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Jim McDaniels

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Jim McDaniels
Jim McDaniels (#15) with Snaidero Udine in Italy, 1975
Personal information
Born(1948-04-02)April 2, 1948
Scottsville, Kentucky
DiedSeptember 6, 2017(2017-09-06) (aged 69)
Bowling Green, Kentucky
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High schoolAllen County
(Scottsville, Kentucky)
CollegeWestern Kentucky (1968–1971)
NBA draft1971: 2nd round, 23rd overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career1971–1978
PositionPower forward / Center
Number1, 44, 11, 45
Career history
1971–1972Carolina Cougars
1972–1974Seattle SuperSonics
1974–1975Udinese
1975–1976Los Angeles Lakers
1976Kentucky Colonels
1977–1978Buffalo Braves
Career highlights and awards
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points2,698 (10.0 ppg)
Rebounds1,748 (6.5 rpg)
Assists288 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

James Ronald McDaniels (April 2, 1948 – September 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. McDaniels played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft. McDaniels was an ABA All-Star.

High School & College career

McDaniels at WKU.

A 6'11" power forward/center, McDaniels averaged nearly 40 points per game as a senior at Allen County High School in Scottsville, Kentucky. From 1967 to 1971, he played at Western Kentucky University, leading his team to a third-place finish in the 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. (The NCAA later voided Western Kentucky's participation in the tournament, accusing McDaniels of signing with an agent while still in college.) He also set WKU school records with 2,238 career points (now tied with Courtney Lee) and 1,118 career rebounds.[1][2]

Professional career

McDaniels was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 1971 NBA draft and No. 1 overall by the Dallas Chaparrals in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft,[3] but he began his professional career with the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association, who offered him a $1.35 million contract to be paid over 25 years. Reportedly, the Cougars first approached McDaniels during November 1970, while he was still playing for Western Kentucky. McDaniels averaged 26.8 points and 14 rebounds in 58 games with the Cougars during the 1971–72 season and scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 1972 ABA All-Star Game. However, he feuded with the Cougars while trying to renegotiate his contract – he wanted his salary to be spread over 15 years, rather than 25 – and near the end of his rookie season he decided to leave the Cougars for the SuperSonics.[4]

McDaniels remained with Seattle for the next two full seasons. However, he struggled to maintain the same level of production he had achieved in the ABA, and by the 1973–74 NBA season, McDaniels was averaging just 5.5 points per game.[5] During that time, McDaniels was dogged by off-court troubles as the Cougars questioned the legality of his jump to the NBA. He later admitted in an interview, "I should have stayed in the ABA for a couple of years. I was just young and things started going bad for me there and I didn't know how to handle them."[2] SuperSonics coach and general manager Bill Russell ultimately released McDaniels in fall 1974.[6]

For the next four years, McDaniels bounced from team to team, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA, and Snaidero Udine of Italy.[7] He finally decided to retire from basketball in 1978.

Personal life

McDaniels had two sons (Eskias McDaniels, Shannon Martin).

McDaniels died in Bowling Green, Kentucky at the age of 69, due to complications from diabetes.[8][9]

Cultural relevance

The 1971 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team was the first non-historically black, Kentucky collegiate basketball team to start five African-American players. Coach John Oldham started McDaniels, Jim Rose, Clarence Glover, Jerry Dunn and Rex Bailey. McDaniels had helped recruit Rose and the others after signing at WKU. Oldham was pressured not to start all five together, but said "they are my best five players."[10]

Honors

McDaniels' #44 jersey was retired by Western Kentucky in January 2000.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thamel, Pete (2008-03-27). "Recalling Forward Thinking at Western Kentucky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  2. ^ a b c Jim McDaniels Interview Archived 2008-06-09 at the Wayback Machine. hilltopperhaven.com.
  3. ^ Jet magazine, February 1971, Vol. 39, No. 21, p. 50
  4. ^ "McDaniels signed by NBA's Sonics." New York Times. 18 February 1972.
  5. ^ Career statistics. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  6. ^ Dave Anderson. "Bill Russell's complete authority." New York Times. 5 March 1974.
  7. ^ Sam Goldaper. "O'Brien rules on free agent." New York Times. 4 October 1977.
  8. ^ "Hilltopper basketball legend McDaniels dies at 69", The Daily News, September 6, 2017
  9. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (September 8, 2017), "Jim McDaniels, 69, Dies; Led Western Kentucky to Final Four", The New York Times
  10. ^ Pratt, Elliott. "Standing Alone: WKU's 1971 Final Four team remains in a league of its own". College Heights Herald.
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