Photo: Discovery One Photography

Learning never stops, and incoming Sydney coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah believes teaching will be a two-way street when it comes to him and Kings next star Alex Toohey.

Abdelfattah was announced as two-time championship winning coach Chase Buford’s replacement at the Kings just over a week ago, and the surprise announcement of Toohey’s commitment to the Next Stars program followed just two days later.

“Truly, it’s a great opportunity for both sides,” Abdelfattah told NBL Media.

“To be able to coach a guy as talented as Alex, and for him to trust what the Sydney Kings are doing and me as a head coach says a lot about him as an individual.

“And then there’s the trust he has in us to be able to achieve his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.

“He’s talented, and I’m looking forward to working with him – whether it’s for a year or two years.

“I’m looking forward to learning as much from him as he is from me.

“He’s got to teach me some of the analogies and terminologies you guys use in Australia, so I don’t look like a fool all the time,” he joked. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mark 11am Friday, July 7, in your calendars Kings fans, as that&#39;s when you&#39;ll be able to purchase your tickets to the club&#39;s exciting Christmas night fixture ?<br><br>Read how to secure your ticket to the Kings&#39; game with the <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@illawarrahawks</a> here: <a href="https://t.co/badLTO7o0q">https://t.co/badLTO7o0q</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheKings?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheKings</a> <a href="https://t.co/6jJehXs9Ni">pic.twitter.com/6jJehXs9Ni</a></p>&mdash; Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings/status/1674198659607543809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Toohey, who has been developing his game at the NBA Global Academy and Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence, had previously committed to collegiate powerhouse Gonzaga for the upcoming year, but has since become the sixth player to join the NBL Next Stars program for NBL24, alongside Bobi Klintman, AJ Johnson, Ariel Hukporti, Mantas Rubstavicius and Alexandre Sarr.

Abdelfattah will arrive in Sydney with an impressive coaching resume that includes two NBA G-League titles with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers – one as an assistant and one as a head coach – and a season as an assistant coach of the Houston Rockets.

Sydney’s NBL24 campaign is set to open against local rivals Illawarra on Saturday, September 30.