Proud of the Perseverance
Mar 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It's been nearly three months since Dug McDaniel stepped onto the court at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas State junior point guard came off the bench to score 10 points and added four assists as the Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking 73-70 overtime loss to Drake on December 17.
Although K-State, 14-15 overall and 8-10 in the Big 12 Conference, has a little more than a week before the Big 12 Championship, McDaniel is eager to prove that times have changed since the Wildcats' first taste of Kansas City earlier this season.
"It's going to be fun," McDaniel said. "Obviously, those memories are going to be playing through our head because we didn't get the dub, but, you know, it's a business trip, and we mean business when we go there."
Change has been the theme of McDaniel's first season at K-State. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound McDaniel averages 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He has appeared in 28 games with 19 starts and ranks second on the team with 31.6 minutes per contest.
McDaniel, a native of Washington, D.C., has scored in double figures in 17 games with three 20-point efforts, including a season-high 24 points against No. 13 Arizona on February 11 and has reached double-digits in points in 11 other league games, including his 10-point, seven-assist, three-steal effort in the Wildcats' 65-56 win over Colorado on Sunday.
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's lightning fast. He'll glide in and hit a 10-foot floater. He'll square up and drain a 3-pointer. But whatever way he chooses, more times than not the ball is going through the net. And people cheer. And McDaniel chest-bumps a teammate. Or he'll peer at the student section with balled-up fists and yell.
This is what K-State got when they signed McDaniel out of the transfer portal from Michigan. He's a sparkplug.
"I'm so, so proud of him," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said.
It didn't always seem like McDaniel would reach these highlight moments. Not in the beginning of the season. He experienced some growing pains along the way and came off the bench in nine games and didn't play against Mississippi Valley on November 19 during the fourth game of the season.
Then something clicked. And he's been going strong ever since.
What does McDaniel attribute to his success?
"Really my journey," he said. "Coming here, I thought it was going to be something that it's not. I had to work way harder for my spot, and I feel like I prevailed through that. It didn't start off good, but it's ending well in my opinion, and that's the beauty of it, and I needed it. It humbled me very well and I'm grateful for that."
Today, Tang practically glows when discussing McDaniel — and his potential going forward.
"He's being more aggressive," Tang said. "There are a couple other steps that are going to take place the rest of this year and next year moving forward. His ability now to understand how he can get teammates shots — I still want him to be more aggressive. He has special legs, and there are times we shouldn't have to run offense because he just gets the ball and moves it and now, we just play basketball. That part of it, I'm looking forward to that growth.
"I know I'm supposed to say something really good about him right here, and I have a lot of good things to say about him, but the coach in me is like, 'OK, how can we push him to the next level.' And that's what he wants. He doesn't want to stay where he's at. He's like, 'OK, what's the next thing I need to do?' I'm really, really proud of him."
In particular, McDaniel has formed a bond with senior wing David N'Guessan. They regularly shoot together in the practice gym. At Bramlage Coliseum, they can at times play like they're the only two players on the court with their chemistry.
"Man, I'm just so proud of him," N'Guessan said. "It was a lot of ups and downs for him, and I feel that as a player that can mess with you mentally. Just for him to fight through it and have a positive mindset, man, it's just a lot of fun to play with him. He goes all out there and he gets me a lot of easy points, so I appreciate him, and I love how he grew up and helps us in a lot of different ways."
The growth process continues.
"There are times when he's telling me what he feels like we can run the next time down and it hasn't been anything for him — he's thinking about his teammates," Tang said. "He's starting to learn how to think the game and manage the game. That's growth, man."
McDaniel has learned a lot along the way, as the Wildcats finish out their regular season at Cincinnati on Wednesday and against Iowa State on Saturday before tackling the Big 12 Championship.
"It's just my resilience and perseverance," he said. "I was going through some dark times in the beginning, but to see the light at the end of the tunnel and not just being handed to me but me earning it makes it worthwhile.
"My resilience and perseverance throughout my whole season are definitely something I'm proud of."
The season isn't over yet. McDaniel believes that the Wildcats have one final push in them this season. He's eager to lead the charge.
"Man, I'm super hungry, man," he said. "Words can't explain it. Every day I try to lock in and be one percent better than I was yesterday. I texted Coach the other night, 'I'm just going to leave it all on the line, whatever it takes.'"
