By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
After four years at Rider University establishing herself as a Division I post player, Victoria Toomey is headed home.
Toomey announced Monday that she is returning to the area to play for her Dunmore High School coach Ben O’Brien while continuing her studies into graduate school at the University of Scranton.
Under National Collegiate Athletic Association COVID-era rules, Toomey has one year of basketball eligibility remaining.
Toomey originally began working on her MBA this semester at Rider with intentions of playing her fifth year at the Lawrenceville, N.J. school, but thoughts of returning home and playing for O’Brien again became too tempting to pass up.
“It was a late decision,” Toomey said in a Monday interview. “Up until early last week, I hadn’t really come to my full decision yet. It was definitely something I thought about for a while and I always thought there could be a possibility there.”
Toomey said she intended to spend the fifth year at Rider, “but I got to the point where I could not lie to myself anymore. I do want to go home, if possible.”
The formal step of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal was dealt with last Thursday and Toomey did hear from other interested schools, but she promptly let them know she planned on returning home.
“I didn’t want to make a big deal about being in the Transfer Portal,” she said. “I wasn’t looking anywhere else seriously.”
The last time Toomey played for O’Brien was in the 2019 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state Class 3A championship game when the Lady Bucks suffered their only loss of that season.
O’Brien moved on to the University of Scranton in time for the 2022-23 season and kept the Lady Royals unbeaten into the Sweet 16 of the Division III national tournament.
Since her days at Dunmore, the 6-foot-2 Toomey has developed into more of a pure post player, handling the physical battles necessary to excel close to the basket on the Division I level. She hopes to blend that style with more of the perimeter and high-post game that were part of her success as a District 2 Player of the Year and all-star performer at Dunmore.
“There’s aspects of my game from when I played for coach O’Brien last that I hope to bring back,” Toomey said, “and also bring all the things that I’ve gained at Rider as well.
“ … In high school, I played on the perimeter here and there, looking to get outside shots. I’m hoping to kind of marry the post play with that perimeter threat as well.”
Toomey played 107 games in her Rider career, including 64 starts. She averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game while starting all 31 games of her senior season.
While shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and 69.9 percent from the line in her college career to date, Toomey has not made a 3-pointer. Her only six attempts came in her first two college seasons.
As Toomey headed for what turned into her stretch run at Rider, she was playing the best basketball of her career. She averaged 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds over its final eight games while shooting 58.7 percent from the floor and 73.1 percent from the line.
“Being a post player at the Division I level is not as easy as it sounds,” Rider coach Lynn Milligan told NEPASportsNation.com after a Feb. 12 home game against Manhattan in which Toomey scored 18 points to kick off that closing run. “It’s tough. I say it all time, ‘guards have it easy’. Sometimes, guards only have to run 3-point line to 3-point line. Post players have to run rim to rim every single play and every single play they’re getting hit or they’re handing out a hit. That’s the way it goes.
“Playing at this level as a post player is difficult. It’s difficult on both ends of the court and I think Vic’s done a real good job developing her body; developing her condition.”
Milligan praised Toomey’s leadership and for taking the responsibility of wanting to be the player her teammates could count on in the low blocks.
“The harder you work, the more results you get,” Milligan said after the 8-for-11 shooting game against Manhattan. “Vic didn’t get lucky tonight. She worked hard and she put herself in the right spots.”
The right spot for Toomey now is back in Lackawanna County where she can again join O’Brien in pursuing titles. She has one month remaining at Rider, including May 13 graduation ceremonies.
“The U has that history of winning and being successful,” she said. “My goal is just to come in and help continue that in any way possible.”
