Daniels’ performance Saturday shows he’s stepping up to spotlight
For over a year now, VCU head coach Shaka Smart has remarked many a time that VCU junior shooting guard Troy Daniels was the purest and best shooter he had ever coached, only with one glaring caveat.
Troy Daniels dropped 17 versus the Patriots -- five short of his season and career high of 22. (Photo by Chris Conway/The CT)
Adam Stern
Executive Editor
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For over a year now, VCU head coach Shaka Smart has remarked many a time that VCU junior shooting guard Troy Daniels was the purest and best shooter he had ever coached, only with one glaring caveat.
That was only in practice.
Of course, what Smart was implying was that Daniels’ paramount problem was transferring his supreme, silky-smooth shooting skills from the practice court at the Franklin Street Gym over to the limelight of real games at the Siegel Center.
Yet as Daniels calmly swished through his first long-range shot of the game versus GMU Saturday night, and then proceeded to hit two more out of his next three attempts – which left the junior guard with nine points less than five minutes into the game— the Roanoke native looked like, when it comes to the big moments, perhaps he had finally arrived.
Daniels cooled down a bit from his incredible, white-hot start. But he still finished the game with 17 points — third most on the team — after making five of his 11 shots, all of which came from behind the arc, plus both of his free throws.
Asked after the game how the coaching staff had helped Daniels transition his game from the practice court to the real thing, Smart thought about the question for a second before saying, “good question” as if he wasn’t entirely sure himself.
“It’s been tough, because the last two years he hasn’t been able to do that,” Smart said. “Honestly, you want the truth? The biggest reason he is better this year is because Joey (Rodriguez) and Brandon (Rozzell) aren’t here beating him up every day in practice.”
Sensing that he had to elaborate once he had brought up the notion, Smart went on.
“Those guys, and I say this in the nicest way, but those guys beat him down mentally. Just because they were such killers, they just went at him in practice and I think it affected him and his confidence and now he has more success in practice and in games,” Smart said. “Plus, he gets more of an opportunity. Anytime you know you’re going to play 25-30 minutes, there is a lot more confidence and a lot more belief that you can make a mistake and then come back.”
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