The silent pro
Dear Reader,
In our newest column, we are presenting foreign players, who play or played in Hungary. We are going to write about players who retired, who still play somewhere else, and who still play on Hungarian basketball courts. There will be players, whose praises were sung in the arenas, and players, who have to be mentioned because of their career.
The bottom line is they are all special characters, who left their mark in our basketball history.
Firstly, you can read an article about a young man - written in a personal tone by Artúr Puskás – who played for Körmend, Nyíregyháza, Debrecen and Albacomp;
David Toya!
I remember the moment, when I first heard the news from László Makrai (Nyíregyháza GM) that he would play for us. I was as enthusiastic as my son Bendegúz, when he opened his newest LEGO box. I had first paid attention to David, when we played a Hungary- Slovakia junior game, and I had had to guard him. So I had the opportunity to play with player, who had became champions with Körmend a few years earlier. The player, who had played impressively in the finals and had led his team to a championship…
I don’t think I should introduce his sober stats and numbers. There are almanachs and statistic columns to find these things. I think the fans are interested in the man himself – of course, sometimes spiced with interesting basketball stories…
When I first mentioned David that I would write a short article about him, he said I should find someone who fans could remember. This was typical Toya attitude. Modest and restrained. Words said by a player, who – it is my firm belief – is among the top 10 foreign players, who have ever played in Hungary…
…a real gourmand. As in every field of his life, he prefers quality in meals as well. He is well-balanced and moderate. Except one thing: I had never seen anyone eating poppy seed bread in the way he did, not mentioning the quantity. The waiters in the restaurant in Nyíregyháza were watching him in a shock and they couldn’t believe how he could eat 5-6 portions leisurely for dinner, after an evening practice…
He handled the ball and performed the basketball drills so easily that I sometimes belived I could do it, too. I had never seen a player before or after, who could use the spin move and the dribble the ball behind the back with such confidence against tight defense…
… As far as I remember, after three weeks, I stopped asking whether he would go home to Bratislava for the weekend, and whether I could go with him and got out in Budapest. He went home. Always. When the weather was good, he went mountain biking, if it turned colder, he went snowboarding. According to urban legends, crazy basketball fans once saw him sliding in the Slovakian mountains on a Monday morning, and later practicing in the Bujtosi Arena in the afternoon, on the same day…
December 2004, ULEB-Cup, Germany. 8000 fanatics on the bleachers, eating sausage confidently. Laser show, team mascot, confetti – everything, like in a festival. The Alba Berlin – behaving pompously as the group’s favourite – hosted the underdogs, the Debreceni Vadkakasok. At the end, we won by ten. David scored 29 points, without a three-pointer!!! I had the best courtside seat, since I was admiring his performance from the bench; my Slovakian-Ugandan friend taught the cocky Germans a lesson, and everyone could be sorry, if he missed it…
For a change, we were racing along on freeway M3, towards Bratislava. It wasn’s easy to talk with him, as he was a really extravert guy. I was telling him that half of the European teams would offer him a contract, when he looked at me and said: „Come on, I”m Slovakian, I don’t have any chance with our sports diplomacy.”
These words were meant seriously by him, despite he’s 6’7” (200 cm) tall, extremely athletic, able to play well in position 1-2-3, had an extra high basketball IQ, and had fantastic games in the ULEB-Cup. I don’t know whether I should cry or laugh at this, but I think it’s rather sad. David Toya should have earned a spot in any top league in Europe, or even on an upper level…
A lot of people questioned his devotion. He was typically the type of player, who played this game with a low pulse rate, without batting an eyelid during the 40 minutes. He doesn’t need my protection, but I have to emphasize he prepared for every game as a professional. An amateur would think that this guy doesn’t really deal with the fans. In spite of this, he talked endlessly about the Hungarian fans and athmosphere they created. The fans in Vas County are engraved on his memory, admitting he hadn’t seen anything like that during his long and adventurous career.
I suppose if he had chosen an other sport as a child, he would have been as successful in that as well. He can kick the ball too, but I was really suprised on a spring day, in Debrecen. I will never forget the face Rudi Trummer showed during a tease in the locker room, when David told him he had been a youth table-tennis champion in Slovakia. Rudi, my friend from Körmend forced a game against David, for a serious stake. I wouldn’t share the final score, since we are great friends with Rudi…
… You feel great tranquality, when you talk with David. There is some incomprehensibe gentleness in him - in a positive sense. Lately he’s been playing golf and tennis. He isn’t a typical, stereotyped athlete. He is calm, intelligent, meditative and restrained. Some people may have considered him cocky because of these things – improperly. He is not cocky, on the contrary. In this rushing, inhuman, careerist world it is rare to see a well-balanced person like him. He simply loves life, good (Hungarian) cuisine and freedom. His philosophy is worth keeping in mind: „Take care of your health, don’t do very silly things, live your life and stay true to yourself!”
Photo(1.): Albakosar.hu
Photo(2.): Nemzetisport.hu
Photo(3.): Meggyesi Bálint - MTE.blog.hu
Forrás: magyarkosar.blog.nepsport.hu