Kansas State University Athletics
‘I’m Bringing that Dog Mentality’
Apr 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It would be difficult to top the smile that Dug McDaniel wore while grooving in a lavender No. 0 Kansas State basketball jersey last Monday. The junior point guard, on a visit from Michigan, was so happy that he could dance. And he did dance. And he hopes to help the Wildcats go dancing next March. He has never played in the Big Dance, where the stage is a little brighter, the stakes are much higher, and a special air is reserved for treasured moments to be replayed forever and ever.
These days, he works out alone at the University of Michigan, usually around 3:15 p.m. after class and after lifting weights, and his Bluetooth in the gym isn't tuned to music. Instead, he fills the gym with crowd noise, as he hits shot after shot, picturing himself making clutch basket after clutch basket, because these are things he thinks about when he ponders the season ahead in Manhattan.
McDaniel plans to move into his Manhattan apartment in June. In truth, when he slid on the No. 0 lavender K-State jersey during his official visit last week, he didn't want to take it off. He was at peace with his prospective new home, and he felt at home, and at a time when things can get crazy in the NCAA transfer portal, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Washington, D.C., was calm, he was having fun, and every step along his visit to the Little Apple was seemingly covered with proverbial rose pedals.
He grinned and politely nodded at those K-State fans who smiled his way as he sat with K-State head coach Jerome Tang while eating fruit and bacon over breakfast at The Chef ("People stopped by and said hi," he says), and he felt an instant connection with returning K-State players ("I got a chance to chill with them, and they're excited about me coming, and I'm excited about us making each other better," he says), and he and his family enjoyed the family-style dinner inside the home of assistant coach Jareem Dowling ("Great family atmosphere and great vibes," he says).
But there was something about McDaniel seeing himself in the K-State jersey that brought back memories of where the Wildcats have recently been — and where the 21-year-old, with a keen 3-pointer and deft passing skills, intends to help take them next season.
"After seeing what Markquis Nowell did, to put on the same jersey, it felt good," McDaniel says. "Markquis and I, we have a similar mindset. When he played, I could tell he was out there fighting for something. He's an East Coast guy, and we have a very similar playing style. I know the fans will be excited about that. He has that dog mentality.
"I feel like I carry myself the same way."
McDaniel led Michigan in points (16.3), assists (4.7), steals (1.1) and minutes (35.4) as a sophomore. And he also made a team-high 56 3-pointers. He had seven 20-point games and two 30-point outbursts, and he scored a career-high 33 points twice — at Oregon and then against Florida — in a span of 17 days. He knocked down seven 3-pointers against the Ducks. He made 12-of-13 free throws and added eight rebounds and five assists against the Gators. He also posted 122 assists as a true freshman, becoming the first Michigan freshman to reach 100 assists in a season since Trey Burke in 2011-12.
"Since I began playing basketball, I've always been a pass-first point guard, and my vision is definitely a strength in my game," says McDaniel, who is the fifth-rated point guard in the transfer portal. "I was put in a different position the past two years where I had to score a lot more. Getting back to my main strength, passing and getting others involved, is something I'm really ready to bring to the table. My shot making has improved through the years. I'm excited to see how much it goes up this year."
McDaniel models his game after Trae Young.
"I watched a lot of Russell Westbrook back in the day, just his explosiveness and ability to change speeds and his athleticism," he says. "Mainly lately I've been looking a lot at Trae Young. People say we have similar games. I've been studying and watching a lot of his film. They're not lying. The way he gets his teammates involved and makes his shots is similar to what I do."
McDaniel calls himself "an encouraging leader."
"Usually when a guy makes a mistake, he already feels down, and they don't need teammates yelling at them," he says. "I just try to encourage them with a next-play mentality. I'm always trying to keep high vibes on the court."
When McDaniel glanced at video tape of K-State's past season, he said that he knew "a lot is going to change."
"I was really just looking at the vibe and style of play," he says, "rather than digging deep into the personnel."
One immediate welcome change? Playing at the Big 12 Conference pace.
"The Big Ten is more of a slower-pace type of league and the Big 12 is fast," he says. "I'm just looking forward to the pace. That's the kind of pace I'm looking to play at."
But before McDaniel's visit and ensuing signing with K-State, and before his Michigan days, and before the No. 59-rated player in the Class of 2022 made his initial pledge to former head coach Juwan Howard (Howard and the McDaniel's had long been like family), there were the streets of inner-city Washington, D.C., and the family around McDaniel that strived to keep him on the proper path.
