Dug McDaniel didn’t expect to be a starter last season. No one did. But when Jaelin Llewellyn tore his ACL eight games into the season, he started averaging 35 minutes per game as Michigan’s starting point guard.
To those close to him, that experience is golden. It allowed McDaniel to take the jump from high school to college basketball through trial and error, learning lessons on the fly all season. Take it from none other than McDaniel’s freshman roommate, Tarris Reed Jr.
“I love how he was thrown into fire,” Reed said at Michigan Media Day. “Because I knew he was going to thrive and succeed. I know Dug, I know him as a player, as a person — he’s going to take every opportunity.”
McDaniel entered this offseason as the clear starter for the Wolverines, allowing him to prepare for his sophomore campaign far better than he could have a year ago. Much of his target areas came from lessons learned with good old-fashioned experience. McDaniel saw what he needed to do to play point guard. He knew what to expect now in a way that allowed him to anticipate his contributions. With that familiarity comes poise.
“I started getting more comfortable, like the game started to slow down a little bit,” McDaniel said. “So I’m just carrying that same confidence over to this season with a little bit extra added confidence because I know the role that I’m about to take. I’m ready for it.”
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