It's been nearly three months since Dug McDaniel stepped onto the court at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas State junior point guard came off the bench to score 10 points and added four assists as the Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking 73-70 overtime loss to Drake on December 17.
Although K-State, 14-15 overall and 8-10 in the Big 12 Conference, has a little more than a week before the Big 12 Championship, McDaniel is eager to prove that times have changed since the Wildcats' first taste of Kansas City earlier this season.
"It's going to be fun," McDaniel said. "Obviously, those memories are going to be playing through our head because we didn't get the dub, but, you know, it's a business trip, and we mean business when we go there."
Change has been the theme of McDaniel's first season at K-State. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound McDaniel averages 11.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He has appeared in 28 games with 19 starts and ranks second on the team with 31.6 minutes per contest.
McDaniel, a native of Washington, D.C., has scored in double figures in 17 games with three 20-point efforts, including a season-high 24 points against No. 13 Arizona on February 11 and has reached double-digits in points in 11 other league games, including his 10-point, seven-assist, three-steal effort in the Wildcats' 65-56 win over Colorado on Sunday.
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's lightning fast. He'll glide in and hit a 10-foot floater. He'll square up and drain a 3-pointer. But whatever way he chooses, more times than not the ball is going through the net. And people cheer. And McDaniel chest-bumps a teammate. Or he'll peer at the student section with balled-up fists and yell.
This is what K-State got when they signed McDaniel out of the transfer portal from Michigan. He's a sparkplug.
"I'm so, so proud of him," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said.
It didn't always seem like McDaniel would reach these highlight moments. Not in the beginning of the season. He experienced some growing pains along the way and came off the bench in nine games and didn't play against Mississippi Valley on November 19 during the fourth game of the season.
Then something clicked. And he's been going strong ever since.
What does McDaniel attribute to his success?
"Really my journey," he said. "Coming here, I thought it was going to be something that it's not. I had to work way harder for my spot, and I feel like I prevailed through that. It didn't start off good, but it's ending well in my opinion, and that's the beauty of it, and I needed it. It humbled me very well and I'm grateful for that."
Today, Tang practically glows when discussing McDaniel — and his potential going forward.
"He's being more aggressive," Tang said. "There are a couple other steps that are going to take place the rest of this year and next year moving forward. His ability now to understand how he can get teammates shots — I still want him to be more aggressive. He has special legs, and there are times we shouldn't have to run offense because he just gets the ball and moves it and now, we just play basketball. That part of it, I'm looking forward to that growth.
"I know I'm supposed to say something really good about him right here, and I have a lot of good things to say about him, but the coach in me is like, 'OK, how can we push him to the next level.' And that's what he wants. He doesn't want to stay where he's at. He's like, 'OK, what's the next thing I need to do?' I'm really, really proud of him."
In particular, McDaniel has formed a bond with senior wing David N'Guessan. They regularly shoot together in the practice gym. At Bramlage Coliseum, they can at times play like they're the only two players on the court with their chemistry.
"Man, I'm just so proud of him," N'Guessan said. "It was a lot of ups and downs for him, and I feel that as a player that can mess with you mentally. Just for him to fight through it and have a positive mindset, man, it's just a lot of fun to play with him. He goes all out there and he gets me a lot of easy points, so I appreciate him, and I love how he grew up and helps us in a lot of different ways."
The growth process continues.
"There are times when he's telling me what he feels like we can run the next time down and it hasn't been anything for him — he's thinking about his teammates," Tang said. "He's starting to learn how to think the game and manage the game. That's growth, man."
McDaniel has learned a lot along the way, as the Wildcats finish out their regular season at Cincinnati on Wednesday and against Iowa State on Saturday before tackling the Big 12 Championship.
"It's just my resilience and perseverance," he said. "I was going through some dark times in the beginning, but to see the light at the end of the tunnel and not just being handed to me but me earning it makes it worthwhile.
"My resilience and perseverance throughout my whole season are definitely something I'm proud of."
The season isn't over yet. McDaniel believes that the Wildcats have one final push in them this season. He's eager to lead the charge.
"Man, I'm super hungry, man," he said. "Words can't explain it. Every day I try to lock in and be one percent better than I was yesterday. I texted Coach the other night, 'I'm just going to leave it all on the line, whatever it takes.'"
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