There was Aunt Dana McDaniel who gave him the name "Dug" — without the "o" — to celebrate his individuality because she knew he was going to be something special. There was Dawn McDaniel, his mother, leaving for work early in the morning and "sometimes not eating to make sure I ate," and ensuring that her only son and oldest of two children always found activities, namely sports, to occupy his time. There was Charles "Skip" McDaniel, his grandfather, who was the legend from Archbishop Carroll on Harewood Road NE, and who "once he saw my potential, he passed me the torch and gave me those fundamental tips along the way." And there was Uncle Eddie Jordan, who played seven years in the NBA, winning the 1982 NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, and who became head coach of the Sacramento Kings (1997-98), Washington Wizards (2003-08) and Philadelphia 76ers (2009-10).
"I had great people around me who kept me out of trouble," McDaniel says. "I grew up in the 'hood. Having a great group around me, they understood the path I was on at a young age, so they just made sure I stayed out of trouble. That helped me to become the man I am today."
Football was McDaniel's first love. He began playing organized football at age 6 as a dual-threat quarterback and wide receiver. Then AAU basketball came into the picture, and one day he played for Team Takeover on the Nike EYBL circuit. At St. Paul VI Catholic High School, he was named Player of the Year in his conference in both football and basketball. He stuck with basketball. In 2019, he attended USA Junior National Team minicamp, USA U16 National Team Training Camp, and Nike Elite 100 camp. He continued to grow. He earned 2022 Division I All-State First Team honors at St. Paul VI Catholic after averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while helping the Panthers to a 31-5 record and the state championship.
Michigan was the first school to offer him a scholarship on August 10, 2020. Then Georgia, UConn, VCU, LSU, Vanderbilt, George Mason, Florida, Wake Forest and Penn State followed with offers of their own. But the McDaniel family had known Juwon Howard since their AAU days long ago. Howard became Michigan head coach in 2019, and, as Dug puts it, "Once Juwan was getting the job, I kind of knew where I was going."
"I'd been around my mom my whole life, and if I really want to go to the NBA – which I aspire to do – I have to make some sacrifices," he says. "Getting away and experiencing life away from home was definitely one of those sacrifices in the long run. So, learning to live without my mom by my side, even though she's still there, and becoming and adult, was something I needed to do."
Michigan went 23-5 and won the 2021 Big Ten Championship. Then the Wolverines went 19-15. These past two seasons, Michigan went 18-16 and then 8-24 before Howard was relieved of his duties on March 15.
Three days later, McDaniel entered the transfer portal.
"As soon as I announced I was in the transfer portal, I got my first phone call two minutes later," McDaniel says. "It was Coach Tang. Coach Tang FaceTimed me and I talked with him right off the bat. Just to see the commitment from a head coach, it let me know the type of people they are, and I wanted to surround myself with committed, caring people."
McDaniel and his family visited Manhattan on March 31. Their flight landed at Manhattan Regional Airport late at night.
"It was pretty late, and we thought with us having an early day tomorrow that the coaches might be asleep," he says. "But as soon as we got there, the coaches were there to greet us clapping their hands as soon as we got off the plane.
"That was a great welcome."
McDaniel says it just came naturally talking to his current K-State players. That includes sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames, a Chicago native who plays with toughness and who steadily emerged as last season wore on. McDaniel soon discovered that he and Ames want the same things and carry the same mindset.
"He's hungry," McDaniel says. "Coming into this, I was looking to play with another great backcourt mate, a dude who does similar things to me so we can take pressure off each other. There's going to be times I'm running the one, or he's running the one, and we'll just feed off each other and make each other better."
As for McDaniel's favorite shot?
"Oh, definitely the fadeaway 3," he says. "I don't know why. I'm just in love with that shot, coming off the ball screen, getting right into it, fading away."
There will be time before McDaniel drives into traffic and flips a pass to an awaiting teammate, and there will be time before he nails that first fadeaway 3 and brings Bramlage Coliseum to its feet, but it all will begin with the mentality that crackles within McDaniel all day, every day.
"Me being from where I'm from, I have a mentality instilled into me that I'm an underdog no matter how high or low I get. I'm always the underdog," he says. "I'm bringing that dog mentality."
He pauses.
"Losing isn't an option," he says. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."
Which is precisely what K-State sought when it looked for a special talent to join the family. And McDaniel loved being in that lavender No. 0 jersey. And he danced. And he swayed. And a thousand thoughts went through his head, many of them leading to the fact that Tang and his coaching staff, which waited late at night and applauded his arrival to Manhattan, were going to care for him and help him to grow as a person and as a player. He knew there would be no shortcuts. He knew it would take commitment and crazy faith. But he had been given a gift, a gift long ago, to grow into one of the elite college basketball players in the country, and now he carries the gift to help lead a resurrection at K-State, and an opportunity to get to where he's never been: A NCAA Tournament.
"One of my main goals is definitely being in the NCAA Tournament because these past two years I wasn't fortunate enough to make it," he says. "I want to keep putting K-State on the map. It's already a great program, but I want to keep adding to the greatness."
