Rookie sensation takes center court
Coming into the 2013-14 basketball season, freshman shooting guard James Daniel III knew he was going to be in a position to put up a lot of points, but even he didn’t expect to perform as well as he has. The humble 5’11 Hampton, VA native is averaging 21.2 points per game making him the highest scoring freshman in the country (15th overall).
“I didn’t expect to put up so many points, but it’s really just the role that coach has put me in, it just so happens to be that it’s a scoring role,” Daniel said. “My teammates do a really good job of rebounding and finding me when I’m open.”
Known for his laser sharp shooting from beyond the arc, Daniel is shooting 43.9 percent from long range, and also holds the highest three-point percentage of any freshman in the nation. No stranger to scoring big, Daniel was the starting point guard at Phoebus High School where he finished his career with over 1000 points.
As the son of a high school basketball coach, the game has always been a part of Daniel’s life. His father was not only his coach in high school, but was also a member of the coaching staff that produced former All-American point guard Allen Iverson at Bethel High back in 1993. Coming from such a strong basketball background has taught Daniel to set high goals.
“I want to win the MEAC Championship four years in a row,” he said. “And if I decide to play basketball after college, I want to win there too.”
When deciding on a college to continue his basketball career, Daniel said that the culture of Howard was unlike any other school that made him an offer, and that’s what got him to sign.
“The school has such a rich history, and it just seemed like a family environment,” Daniel said. “I formed a really close bond with Coach Nickelberry and the rest of the coaching staff.”
Daniel, who leads the MEAC in scoring and three-point shooting, received MEAC Rookie of the Week honors for the fifth time this past Sunday following his 33 and 31 point performances against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Florida A&M University last week.
The 2013 Virginia Tri-State Player of the Year is a part of the strongest recruiting class Howard has seen in years. The nine true freshmen, who weren’t even born the last time Howard won a MEAC Championship (1992), have already gotten three conference victories, just one shy of the amount Howard won all last season. Daniel says he’s confident in the team’s chances at the MEAC tournament in March.
“I can tell you we’re really improving,” Daniel said. “We’re playing really good defense now. We’re more confident, and I can tell that we’re really turning the corner.”