Friends of the Court

Men's Basketball Program Gets a Great Assist from James and Sara Toussaint

By Chad Osborne

Four quick passes – a few dribbles in between –and a quick layup between befuddled defenders set the Highlanders off to a quick start.

The bucket gave Radford a quick 2-0 lead just 18 seconds into a late February 2022 Big South Conference match-up with rival High Point University.

“Those two points set the tone for the game,” said Darris Nichols, Highlanders men’s basketball coach. And those points turned out to be the margin of victory for Radford in the 66-64 triumph.

Nichols didn’t call the opening play, named in the playbook as “Chicago 2,” but instead handed over that responsibility to a friend visiting the Dedmon Center that night.

“That game was awesome, and I got to pick the starting play which we scored on,” said a still-excited James Toussaint, M.D., months later. “It was pretty cool, and it was a great time.”

Toussaint, an orthopedic surgeon living and practicing in Gainesville, Florida, was in Radford that night with his wife, Sara. In addition to taking in a game coached by their friend, Nichols, they toured campus – “it’s so beautiful,” Sara said – the city of Radford and the surrounding area.

Their visit gave the Radford men’s basketball program a chance to recognize and honor James and Sara for their tremendous generosity to the program through a $100,000 gift they established.

We’ve known Darris and his wife, Courtnie, for a while, and they are incredible people,” Sara said. “We made the gift because we love supporting our friends, especially when they are doing as much good in the world as they are.

The couples met when Darris and Courtnie worked at the University of Florida. Darris Nichols was an assistant basketball coach with the Gators. The Radford native spent six seasons in that role before being named Radford's eighth men’s basketball head coach in April 2021.

The Toussaints’ gift “means so much to our program,” Nichols said. “We are now able to enhance our studentathlete experience with things like suits for seniors, more meals for the team during the season and nutritional vitamins to keep them healthy. It means so much to me and the program, and I thank James and Sara for their generosity.”

The couple provided the gift, in part, James said, “because I wanted to minimize the barriers Darris has for success at Radford University. I wanted to help kick-start his success.”

The Toussaints are generous supporters of higher education, “focusing first on our alma maters,” James said, that being the University of Chicago for both. James attended medical school at New York University. “And then, we started looking around at university-based programs that fit our values.”

They have a tremendous heart for first-generation college students, as James and Sara were and as are about 32% of Radford University students.

“When we have the opportunity to help other firstgeneration students go to school, we want to support them,” said Sara, a successful sports marketer who serves on the board at The Marketing Jersey, focusing on soccer players from under-represented populations. The Toussaints are also co-owners of the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League.

“Not having money should not preclude someone from getting a college education,” Sara said. “We feel strongly about this because of our own experiences.”

Part of those experiences comes from being the son and daughter of immigrants, Sara explained. James’ family is from Haiti; Sara’s mother came from Puerto Rico, and her father from Eastern Palestine, she said.

Sara’s parents raised her in Chicago, Illinois, where she got her first taste of basketball.

“I grew up in the Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr era when they were playing in Chicago, which is pretty cool now that Radford has an alumnus [Javonte Green ’15] playing for the Bulls. Also, I played basketball for one year. I’m 5’2’’, and I wasn’t very good,” she joked.

Before the game on the night James and Sara visited Radford, the men’s basketball program did more than let James call the first play. In gratitude for the couple’s support, Radford Athletics named Nichols’ office The Toussaint Office. A red plaque hangs on the office door, emblazoned with the Radford athletics logo and an inscription that reads: Benefactors James and Sara Toussaint, Dedicated February 19, 2022.

“The entire visit was an awesome experience,” James said. “We felt very welcomed.”

Athletics is poised to make the next 10 years the most productive and exciting period in Highlander sports history. The Athletic Department’s strategic plan includes improving the student-athlete experience through hard work, integrity, passion, focus and accountability. Campaign efforts will provide financial support to help match our goals and will provide student-athletes with the proper resources to compete at the Division I level.

The Toussaints hope their gift will help Radford “continue to build a program that provides interpersonal leadership and growth. Those things are very important to us,” Sara said. “And I know it’s important to Darris, for sure. In addition, Sara served as the keynote speaker for the 2023 “Champion Her Future” Leadership Dinner.

“We’re not just building these student-athletes for what they can do on the basketball court; we want to help them grow as people. We hope this gift will help build that for the current student population and help Radford attract even more top student-athletes. We want to help Darris and Radford recruit the best talent both on and off the court.”

All gifts, regardless of size, will make an impact. To support student athletes or your favorite team, go to thehighlanderclub.com.