Kansas State University Athletics
‘He Just Adds Swag’
Jan 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
There was something Dug McDaniel said when he spoke for the first time upon arriving on the Kansas State campus. The Wildcats, drenched with newcomers, had just finished their second official basketball practice, and McDaniel looked at home in his gray practice jersey with the "0" affixed to the chest. He wore the number when he dominated the courts during his childhood in Washington, D.C. — despite being the smallest player on the court.
Yes, back when he was a 7-year-old breaking ankles on the asphalt courts, McDaniel, born Knasir Douglas McDaniel (Aunt Dana McDaniel shorted his name to "Dug" to celebrate his individuality because she knew he was going to be something special) couldn't have envisioned being in Manhattan. Back when he was 7, he couldn't have envisioned beginning a career at Michigan (he led the Wolverines with 16.3 points, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 35.4 minutes as a sophomore, making a team-high 56 3-pointers) although he had been surrounded by greatness. Charles "Skip" McDaniel, his grandfather, was the legend from Archbishop Carroll and Eddie Jordan, his uncle, played seven years in the NBA, winning the 1982 NBA title with the Los Angles Lakers.
No, McDaniel couldn't have envisioned any of this. But there he sat, gray practice jersey, following the second K-State practice, trying to put his mentality into words. This was his stage, this was his time, and so he leaned forward into the microphone and began to describe himself to reporters in the room.
"Having that dog mentality and carrying it onto the court, sometimes you feel unstoppable out there," he said. "I'm the shortest guy, so I have to work extra hard. The dog is pretty small, but they pack a punch. I try to make that my identity."
Today, the dog is barking after taking a bite out of No. 16 Cincinnati.
In a breakout performance in the Big 12 Conference opener, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound McDaniel scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, to go along with two rebounds, two assists and six turnovers in 33 minutes during his second start as a Wildcat. K-State was suffocating. K-State was fast. It's like the Wildcats, 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12, found the extra gear along with the smooth teamwork it so dearly needed at times during the up-and-down start to the season.
For as much as Coleman Hawkins exploded in his first Big 12 game (20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals in 35 minutes) against the daunting Bearcats, 10-2 and 0-1, it was McDaniel steering the ship, a captain albeit with a few turnovers, who dazzled the crowd at Bramlage Coliseum in ways fans hadn't seen since Markquis Nowell.
"I was very comfortable," McDaniel said. "The team views me as a leader, so I felt that I had to set the tone early with the pace we were going to play at. It's hard to stop me when I'm going 100 miles-per-hour. I set the tone early."
He can hit the tough shots. He can make the tough passes. Sometimes they're too hot for his teammates. Sometimes they simply aren't ready for them. But McDaniel will get the ball again. And he'll score. He'll glide in and lay the ball off the glass. He'll square up and drain a 3-pointer. But whatever way he chooses, more times than not the ball goes through the net. And people cheer. And McDaniel chest bumps a teammate. Or he'll look at the student section with balled-up fists and yell. This is what K-State got when they signed McDaniel. He's a sparkplug.
"He just adds swag," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said.
"He's the leader in all aspects of the game," senior guard Max Jones said. "It was definitely good to see him out there hooping."
McDaniel is third on the team with 10.3 points and second with 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
McDaniel is second in assists (47) while averaging 27.2 minutes per game. He has at least three assists in eight games played, including a career-high 10 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He has scored in double figures in six of the last nine games, including a season-high 18 points against UAPB for his first career double-double and 17 points against Cincinnati.
He now has 43 career double-digit scoring performances, including seven 20-point efforts and two 30-point games. He had his first career double-double against UAPB with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists to go along with a season-high five steals.
McDaniel said back in April that he was going to bring that dog mentality. He said it over the phone, shortly after he signed with K-State. And why not believe him? He was confident but wasn't cocky. He was sure of himself. He was eager for the opportunity. And he said that he would bring that dog mentality with him to Manhattan.
The dog is barking. And it's onto TCU. K-State travels to face the Horned Frogs, 7-5 and 0-1, on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas.
It all goes back to that dog mentality. In a way, it goes back to the story of his youth. He said that he had to be tough to survive. And he is tough. And he is dynamite. And he is a leader. Perhaps the win over the Bearcats meant new life for the Wildcats. Perhaps it meant new life for McDaniel.
"Dug is a really good player," Tang said. "He can continue to get better."
When his team needed him, McDaniel stepped up. It resulted in the best performance by the Wildcats this season. It resulted in the pep band blaring "Wabash" to an enthusiastic crowd. It resulted in "Sandstorm." It resulted in McDaniel taking the podium, wearing his white jersey with the "0" across his chest.
"I definitely challenged myself," he began. "A big part of it was my team challenged me. They said they needed me, and in order to go far I have to lock in, so if I do anything, I don't want to let them down. I took it upon myself to be better for them overall and be better for myself."
It's a great mentality. It's a mentality could do well for McDaniel and the Wildcats in the league season.
