Troy Daniels sticks dagger to Northeastern

Junior sharpshooter Troy Daniels buried a team-high 15 points versus Northeastern Saturday.

Jim Swing
Sports Editor
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Junior sharpshooter Troy Daniels buried a team-high 15 points versus Northeastern Saturday.

Troy Daniels was overlooked. Perhaps he wasn’t even examined at all. Whatever the case may be, VCU’s junior sharpshooter buried Northeastern. Badly.

“Certainly wasn’t on the scouting report,” Huskies’ head coach Bill Coen said.

Daniels shot 50 percent from three-point territory for the second-straight game, this time going 5-for-10 from deep for 15 points to lead VCU to a 59-56 win over Northeastern.

“We know that he’s a dead-eye shooter, and I thought he got way too many looks whether we played man or zone,” a red-faced Coen added. “We wanted to stay attached to him a little bit better, and that’s one of the things I didn’t think we did a very good job of this evening.”

At times, his shooting makes Daniels appear as a man possessed. He’ll creep around the corner, occasionally come off a screen and stare down a three-pointer with the look of an assassin. Daniels’ five deep balls Saturday night seemingly felt like 10 or 12. Is he even aware of the clinic he’s displaying during the game?

“No, not at all,” Daniels said. “I just keep shooting, my teammates keep telling me keep shooting so that’s what I do, anything I can do to help my team out.”

Midway through the second half Northeastern put together an 11-3 run that had VCU on its heels. Turnovers allowed the Huskies to jump back into the game all the while the Rams were playing plain sloppy. VCU needed a badly needed a boost. It was in a spot where deadly shooters usually step in and turn a game a different direction for good. And that’s what Daniels did. This time, a trey came from the corner with just under eight minutes to go, giving the Rams an eight-point lead and a little cushion to work with.

On a young team that, at times, has had trouble finding its shooting touch this season, Daniels has had the only reliable hand.

“Over this stretch in the past month and a half, he’s been or only guy that’s been consistent threat from outside,” VCU head coach Shaka Smart said. “We’ve got other guys that are good shooters, but they’ve struggled at times, so it’s nice to have Troy when you can put him in the game and he can shoot it in.”

Daniels’ 69 three-pointers are tied for first in the Colonial Athletic Association with James Madison’s Humpty Hitchens. He’s on pace to contend with a single-season record for treys set by B.A. Walker in 2006-2007.

“He’s one of the best shooters in our league,” teammate Juvonte Reddic said. “I think he’s the best shooter in our league.”

Like many players, Daniels hit a seasonal rough patch a little over a week ago against Towson. Smart said he didn’t think Daniels came ready to play and didn’t like his performance. Daniels went 1-for-4 and received a season-low 12 minutes on the floor. Since that night, Daniels has hit 14 of his last 30 three-point attempts. His five deep balls tied a single game career-high, something Daniels has now done five times.

He’s turned over a new leaf in a big way.

“I’m always hard on Troy – assistants say I’m too hard on him,” Smart said. “He’s a terrific shooter; he’s as good as any shooter I’ve had the opportunity to coach as a head or assistant coach.”

Photo by: Chris Conway

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