Michigan freshman PG Dug McDaniel 'fell in love with the game,' sleeps at the gym

Michigan Wolverines basketball associate head coach Phil Martelli says he loves players are aren’t “afraid of an empty gym.” It’s no coincidence, then, that Martelli and freshman point guard Dug McDaniel, a four-star recruit out of Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI, have a close relationship.

Not only does McDaniel love to get in extra work — before or after Michigan workouts — he makes trips to the gym in the wee hours of the night, while others are sleeping. He’s determined to carry on the legacy of great point guard play at Michigan — from Ricky Green in the 1970s to Zavier Simpson, and everyone, like Trey Burke, in between.

“It means a lot, and it also puts a battery in my back, because I’m all about working,” McDaniel told Boesch. “I love the grind. I’ve been grinding my whole life, since I was born. So, just knowing there’s a lot of history that comes behind this position makes me even hungrier to get out there and prove that I’m worthy to keep that legacy going.”

He was even asked by Brian Boesch on the Defend The Block podcast about his hobbies outside of basketball, and couldn’t answer the question without reverting his response back to the sport.

“I like to meet new people, get outside my comfort zone,” McDaniel said. “But also, still keeping the goal in hand, make sure I get my film watching in every day and make sure I go to the gym every day.

“I like to go to the gym late night, 2 a.m. and stuff like that. That’s my vibe. Actually, it was Sunday night, I slept at the gym because we had morning practice at 7 a.m., so I slept at the gym, first one there. I just fell in love with it, fell in love with the game. It’s been fun.”

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McDaniel said he slept in the Michigan players lounge inside its state of the art facility, but it’s still a step most players aren’t willing to take.

“It was comfortable,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is coming off a solid start to his Michigan career during the team’s mid-August trip to France and Greece, where it took on 3 foreign teams.

In a win over Olympiacos U22, McDaniel posted 10 points (3-of-5 from the field and 1-of-1 from long range), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal with a pair of turnovers. Versus Fos Provence Basket, McDaniel registered 6 points (3-of-6 from the field) with 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 5 turnovers. He had 7 points in the Wolverines’ win over Mykonos, a shortened game.

McDaniel feels he’s acclimated well to life at Michigan so far.

“It still feels surreal sometimes, but it’s been a smooth transition,” the 5-11, 160-pounder said. “I come from a high-level high school program and high school league, so the transition has been pretty smooth for me, because the level of competition is similar, but it’s a little bit better. It’s definitely been a smooth transition so far.”

His goals for this season with Michigan are to become more vocal — which is key for a player at his position — and to stay under control and in command.

“I watch a lot of film. If you see me on my computer, 9 times out of 10 I’m watching film on myself, and on my teammates, as well, trying to see what their best spots to get open are,” McDaniel said. “Just trying to mirror my game after pro guys, because that’s the goal.

“Always keeping that poise and being very patient, because you can’t let nobody speed you up in the college game, because that’s when you start having bad games and they think they figured you out.”

Dug McDaniel breaks down his game

McDaniel is quick, shifty and scrappy as a point guard. His level of creativity as a passer and finisher around the rim is off the charts.

“My pick and roll game, I thrive in that,” McDaniel said when asked to describe his game. “I practice that a lot. Also my transition — I try to use my speed as an advantage. And I’m a very pass-first guy, so get others involved, finding their spots, where they’re best scoring at and stuff like that. I feel like that’s one of the strengths in my game.”

The player he tries to emulate the most is Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul.

“My favorite player is [Memphis Grizzlies guard] Ja Morant, so I watch a lot of Ja Morant,” the Michigan point guard revealed. “But in terms of being realistic with myself, I watch a lot of Chris Paul — watch his patience, see him pick the right spots at the right time. He goes 2, 3, 4 possessions without scoring, just facilitating, getting others involved. I watch little things like that.

“The way he defends, just little things like that, that I could vision my game after. I try to put myself in their shoes, like if I were them in that position, what would I do? Going off what they do, I try to mirror what they do sometimes, because it’s been working out for them.”

Paul is 1 inch taller than McDaniel at 6-0, but the Michigan guard believes he plays much taller than he is.

“People have been talking about my height my whole life, but it doesn’t really phase me because I’ve been dominating at a high level for years now,” McDaniel pointed out. “I feel like it just gives them an excuse.

“I don’t look at my height … I go out there and play like I’m 6-3, 6-2, and I feel like I have a very underrated level of athleticism, and I just try to use that to my advantage. When I’m attacking the rim, I try to bump defenders by getting the ball high off the glass. In my head, I’m 6-3 out there, so that’s what’s really going on in my head — I can do everything everybody else can do.”

McDaniel has been on the shorter end his entire life, and he’s used his height to his advantage. By now, he’s developed a number of different moves, so the defense never knows what’s coming.

“I just gotta keep the defense guessing,” the Michigan guard said. “One play I’ll go up with my left, then the next play they’re expecting the left, so I try to reverse it, go with my right. Just always keep the defense on their heels, because 9 times out of 10, they’re going to jump for everything that I throw up.

“Me and my trainer work on my finishing a lot, make sure it’s high off the glass. We’ve been working on a lot of high-off-the-glass stuff, because people are long and more athletic, so I just have to figure out how to get it up there and out of their reach.”