Newcomer Notebook: Floor Toonders

FLOOR TOONDERS
6'4 | Forward | Wageningen, Netherlands | Calandlyceum Amsterdam

On Finally Arriving in the U.S. in August

TOONDERS: “It was really cool to finally get here. It still is a little unreal that I’m actually here. It was really good to finally get here with the team and start workouts.”

On Her Key Takeaways from COVID-19

TOONDERS: “We were all sent home, so I spent 2-3 months back at home before I got here. So that was really nice to spend some more time with family. This really put into perspective what it is that you have and what you don’t have.”

On Playing Basketball Away from Home

TOONDERS: “I was living in Amsterdam for basketball and then went home (Wageningen) on the weekends. It was only an hour drive and I could go by train also. I’ve lived by myself since I was 14 so this is a little different because I can’t go home on the weekends but I am used to living by myself so that will help a lot.” 

On Athletics in Her Family 

Toonders' mother was gymnast and her father played basketball.

TOONDERS: “Well my parents never really pressured me to play basketball but they did suggest that I would probably like to play a sport. I don’t remember specifically how I ended up being drawn to basketball but my dad played and I was pretty tall, so gymnastics wasn’t really going to be an option. I think I just chose basketball and have really liked it from the start."

On Her Official Visit to UF

TOONDERS: “I really liked the moment before the game when I went into the locker room with the team. I really liked all the stuff they did before the game, just like prepping each other and stuff like that. I thought that was really cool.”

On Her First Trip to the U.S.

TOONDERS: “The first time I ever came to the U.S. was for my college visits. I don’t know if I remember one thing the most, but everything felt so different. With the freeways, the food and the people all just so different. It was a whole different world.”

On Playing on the Netherlands National Team

TOONDERS: “That was really cool. Just being in the same hotel with all of these teams and dining in these big halls. It was really weird that you’re actually representing your own country.

We got to play against some good teams like Spain and also we played against Italy and Hungary in preparation for the European games. So that was a really good experience for me."

On What She’s Most Excited About 

Favorite Food

“Pasta, I really like pasta.”

Food She Is Going to Miss the Most from Back Home

“I really think it’s my parents’ pasta. They are really good. I’m going to have to find some new good restaurants here.”

Least Favorite Food

“Mushrooms and pumpkin. I just don’t like the textures, that’s a no for me.”

Favorite Thing to Do Outside of Basketball

“Of course I like watching TV shows and Netflix and stuff. I don’t do it as often as I wish I would, but sometimes I like to draw and be creative. Doing some planning and things like that with my bullet journal.”

On the Basketball Player She Tries to Model Her Game After

“The Spanish player Alba Torres. She is also really tall and she can shoot and drive. She is also really fast. Since I am tall, I like to play like her because she can pretty much do everything. I would like to be like that.”

On Her Shooting Ability

“I’m really tall so I can shoot over people which will come in handy.”

On What She Looks to Improve on This Season

“I think I need to get better at going to the basket. I played on the post a lot because I’m really tall so I’m used to passing and screening. I want to be more aggressive so I can create options for myself and driving. I would like to get more aggressive and stronger, of course.”