DANIELS SIGNS ON TO JOIN RAMS NEXT SEASON
5-7-09

RICHMOND, Va. – At his press conference April 2, Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart talked about how important recruiting inside the state of Virginia was going to be for him and his staff.

So far, so good.

Smart and his staff landed their second in-state recruit when William Fleming guard Troy Daniels signed a letter of intent to join the Black & Gold next season.

“I’m ecstatic about the addition of Troy to our program,” Smart said. “He brings to our program exactly what we were looking for both on and off the court.”

Named Group AAA All-State First-Team by the Virginia High School Coaches’ Association, Daniels averaged over 17 points per game and six rebounds for the Colonels, who were the state runner-up in 2008-2009. He knocked down two buzzer-beaters this year and shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc and 85 percent from the charity stripe this past season.

The 6’4, 180-pound guard was also named the Northwest Region Player of the Year and the Roanoke Times Player of the Year.

Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and the 35th-best shooting guard in the country by Scout.com, Daniels is known for being a steady shooter from anywhere on the floor.

“Troy possesses tremendous scoring ability and size for his position,” Smart commented. “His range extends well beyond the NBA line and will be extremely valuable to our offensive attack.

Winning has followed Daniels, who played in three straight VHSL State Tournaments, including two championship games (2007, 2009).

“Troy’s background as a player was very impressive to our staff. He comes from a terrific high school program and has been coached by people who understand the demands of high level college basketball,” Smart said.