George Washington University Athletics
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Good to Be Back
12/16/2019 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
After injury, Toro has renewed appreciation for game
As Jameer Nelson, Jr. made his move, Arnaldo Toro edged toward the hoop with his feet light and mission clear.
When the layup attempt spun out and deflected high in the air, the GW big man pounced, turning the game's first miss into his first rebound to kick off what would become a night to remember.
Whenever a shot clanked iron on Nov. 12 vs. American, Toro seemed to be in the right spot. The senior from Puerto Rico piled up 24 caroms to match Yinka Dare's Atlantic 10 record with 13 of them on the offensive end to set a new GW mark.
From start to finish, the 6-foot-8, 248-pound Toro kept battling inside, and more often than not, the ball found its way into his hands. He was responsible for more than half of the Buff and Blue's boards and nearly outrebounded the Eagles by himself.
"To move that way and to be that aggressive, it's hard to get big guys to do that," American head coach Mike Brennan said afterward. "He's a handful."
That Toro had the physical capacity to produce the record-setting effort is a testament to his relentless determination over the past 12 months. It was a long road back after a hip injury cut short his junior season, necessitating surgery and a painstaking recovery that forced him to re-learn basic movements before he could think about a return to the hardwood.
Moreover, Toro's historic performance highlighted a drive to succeed that's stronger than ever after so long on the sideline. Already a blue-collar worker under the rim, he's taken his game to another level, averaging 10.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over his first six contests of the season, despite being limited to just two minutes of floor time with a knee injury in one. He's going to chase every rebound because not all that long ago he couldn't do much of anything.
"It just changes your perspective in life," Toro said. "Just not taking anything for granted because it can all go away right away. That happened to me. Now I appreciate the game more, and I take it day-by-day and love every single day."
Toro tried to push through the hip discomfort early last season, and his averages of 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds through the first seven games are more proof of his uncommon willpower.
Eventually, he faced the reality that the timing was right to ensure his long-term health, on and off the court. He finished out the semester in the classroom before undergoing the surgery on Dec. 28, 2018, well aware of the challenges ahead in a months-long recovery.
"There were a lot of long days, hard days," Toro said. "You know that there's going to be pain, and you've just got to get through it."
The first few weeks were the toughest: Stuck in bed, he was outfitted with a machine to stimulate his legs and avoid blood clots. His parents stayed with him for much of the first month, helping him shower and journeying out in the Foggy Bottom cold to get him food.
When his parents headed home to Puerto Rico, the soft-spoken Toro relied more on his fellow Colonials. Roommate Adam Mitola remembers helping his friend with the early stages of rehab, rotating Toro's legs in circles – clockwise, counterclockwise, then repeat.
"Definitely at times he didn't want to ask for things because he's that kind of guy," Mitola said. "But I wanted him to know I was going to be there for him throughout the process."
The rehab progress was slow yet steady.
Under the direction of athletic trainer Anthony Lucas, Toro maintained a list of short- and long-term goals to chase. At first, they were simple things like sitting in a chair or standing without crutches but then progressed to running in a pool, then on a treadmill and finally on a basketball court.
Through it all, Toro's upbeat attitude rarely wavered. He took feedback, asked questions and put in the work.
"I think AT showed an incredible level of commitment to his rehab," Lucas said. "Whenever you have a major injury like that, there are mental, emotional and physical sides to it.
"To come back each day knowing that you have to accept those challenges and better yourself from them is really hard. He was just so dedicated and disciplined every step of the way."
Toro stayed around the team all he could, at first watching GW practices and home games from the sideline supported by a pair of extra-long crutches. As his rehab ramped up, he tried to keep things as normal as possible, always looking for ways to stay involved whether it was dispensing a word of advice or offering a well-timed one-liner in the locker room.
After spending the summer making final preparations for his return, Toro was fully cleared upon his arrival back on campus for the fall semester in August. That first practice was special after all he'd been through.
"It was a lot of emotions, just actually being back fully," Toro said. "All the hard work that (Lucas) put in to help me out. You just appreciate those people that were there to support me."
Upon his hiring in March, head coach Jamion Christian had expressed his excitement to work with Toro.
