The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Quinnipiac senior Chaise Daniels returns to the court
Quinnipiac senior took time off to ‘become a better me’
HAMDEN — It was a cold night in early December, and the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team’s bus was stopped on an overpass in New York City, on the way home from a narrow victory over Columbia.
From the back of the bus came a voice, urging the driver to stop. At first, everyone was puzzled, until they realized who it was and why he wanted to stop the bus to get out for a moment.
Chaise Daniels, the Bobcat forward with a big heart, saw a homeless man on the corner.
“We had some extra pizzas on the bus,” Daniels recalled. “I asked the bus driver to stop. I was gonna give him $5. We gave him a (box of) pizza as well. It was pretty cold out there.”
Daniels, a Meriden product and Hillhouse High graduate, was in the midst of his own personal turmoil that wound up resulting in about a three-week respite from the team. But that didn’t stop the 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior from helping out someone in need.
“I just thought it would be nice to do,” said Daniels. “I feel like whenever you can help someone who’s less fortunate or may need that, it’s always good to give him something when you can. I always try to do that, because that could easily be me or one of my family members or someone I’m close to. So, I try to lend a helping hand.”
A few days later, it was Daniels who, in a different way, was in need of a helping hand. An emotional player and person, Daniels can at times be a bit overexuberant. At other times, however, he can check out mentally.
There was an incident in practice on Dec. 1, prior to the Bobcats’ loss the next day to Lafayette. There was a technical foul in a Dec. 7 loss at Hartford. Two days later, the program announced that Daniels would be taking a personal leave of absence from the team.
“I felt he might be emotionally tired and just needed that deep breath,” firstyear Bobcat coach Baker Dunleavy said. “I think he agreed with that. We both knew, when that happened, he certainly wasn’t kicked off the team or in trouble, or anything like that. I think it was the best thing for him, individually. Certainly, we hope that it will pay off as we go.”
Indeed, Daniels hadn’t committed any flagrant infractions. There were no legal issues at play. He just needed to step away for a bit so he could, in his words, “become a better me.”
“He’s emotional, he cares,” said Dunleavy. “I think that can be a strength, and can be a weakness. Certainly, there are things tied to that that he needs to be more aware of … But, it’s not just one thing. I think it’s just overall, him growing as a person, as a player, as a guy who, when he leaves here, is ready to go out into the real world. That’s really what everything in our job is really about, getting guys ready to be able to, when they leave here, be able to handle everything life throws at them. Hopefully, this stretch will help develop him that way.”
A MUTUAL DECISION
Daniels said he agreed with Dunleavy’s suggestion to take a personal leave.
“I had to take a step back and get myself together so I could come back to the team 100-percent me,” Daniels recalled. “Mentally, I wasn’t there. I would have mental lapses here and there. That time away, I got myself together, connected myself, and now I’m back, better than ever.”
Daniels took a few days off completely away from basketball, got some advice and support from his mother, Tamika (“my backbone,” he calls her). He returned to practice on Dec. 20 but didn’t return to game action until a New Year’s Day win at Siena. Daniels wound up missing just three games.
“I think it was great for me,” he said on Monday. “I feel great now. The only thing that’s really held me back is my game-shape. Once I get back to gamecondition, things will be really great.”
Daniels, the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer at
13.1 points per game, is working his way back into the starting lineup. He scored six points in 17 minutes off the bench against Siena, then had 11 first-half points on Friday night against Canisius. However, he played just two scoreless minutes in the latter half as the Bobcats suffered their first MAAC defeat of the season.
It wasn’t anything disciplinary, however. Dunleavy just wanted to go with a smaller, quicker, more defensive-oriented lineup in an attempt to come back. In Sunday’s loss at Saint Peter’s, Daniels scored 16 points in 21 minutes of action.
When Dunleavy took over the reins after Tom Moore’s firing last March, several players transferred to other programs. Daniels considered it, as well, but sat down with Dunleavy, wanting to give him a “fair shot.”
“I liked him and the coaching staff and their collective vision,” Daniels recalled. “I decided to stick it out, and I’m happy I made that decision to this day.”
Now, he’s one of the few experienced seniors on the roster. Daniels, who hopes to play professionally after this season, won’t be around for the team’s hopeful return to the upper half of the MAAC standings. But he’s happy to be key a piece of the puzzle that helps begin the uphill climb.
“I’m fortunate to be in that role,” Daniels said. “I want to lead these guys and try to prepare them for next year and years moving forward.”
Chaise Daniels just wants to “become a better me,” and in the process, help out others — whether on the basketball court or on an overpass on a cold, December night in New York City.