Daley is doing her best for BC
Eagles’ leading scorer proving she belongs
Andrea Daley embodies the bet-onyourself mentality.
The junior guard is in the middle of a breakout season at Boston College. Daley is leading the Eagles (9-7, 1-2 ACC) in scoring at 15.8 points per game — up from 9.6 a year ago — and adding 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. She scored 17 points in BC’s signature win to date: a 70-64 triumph against 10-3 Miami last Thursday.
Daley knew she could be a high-major player, even as her chances dwindled. BC was her only Power Five offer, and it didn’t come until May of her senior year, long after most high schoolers choose their college. Now she’s proving her winding journey was worth the uncertainty.
“I just trust in my work, and it just brings me confidence,” Daley said.
Daley, from Miami Gardens, initially committed to play at George Washington, but decommitted after the team let go of coach Jennifer Rizzotti. She then put together a stellar senior season that convinced her she belonged at a Power Five level.
But by the end of senior year, it seemed too late. Most schools had filled their scholarship slots, and Daley was close to committing back to George Washington or Stony Brook. When BC called, she knew little about the school, but didn’t hesitate.
“I was kind of losing [faith] a little bit, but I just kept praying all the time,” Daley said. “I knew God was going to be able to put me somewhere that I really wanted to be.”
Eagles coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee hadn’t crossed paths with Daley on the recruiting trail and never watched her play on the AAU circuit. But BC had an opening and Bernabei-McNamee checked out the tape from Daley’s senior season with Miami Country Day.
“Her athleticism was off the charts, and I thought that she played hard, but I thought she could even be that much better,” said the coach. “We needed to make sure that she could get the most out of that athleticism.”
Daley didn’t play much her freshman year as she learned the ropes behind Taylor
Soule, a former college standout who now plays for the Chicago Sky. Daley ascended to the starting lineup last season before hitting another level this year.
The go-to scoring role is a new frontier for Daley, one that carries serious responsibility. Over the summer, she worked on her game with longtime trainer Carlyle Lewis, and she added 8 a.m. preseason workouts with assistant coach Shelby Boyle.
“I told her I wanted to have the best midrange in the game,” Daley said. “So we really work on midrange and stuff like that, and by the basket with fadeaways and finishing.”
The work is paying off. Daley is drilling a crisp 59.5 percent of her 2-pointers and averaging 10.8 points in the paint, eighth most in the nation among guards, according to CBB Analytics. Bernabei-McNamee believes the success stems from Daley’s extra work and the chip that remains on her shoulder.
“It is a product of how we run our offense, but to Drea’s credit, it’s also a mindset,” she said. “For guards to be able to get in there and put somebody on their back, they have to think, ‘OK, I’m big and strong, and I’m going to go bury this person. I’m going to make them have to try to guard me.’ ”
Bernabei-McNamee has watched Daley evolve from a freshman who struggled with confidence at times into a vocal leader whom the Eagles voted to be a captain. Daley is the Eagles’ hype woman; last year, if she was too quiet in practice, her coach would call her out for it.
“I’ve never had to say it to her once this year,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “She’s always focused in practice, even when she’s not playing well, and that’s the key to a good leader.”
Big boost for Harvard
Harvard (8-6) pulled off a big surprise Saturday when Harmoni Turner, barely a month removed from a concerning knee injury, returned to the starting lineup. The ESPN broadcast team and home fans were caught off guard, as was Yale. Turner erupted for 28 points and five steals in Harvard’s 73-54 win to open Ivy League play, earning league Player of the Week honors.
Turner suffered a meniscus injury Dec. 2 against Michigan, but fortunately needed only a small repair procedure, and a rapid recovery allowed her to return on the early side of her timetable of 4-to-6 weeks.
The Crimson initially said that Turner was out indefinitely. They released a video Friday in which coach Carrie Moore described how the team was learning to play without her — quite a smokescreen.
“I couldn’t give away too many secrets beforehand,” Moore said. “I really just wanted to get through the week and have the three practice days go well, and they did.”
Turner’s return is a game-changer for Harvard; she’s averaging 21.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. With
Gabby Anderson and Elle Stauffer also back from injuries, the Crimson have a healthy team at the perfect time.
“It is a really cool time for us,” Moore said. “I think we’ve just got to continue to work and find the best and the right combinations for folks, and [see] how we can really start to fire on all cylinders.”