Watch out for the bite.
There was something Dug McDaniel said when he spoke for the first time upon arriving on the Kansas State campus. The Wildcats, drenched with newcomers, had just finished their second official basketball practice, and McDaniel looked at home in his gray practice jersey with the "0" affixed to the chest. He wore the number when he dominated the courts during his childhood in Washington, D.C. — despite being the smallest player on the court.
Yes, back when he was a 7-year-old breaking ankles on the asphalt courts, McDaniel, born Knasir Douglas McDaniel (Aunt Dana McDaniel shorted his name to "Dug" to celebrate his individuality because she knew he was going to be something special) couldn't have envisioned being in Manhattan. Back when he was 7, he couldn't have envisioned beginning a career at Michigan (he led the Wolverines with 16.3 points, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 35.4 minutes as a sophomore, making a team-high 56 3-pointers) although he had been surrounded by greatness. Charles "Skip" McDaniel, his grandfather, was the legend from Archbishop Carroll and Eddie Jordan, his uncle, played seven years in the NBA, winning the 1982 NBA title with the Los Angles Lakers.
No, McDaniel couldn't have envisioned any of this. But there he sat, gray practice jersey, following the second K-State practice, trying to put his mentality into words. This was his stage, this was his time, and so he leaned forward into the microphone and began to describe himself to reporters in the room.
"Having that dog mentality and carrying it onto the court, sometimes you feel unstoppable out there," he said. "I'm the shortest guy, so I have to work extra hard. The dog is pretty small, but they pack a punch. I try to make that my identity."
Today, the dog is barking after taking a bite out of No. 16 Cincinnati.
In a breakout performance in the Big 12 Conference opener, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound McDaniel scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc, to go along with two rebounds, two assists and six turnovers in 33 minutes during his second start as a Wildcat. K-State was suffocating. K-State was fast. It's like the Wildcats, 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12, found the extra gear along with the smooth teamwork it so dearly needed at times during the up-and-down start to the season.
For as much as Coleman Hawkins exploded in his first Big 12 game (20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals in 35 minutes) against the daunting Bearcats, 10-2 and 0-1, it was McDaniel steering the ship, a captain albeit with a few turnovers, who dazzled the crowd at Bramlage Coliseum in ways fans hadn't seen since Markquis Nowell.
"I was very comfortable," McDaniel said. "The team views me as a leader, so I felt that I had to set the tone early with the pace we were going to play at. It's hard to stop me when I'm going 100 miles-per-hour. I set the tone early."
He can hit the tough shots. He can make the tough passes. Sometimes they're too hot for his teammates. Sometimes they simply aren't ready for them. But McDaniel will get the ball again. And he'll score. He'll glide in and lay the ball off the glass. He'll square up and drain a 3-pointer. But whatever way he chooses, more times than not the ball goes through the net. And people cheer. And McDaniel chest bumps a teammate. Or he'll look at the student section with balled-up fists and yell. This is what K-State got when they signed McDaniel. He's a sparkplug.
"He just adds swag," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said.
"He's the leader in all aspects of the game," senior guard Max Jones said. "It was definitely good to see him out there hooping."
McDaniel is third on the team with 10.3 points and second with 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals.
McDaniel is second in assists (47) while averaging 27.2 minutes per game. He has at least three assists in eight games played, including a career-high 10 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He has scored in double figures in six of the last nine games, including a season-high 18 points against UAPB for his first career double-double and 17 points against Cincinnati.
He now has 43 career double-digit scoring performances, including seven 20-point efforts and two 30-point games. He had his first career double-double against UAPB with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists to go along with a season-high five steals.
McDaniel said back in April that he was going to bring that dog mentality. He said it over the phone, shortly after he signed with K-State. And why not believe him? He was confident but wasn't cocky. He was sure of himself. He was eager for the opportunity. And he said that he would bring that dog mentality with him to Manhattan.
The dog is barking. And it's onto TCU. K-State travels to face the Horned Frogs, 7-5 and 0-1, on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas.
It all goes back to that dog mentality. In a way, it goes back to the story of his youth. He said that he had to be tough to survive. And he is tough. And he is dynamite. And he is a leader. Perhaps the win over the Bearcats meant new life for the Wildcats. Perhaps it meant new life for McDaniel.
"Dug is a really good player," Tang said. "He can continue to get better."
When his team needed him, McDaniel stepped up. It resulted in the best performance by the Wildcats this season. It resulted in the pep band blaring "Wabash" to an enthusiastic crowd. It resulted in "Sandstorm." It resulted in McDaniel taking the podium, wearing his white jersey with the "0" across his chest.
"I definitely challenged myself," he began. "A big part of it was my team challenged me. They said they needed me, and in order to go far I have to lock in, so if I do anything, I don't want to let them down. I took it upon myself to be better for them overall and be better for myself."
It's a great mentality. It's a mentality could do well for McDaniel and the Wildcats in the league season.
Watch out for the bite.
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