Words by John Hobbs.
After finishing at the foot of the Super League Basketball table last season, the Caledonia Gladiators’ Toto Fagbenle didn’t drop his head in disappointment. Instead, he used it as motivation.
It’s the hallmark of the large Fagbenle family, where Toto is the second youngest of 12 children. Competitive fibre is entrenched in their DNA. So, when asked what he had changed to help the Gladiators get back to a Play-Off calibre unit, his answer was blunt and to the point.
“A more dominant Toto,” he stated. “One who wants to win every game.”
That mentality has always been with Fagbenle. Okay, it’s a pledge any athlete gives, and they mean it. But finishing at the bottom of the pile last season gave him and Caledonia renewed focus.
It’s not just him, but it’s the team too. Jett Speelman has returned to the squad with new signing Ria’n Holland, eager to prove his worth after a successful season in Serbia last year, where he averaged 15 points and four assists with KK Sloga Societe Generale Kraljevo.
After spending time as a team together under the guidance of head coach Jonny Bunyan, Fagbenle sees immediate improvement and focus to play as one.
“We play selfless basketball. I love it,” Fagbenle says. “We move the ball. It’s a great ball movement. The guys here gel, and we have gelled quickly. There’s great team chemistry, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
COMPETITIVENESS THAT RUNS DEEPER THAN JUST BASKETBALL
The way Caledonia play its basketball right now, just from training and pre-season, fits Fagbenle’s persona like a glove.
It highlights the competitive sporting nature that Toto was taught from an early age, but he didn’t start on the hardwood – it was on the tennis courts. And he doesn’t sell himself short.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn, I like to say I was the next big thing,” he says with a smile. “They called me a child prodigy. I was going to camps at six years old. I started playing tennis when I was younger than three.
“So, I was taking it seriously. But then, I had some tantrums, and it wasn’t good for my tennis; I broke a lot of racquets, and my father got kind of annoyed, so I guess he stopped it. And it was expensive.”
Intense, a keen desire to win in everything he does, Fagbenle’s spirit resonates from his environment. A northwest London native, he hails from Hendon, where he says everyone plays hard and gives everything they have.
So, with tennis out of the question, Toto, inspired by his older sister Temi – who plays in the WNBA for the Golden State Valkyries – turned to basketball and started playing for Barnet Bulldogs. But his realisation that basketball could be more than just simply playing came when he excelled at Morgan State before moving to Coppin State.
“When I was in [Morgan State], when I got there, for the first year, they showed me that I have this potential and I can do this and I have these skills, and these people keep telling me that I can do this,” Fagbenle explains. “So, I’m like, okay, cool. Let me try to own my skills and try to make it pro.”
Now that his goal has been achieved, his sister Temi, a Great Britain international and WNBA veteran, remains his source of inspiration.
“She paved the way,” Toto says about Temi.
“She really showed me what it’s like; she gave me advice. Taught me how to act in certain environments and what to say and what to do, warned me about the ups and downs, and so I really felt like I was ready before I got here, mentally.”
DETERMINED BUT ALWAYS SMILING – EVEN WITH HIS SIGNATURE
As he enters his second year with the Gladiators, he settles into life in Scotland, a drastic change to everyday life in London, but he looks forward to getting back onto the court and having the chance to prove himself again.
Finishing bottom with just seven wins stung the Gladiators, who mixed domestic duties with entering the FIBA Europe Cup, where they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Round of 16.
It’s all motivation heading into the second season, the second chapter of the Gladiators’ SLB adventure.
Fagbenle keeps a positive outlook, which only grows when he is playing in front of the vocal yet fiercely supportive Gladiators fans.
“I like to think that I’m hardworking, and I would love to win every game, and I’ll die for this team,” Fagbenle explains. “Because I feel like that’s what I do every day and every time I’m on the court. Play my hardest and to the best of my ability, and the results come.
“I always interact whenever I see a fan. I love to say hello. I love the fans. The fans are amazing.
“My signature, the autograph, I always have a smiley face, to remind me to keep smiling because life is short, so I hope I give a good impression of this.”
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