He can't wait to don the lavender jersey and dance next season.
It would be difficult to top the smile that Dug McDaniel wore while grooving in a lavender No. 0 Kansas State basketball jersey last Monday. The junior point guard, on a visit from Michigan, was so happy that he could dance. And he did dance. And he hopes to help the Wildcats go dancing next March. He has never played in the Big Dance, where the stage is a little brighter, the stakes are much higher, and a special air is reserved for treasured moments to be replayed forever and ever.
These days, he works out alone at the University of Michigan, usually around 3:15 p.m. after class and after lifting weights, and his Bluetooth in the gym isn't tuned to music. Instead, he fills the gym with crowd noise, as he hits shot after shot, picturing himself making clutch basket after clutch basket, because these are things he thinks about when he ponders the season ahead in Manhattan.
McDaniel plans to move into his Manhattan apartment in June. In truth, when he slid on the No. 0 lavender K-State jersey during his official visit last week, he didn't want to take it off. He was at peace with his prospective new home, and he felt at home, and at a time when things can get crazy in the NCAA transfer portal, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Washington, D.C., was calm, he was having fun, and every step along his visit to the Little Apple was seemingly covered with proverbial rose pedals.
He grinned and politely nodded at those K-State fans who smiled his way as he sat with K-State head coach Jerome Tang while eating fruit and bacon over breakfast at The Chef ("People stopped by and said hi," he says), and he felt an instant connection with returning K-State players ("I got a chance to chill with them, and they're excited about me coming, and I'm excited about us making each other better," he says), and he and his family enjoyed the family-style dinner inside the home of assistant coach Jareem Dowling ("Great family atmosphere and great vibes," he says).
But there was something about McDaniel seeing himself in the K-State jersey that brought back memories of where the Wildcats have recently been — and where the 21-year-old, with a keen 3-pointer and deft passing skills, intends to help take them next season.
"After seeing what Markquis Nowell did, to put on the same jersey, it felt good," McDaniel says. "Markquis and I, we have a similar mindset. When he played, I could tell he was out there fighting for something. He's an East Coast guy, and we have a very similar playing style. I know the fans will be excited about that. He has that dog mentality.
"I feel like I carry myself the same way."
McDaniel led Michigan in points (16.3), assists (4.7), steals (1.1) and minutes (35.4) as a sophomore. And he also made a team-high 56 3-pointers. He had seven 20-point games and two 30-point outbursts, and he scored a career-high 33 points twice — at Oregon and then against Florida — in a span of 17 days. He knocked down seven 3-pointers against the Ducks. He made 12-of-13 free throws and added eight rebounds and five assists against the Gators. He also posted 122 assists as a true freshman, becoming the first Michigan freshman to reach 100 assists in a season since Trey Burke in 2011-12.
"Since I began playing basketball, I've always been a pass-first point guard, and my vision is definitely a strength in my game," says McDaniel, who is the fifth-rated point guard in the transfer portal. "I was put in a different position the past two years where I had to score a lot more. Getting back to my main strength, passing and getting others involved, is something I'm really ready to bring to the table. My shot making has improved through the years. I'm excited to see how much it goes up this year."
McDaniel models his game after Trae Young.
"I watched a lot of Russell Westbrook back in the day, just his explosiveness and ability to change speeds and his athleticism," he says. "Mainly lately I've been looking a lot at Trae Young. People say we have similar games. I've been studying and watching a lot of his film. They're not lying. The way he gets his teammates involved and makes his shots is similar to what I do."
McDaniel calls himself "an encouraging leader."
"Usually when a guy makes a mistake, he already feels down, and they don't need teammates yelling at them," he says. "I just try to encourage them with a next-play mentality. I'm always trying to keep high vibes on the court."
When McDaniel glanced at video tape of K-State's past season, he said that he knew "a lot is going to change."
"I was really just looking at the vibe and style of play," he says, "rather than digging deep into the personnel."
One immediate welcome change? Playing at the Big 12 Conference pace.
"The Big Ten is more of a slower-pace type of league and the Big 12 is fast," he says. "I'm just looking forward to the pace. That's the kind of pace I'm looking to play at."
But before McDaniel's visit and ensuing signing with K-State, and before his Michigan days, and before the No. 59-rated player in the Class of 2022 made his initial pledge to former head coach Juwan Howard (Howard and the McDaniel's had long been like family), there were the streets of inner-city Washington, D.C., and the family around McDaniel that strived to keep him on the proper path.