The veteran coach arrived with first-hand knowledge about how much of a matchup nightmare the big man could be after watching him post nine points and nine rebounds vs. Siena early last season. He believed Toro's skillset, especially his passing ability, made him a great fit for his preferred brand of basketball.
"That meant a lot," Toro said. "It made me work harder. I knew the spotlight was going to be on me, so I just wanted to get back as soon as I could to try and learn the system and be the best I could be to help the team."
Christian's been proven right in the early going.
Toro didn't spend too much time getting sentimental before the season opener at Towson. Playing his first regular season game in 11 months, he did his part with seven points and seven rebounds, but more importantly, he walked away with a clear understanding of what he could improve going forward.
"I would say the first game I was more letting the game come to me and being more patient," Toro said. "After that, I had to flip the switch a little bit and try to be more aggressive. I had to be more confident with my body movements and not be scared because we put the work in."
Since then, Toro has averaged 14.0 points and 15.3 rebounds in his four full games. That run included scoring a career-high 22 points in the home-opening win over Howard and his 20-point, 24-rebound outing vs. American.
In his record effort, Toro grabbed 14 boards before the break and added 10 more over the final 20 minutes to equal a mark that Dare set representing the Colonials vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 6, 1993.
"Just seeing him dominate rebounding and demanding the ball in the post, that's what AT does best," Mitola said. "It's great to see him out there having fun again. We really missed that last year."
After missing four contests with the unrelated knee injury, Toro served notice that he's back to full health with a 12-point, 17-rebound effort in the win over previously-unbeaten Delaware on Dec. 7.
Christian is eager to see what's next as Toro continues to get comfortable in his system and back into the flow of the season.
"I love coaching AT," Christian said. "I love his personality. I love who he is. I love the journey he's on to become the person who he wants to be, and I want to make sure we're doing everything we can to support him."
For Toro, that means wanting to claim every rebound for the Buff and Blue. He'll gladly fight the battle on the boards because he can. And he's learned that alone is worth celebrating.
"I enjoy it every single day," Toro said. "When I step on the court, I try to appreciate the game, appreciate what it took to get here and just the process that I went through."
When the layup attempt spun out and deflected high in the air, the GW big man pounced, turning the game's first miss into his first rebound to kick off what would become a night to remember.
Whenever a shot clanked iron on Nov. 12 vs. American, Toro seemed to be in the right spot. The senior from Puerto Rico piled up 24 caroms to match Yinka Dare's Atlantic 10 record with 13 of them on the offensive end to set a new GW mark.
From start to finish, the 6-foot-8, 248-pound Toro kept battling inside, and more often than not, the ball found its way into his hands. He was responsible for more than half of the Buff and Blue's boards and nearly outrebounded the Eagles by himself.
"To move that way and to be that aggressive, it's hard to get big guys to do that," American head coach Mike Brennan said afterward. "He's a handful."
That Toro had the physical capacity to produce the record-setting effort is a testament to his relentless determination over the past 12 months. It was a long road back after a hip injury cut short his junior season, necessitating surgery and a painstaking recovery that forced him to re-learn basic movements before he could think about a return to the hardwood.
Moreover, Toro's historic performance highlighted a drive to succeed that's stronger than ever after so long on the sideline. Already a blue-collar worker under the rim, he's taken his game to another level, averaging 10.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over his first six contests of the season, despite being limited to just two minutes of floor time with a knee injury in one. He's going to chase every rebound because not all that long ago he couldn't do much of anything.
"It just changes your perspective in life," Toro said. "Just not taking anything for granted because it can all go away right away. That happened to me. Now I appreciate the game more, and I take it day-by-day and love every single day."
Toro tried to push through the hip discomfort early last season, and his averages of 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds through the first seven games are more proof of his uncommon willpower.
Eventually, he faced the reality that the timing was right to ensure his long-term health, on and off the court. He finished out the semester in the classroom before undergoing the surgery on Dec. 28, 2018, well aware of the challenges ahead in a months-long recovery.
"There were a lot of long days, hard days," Toro said. "You know that there's going to be pain, and you've just got to get through it."
