Daniel’s vision saw Vols as champions
KNOXVILLE — The idea may have seemed a little strange to those outside the Tennessee basketball program when James Daniel explained part of the reason why he chose to play his final college season with the Volunteers.
“I feel as though we have a chance to not only just win the conference but a national title,” Daniel said last June during a night of Rocky Top League games at Knoxville Catholic High School that served as his introduction.
Daniel chose the Vols, who were a combined 31-35 the previous two seasons and last made the NCAA tournament in 2014, over programs such as Michigan and Ohio State because he wanted to compete for a championship?
Several months later, after Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the Southeastern Conference and largely disregarded, Daniel’s vision is coming to fruition.
The No. 16 Vols (22-7, 12-5) can clinch an SEC regular-season championship or co-championship with a win tonight over Georgia (16-13, 7-10) at Thompson-Boling Arena. Favorable seeds in the SEC and NCAA tournaments await them after that.
“The one thing he wanted to do was be part of a winning program, and he wanted to have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Friday. “He wanted to go to a place where he could add to the team. That’s why he chose here, and he’s done that. He’s helped us get where we are today.”
Daniel, the lone senior on Tennessee’s roster, will be honored before the game as part of senior day. After leading the nation in scoring at Howard University in the 2015-16 season, he has embraced a new role in his new home.
Though his playing time has decreased in recent weeks, it was Daniel’s full-court, manto-man defensive pressure that
helped the Vols establish their hard-nosed identity early this season, Barnes’ third in charge of the program.
“That’s something we hadn’t been able to do for two years here,” Barnes said, “and he’s a guy that’s led us in that and set the tone and really brought energy off the bench probably as much as anybody.”
Daniel’s scoring, though vastly diminished from his time at Howard, has given the Vols a lift at key times. He has scored in double figures six times while coming off the bench.
Senior day will also be a reminder of Tennessee’s future. Daniel is the only current player certain not to be back, so the Vols are poised to be picked much higher than 13th in the league when preseason polls come out before next season.
At this time next year, foundation players of the Barnes era such as Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield will be honored. But today will be about Daniel, a player who saw championship potential in this year’s underestimated group.
“I’ve said before that when we’ve had fifth-year guys that if they help you win one game, it’s worth it,” Barnes said. “He’s helped us win multiple games. He’s done a good job for us.”
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.