how to get over it. She always finds a way to get over it.”
On the court, there has been no sophomore slump for Fournier. She has started every game and is averaging 29 minutes per game — a 45 percent increase from last season. Her scoring is up by 35 percent, rebounding by 55 percent, blocking average by 110 percent and assists average by an astounding 193 percent.
For both Coach Jackson and Fournier, it’s her ability to understand the schemes and manage the speed of the game that has improved the most from year one to two. She is seeing the floor well on both ends, allowing her to be a complete two-way player.
Jackson sees much of Fournier’s progress coming on the defensive end.
“Freshman year to sophomore year on the defensive end, schemes have become a little more natural for her,” Jackson said. “She’s seeing things faster. She’s reacting faster. She is starting to evolve into a really really good two-way player. The fact that she’s as versatile on either end as she is, meaning she can guard anyone and she can score against anyone. She is probably one of the most impactful players I’ve coached in a while.”
Fournier believes seeing the floor better has elevated her and her team’s game offensively. Commanding so much attention on the offensive end, she has learned to read the double-teams coming her way and get her team involved.
“I think my ability to see the court more,” Fournier said about where her game grew the most. “I think it’s helped me not only score more but be able to assist my teammates. I feel like a lot of the time last year my points were scored in the paint. That’s always been my game, but I’m really expanding it to the point where I’m playing on the perimeter now too.”
Fournier’s game may be limited to those 94 feet inside the arena, but she recognizes basketball is limitless in what it can provide. She traveled to Paris with her teammates, got to meet women’s basketball royalty in A’Ja Wilson and is featured in the NBA 2K26 Season 5 update.
Those are just the places she’s been to this year. She looks forward to even more while wearing both Duke and Team Canada jerseys. Fournier and the Blue Devils look to make a deep run from March into April, while also keeping her eye on her future with Team Canada.
“Representing my country is a next level opportunity for me,” Fournier said. “To wear Canada across my chest and to also have my last name on the back means a lot to me. Not only am I representing Canada, but I’m also representing my family and everyone who came before me who lives in Canada.”
In Fournier’s immediate future, though, is the NCAA Tournament with the Blue Devils. Duke and Fournier will hit the ground running with hopes of dancing their way to a couple new cities on the list of places visited.
“So … be your name Buxbaum or Bixby, Bray, or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea” (or Toby Fournier), “you’re off to Great Places! Your mountain is waiting. So … get on your way!”
Toby, take on those mountains that are now mole hills. Your family, friends, teammates and fans can’t wait to watch you on this journey to all the amazing places.
This story originally appeared in the 17.7 issue of GoDuke The Magazine. Dedicated to sharing the stories of Duke student-athletes, present and past, GoDuke The Magazine is published for Duke Athletics by LEARFIELD with editorial offices at 3100 Tower Blvd., Suite 404, Durham, NC 27707. To subscribe, join the Iron Dukes or call (336) 831-0767.