Michigan basketball signee Dug McDaniel is living up to his billing

Michigan’s 2022 basketball recruiting class is ranked tops in the Big Ten. Point guard signee Dug McDaniel is doing his part to ensure it stays there.

The 5-10 point guard recently led his Fairfax (Va.) Pius VI squad to a huge win over nationally ranked Sierra Canyon (Cali.). Sierra Canyon was led by 2023 standout Bronny James (On3.com’s No. 34 player in the 2023 class).

McDaniel was the alpha from the get-go Jan. 15 at JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University. On3.com’s No. 73 player in the consensus rankings was the MVP after a 72-65 victory in which he notched 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He added six rebounds and two assists to lead a win at the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions.

Paul VI had lost to Sierra Canyon Dec. 22 in Hawai’i, 52-49, and was eager to atone.

“To lose to them recently and fight like that and get that one back, it shows how much we fight and how much we really buy into what the coaches have been saying,” McDaniel told the Springfield News-Leader. “That was a really, really great win.”

“They have all of the attention. People feel like they can’t be beaten, and we just shocked the world today. I can’t be more thankful for my guys and thankful for my coaches. I’m just ready to get back and celebrate back home.”

Oak Hill Academy (Va.) beat McDaniel and Pius VI 72-57 last season in the same tourney. McDaniel was excited to get another shot.

He made the most of it.

“It means a lot of me to walk out of my high school career knowing that I won Bass Pro,” McDaniel said. “I couldn’t say that two years ago. Just being able to say that I won Bass Pro and bringing this trophy back to Virginia means a lot to me.”

Paul VI is now 12-2 overall with McDaniel running the show. The guard was a complementary player last year to five-star guard Trevor Keels. This year, though, he’s taken over. 

Though not big, he’s a warrior. And while not as stocky, he’s similar to former Michigan point guard Xavier Simpson in mindset, in particular. He’s not going to be denied or intimidated, and he’s a winner. He plays well out of a ball screen and takes defense extremely seriously. 

Paul VI coach Glenn Farello told local WDVM TV McDaniel is one of the best he’s ever coached at his school. 

“He does play with some grit to him, and he understands how to set people up,” Farello said. “His intelligence, his basketball I.Q. is off the charts. Being able to play in pick and roll. He really understands angles, and he’s probably the best passer we’ve ever had.

“He thrives with that bullseye on him. I think he enjoys it. He thrives under pressure, the expectations he has, people coming at him, because they want to measure themselves against him as a basketball player. So, it’s about respect, and he understands that.”

He “plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Paul VI junior guard DeShawn Harris-Smith added. 

“He’s like one of the smallest guards in his class, but still one of the best guards in his class,” he said. “I think everybody likes that about him … [because] he’s small, but he plays like he is bigger than that.”

PrepHoops.com agrees. 

“McDaniel has been on a tear all month for Paul IV and has [his team] positioned to make a real run at the WCAC [Washington Catholic Athletic Conference] title as 2022 begins,” they wrote. “The future Michigan floor general is one of the quicker guards you’ll come across in his class. It’s evident in the open floor. He takes advantage of any driving lane or angle he can gain on his defender to work his way into the paint. He quickly breaks down the defense and locates open shooters, bigs along the baseline or finished with high floaters. 

“McDaniel’s outside shot is still a work in progress, but with time he’s proven to be a more capable threat than before. There were reasons to believe that Paul IV may have its bumps considering the youthful roster. But McDaniel helped engineer an 8-1 start with blowout victories along the way. Their only loss came to Sierra Canyon in the Iolani Classic. And despite coming up short, he still claimed MVP honors.”

He’ll continue to work to prove people wrong. 

“Every time I step on the floor, I know I’m going to have a handful of doubters,” McDaniel said. “So, just proving them wrong every day just gets me excited. Just looking over, seeing [an opponent’s] face down because they thought something that wasn’t … That just makes me better and gets me hype every day.”