The first few weeks were the toughest: Stuck in bed, he was outfitted with a machine to stimulate his legs and avoid blood clots. His parents stayed with him for much of the first month, helping him shower and journeying out in the Foggy Bottom cold to get him food.
When his parents headed home to Puerto Rico, the soft-spoken Toro relied more on his fellow Colonials. Roommate Adam Mitola remembers helping his friend with the early stages of rehab, rotating Toro's legs in circles – clockwise, counterclockwise, then repeat.
"Definitely at times he didn't want to ask for things because he's that kind of guy," Mitola said. "But I wanted him to know I was going to be there for him throughout the process."
The rehab progress was slow yet steady.
Under the direction of athletic trainer Anthony Lucas, Toro maintained a list of short- and long-term goals to chase. At first, they were simple things like sitting in a chair or standing without crutches but then progressed to running in a pool, then on a treadmill and finally on a basketball court.
Through it all, Toro's upbeat attitude rarely wavered. He took feedback, asked questions and put in the work.
"I think AT showed an incredible level of commitment to his rehab," Lucas said. "Whenever you have a major injury like that, there are mental, emotional and physical sides to it.
"To come back each day knowing that you have to accept those challenges and better yourself from them is really hard. He was just so dedicated and disciplined every step of the way."
Toro stayed around the team all he could, at first watching GW practices and home games from the sideline supported by a pair of extra-long crutches. As his rehab ramped up, he tried to keep things as normal as possible, always looking for ways to stay involved whether it was dispensing a word of advice or offering a well-timed one-liner in the locker room.
After spending the summer making final preparations for his return, Toro was fully cleared upon his arrival back on campus for the fall semester in August. That first practice was special after all he'd been through.
"It was a lot of emotions, just actually being back fully," Toro said. "All the hard work that (Lucas) put in to help me out. You just appreciate those people that were there to support me."
Upon his hiring in March, head coach Jamion Christian had expressed his excitement to work with Toro.
The veteran coach arrived with first-hand knowledge about how much of a matchup nightmare the big man could be after watching him post nine points and nine rebounds vs. Siena early last season. He believed Toro's skillset, especially his passing ability, made him a great fit for his preferred brand of basketball.
"That meant a lot," Toro said. "It made me work harder. I knew the spotlight was going to be on me, so I just wanted to get back as soon as I could to try and learn the system and be the best I could be to help the team."
Christian's been proven right in the early going.
Toro didn't spend too much time getting sentimental before the season opener at Towson. Playing his first regular season game in 11 months, he did his part with seven points and seven rebounds, but more importantly, he walked away with a clear understanding of what he could improve going forward.
"I would say the first game I was more letting the game come to me and being more patient," Toro said. "After that, I had to flip the switch a little bit and try to be more aggressive. I had to be more confident with my body movements and not be scared because we put the work in."
Since then, Toro has averaged 14.0 points and 15.3 rebounds in his four full games. That run included scoring a career-high 22 points in the home-opening win over Howard and his 20-point, 24-rebound outing vs. American.
In his record effort, Toro grabbed 14 boards before the break and added 10 more over the final 20 minutes to equal a mark that Dare set representing the Colonials vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 6, 1993.
"Just seeing him dominate rebounding and demanding the ball in the post, that's what AT does best," Mitola said. "It's great to see him out there having fun again. We really missed that last year."
After missing four contests with the unrelated knee injury, Toro served notice that he's back to full health with a 12-point, 17-rebound effort in the win over previously-unbeaten Delaware on Dec. 7.
Christian is eager to see what's next as Toro continues to get comfortable in his system and back into the flow of the season.
"I love coaching AT," Christian said. "I love his personality. I love who he is. I love the journey he's on to become the person who he wants to be, and I want to make sure we're doing everything we can to support him."
For Toro, that means wanting to claim every rebound for the Buff and Blue. He'll gladly fight the battle on the boards because he can. And he's learned that alone is worth celebrating.
"I enjoy it every single day," Toro said. "When I step on the court, I try to appreciate the game, appreciate what it took to get here and just the process that I went through."
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