By: Ryan Chichester
A lot can happen in a month.
Almost exactly 30 days ago, senior forward Chaise Daniels rejected a potential game-winning shot from Dartmouth’s Miles Wright to spark a celebration at mid-court and a thrilling beginning to the Baker Dunleavy era. Daniels, after starting 1-for-5 from the floor, led the offense the rest of the way with a game-high 21 points on 50 percent shooting.
It was just what Bobcats fans hoped to see from the Preseason All-MAAC third team selection, and many assumed there was more to come.
Now, after playing just 13 minutes against Hartford on Thursday night, Dunleavy announced that Daniels would no longer be with the Bobcats for the time being.
“At this time Chaise Daniels is taking a personal leave from our men’s basketball team,” Dunleavy said in a statement early Saturday morning. “Our program will continue to support him through this process.”
Daniels isn’t expected to comment until a more thorough meeting takes place next week.
The announcement comes just days after Daniels was whistled for a technical foul in Hartford, and was visibly frustrated for his abbreviated time on the court afterwards. Daniels started the second half on the bench, and remained clearly aggravated when he eventually returned to the court, prompting a quick pull from Dunleavy. Daniels smacked his chair before taking a seat, and didn’t return to the game.
“It just wasn’t his night,” Dunleavy said of Daniels’ effort after the loss to Hartford. “Mentally, physically, whatever it was, he just wasn’t there. But he’s one of our most important guys, so we’re going to stick with him.”
For now, Dunleavy and the Bobcats will support Daniels away from the court. Daniels was still the team’s leading scorer heading into the Hartford contest, and despite some struggles, Saturday’s news came as a shock.
So the question remains: how did this happen?
There has been plenty of discussion about whether Daniels fits Dunleavy’s system, which certainly has some merit. In an offense that looks to stay in motion and keep the ball moving, Daniels has rarely chosen to kick the ball back out when he’s double-teamed in the low post. Still, despite shooting into some double and triple-teams at times, Daniels shot 53 percent from the field, the best mark on the team.
Despite the solid shooting percentage, Daniels’ reluctance to send the ball back out to the perimeter led to 29 turnovers, second only to Rich Kelly’s 31, who has played almost 100 more minutes than Daniels this season.
The source of Daniels’ surprising exit may have more to do with his demeanor on the court rather than his performance. The senior has been visibly frustrated on numerous occasions this season, which has shown itself on the defensive end. Perhaps out of a reaction of frustration, Daniels has fouled out three times in the young season, with all three of them coming in the last six games. His last foul was the technical at Hartford when he made a tough baseline shot and screamed at the official for a foul call.
Daniels’ behavior at Hartford felt like a culmination of events rather than an isolated incident, which a source close to the team did confirm. For the first time in almost two years, Daniels was not in the starting lineup against Lafayette after fouling out against UMASS, and would foul out in the Lafayette game as well. He finished with three fouls in a win against Columbia, but has to spend extended minutes on the bench to keep him eligible to return, and the offense sizzled without him.
It has been a tough stretch for Daniels, who clearly has his frustrations about how the season is going. Whether this will be a temporary or permanent leave is still in question. For now, expect Abdulai Bundu’s minutes to skyrocket, as well as the questions about what exactly has happened to Daniels in the past few weeks.