There was Aunt Dana McDaniel who gave him the name "Dug" — without the "o" — to celebrate his individuality because she knew he was going to be something special. There was Dawn McDaniel, his mother, leaving for work early in the morning and "sometimes not eating to make sure I ate," and ensuring that her only son and oldest of two children always found activities, namely sports, to occupy his time. There was Charles "Skip" McDaniel, his grandfather, who was the legend from Archbishop Carroll on Harewood Road NE, and who "once he saw my potential, he passed me the torch and gave me those fundamental tips along the way." And there was Uncle Eddie Jordan, who played seven years in the NBA, winning the 1982 NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, and who became head coach of the Sacramento Kings (1997-98), Washington Wizards (2003-08) and Philadelphia 76ers (2009-10).
"I had great people around me who kept me out of trouble," McDaniel says. "I grew up in the 'hood. Having a great group around me, they understood the path I was on at a young age, so they just made sure I stayed out of trouble. That helped me to become the man I am today."
Football was McDaniel's first love. He began playing organized football at age 6 as a dual-threat quarterback and wide receiver. Then AAU basketball came into the picture, and one day he played for Team Takeover on the Nike EYBL circuit. At St. Paul VI Catholic High School, he was named Player of the Year in his conference in both football and basketball. He stuck with basketball. In 2019, he attended USA Junior National Team minicamp, USA U16 National Team Training Camp, and Nike Elite 100 camp. He continued to grow. He earned 2022 Division I All-State First Team honors at St. Paul VI Catholic after averaging 17.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while helping the Panthers to a 31-5 record and the state championship.
Michigan was the first school to offer him a scholarship on August 10, 2020. Then Georgia, UConn, VCU, LSU, Vanderbilt, George Mason, Florida, Wake Forest and Penn State followed with offers of their own. But the McDaniel family had known Juwon Howard since their AAU days long ago. Howard became Michigan head coach in 2019, and, as Dug puts it, "Once Juwan was getting the job, I kind of knew where I was going."
"I'd been around my mom my whole life, and if I really want to go to the NBA – which I aspire to do – I have to make some sacrifices," he says. "Getting away and experiencing life away from home was definitely one of those sacrifices in the long run. So, learning to live without my mom by my side, even though she's still there, and becoming and adult, was something I needed to do."
Michigan went 23-5 and won the 2021 Big Ten Championship. Then the Wolverines went 19-15. These past two seasons, Michigan went 18-16 and then 8-24 before Howard was relieved of his duties on March 15.
Three days later, McDaniel entered the transfer portal.
"As soon as I announced I was in the transfer portal, I got my first phone call two minutes later," McDaniel says. "It was Coach Tang. Coach Tang FaceTimed me and I talked with him right off the bat. Just to see the commitment from a head coach, it let me know the type of people they are, and I wanted to surround myself with committed, caring people."
McDaniel and his family visited Manhattan on March 31. Their flight landed at Manhattan Regional Airport late at night.
"It was pretty late, and we thought with us having an early day tomorrow that the coaches might be asleep," he says. "But as soon as we got there, the coaches were there to greet us clapping their hands as soon as we got off the plane.
"That was a great welcome."
McDaniel says it just came naturally talking to his current K-State players. That includes sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames, a Chicago native who plays with toughness and who steadily emerged as last season wore on. McDaniel soon discovered that he and Ames want the same things and carry the same mindset.
"He's hungry," McDaniel says. "Coming into this, I was looking to play with another great backcourt mate, a dude who does similar things to me so we can take pressure off each other. There's going to be times I'm running the one, or he's running the one, and we'll just feed off each other and make each other better."
As for McDaniel's favorite shot?
"Oh, definitely the fadeaway 3," he says. "I don't know why. I'm just in love with that shot, coming off the ball screen, getting right into it, fading away."
There will be time before McDaniel drives into traffic and flips a pass to an awaiting teammate, and there will be time before he nails that first fadeaway 3 and brings Bramlage Coliseum to its feet, but it all will begin with the mentality that crackles within McDaniel all day, every day.
"Me being from where I'm from, I have a mentality instilled into me that I'm an underdog no matter how high or low I get. I'm always the underdog," he says. "I'm bringing that dog mentality."
He pauses.
"Losing isn't an option," he says. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."
Which is precisely what K-State sought when it looked for a special talent to join the family. And McDaniel loved being in that lavender No. 0 jersey. And he danced. And he swayed. And a thousand thoughts went through his head, many of them leading to the fact that Tang and his coaching staff, which waited late at night and applauded his arrival to Manhattan, were going to care for him and help him to grow as a person and as a player. He knew there would be no shortcuts. He knew it would take commitment and crazy faith. But he had been given a gift, a gift long ago, to grow into one of the elite college basketball players in the country, and now he carries the gift to help lead a resurrection at K-State, and an opportunity to get to where he's never been: A NCAA Tournament.
"One of my main goals is definitely being in the NCAA Tournament because these past two years I wasn't fortunate enough to make it," he says. "I want to keep putting K-State on the map. It's already a great program, but I want to keep adding to the greatness."
He can't wait to don the lavender jersey and dance next season.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
PG
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