Daniels Comes Back to Basics

Donny Daniels is a touchstone to the days when Cal State Fullerton basketball was successful. He was the leading defender for the Bobby Dye-coached team that won the school’s only Division I regular-season conference championship, sharing first in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. in 1975-76

Later, he was a Titan assistant coach for eight seasons, and Fullerton had winning records in six of them.

Now, Daniels is back at Fullerton as head coach, trying to bring new life to a sagging program that has had only one winning season since he left 11 years ago.

“I have a great deal of history here, and coaching at your alma mater is a special situation,” Daniels said. “I’m really pleased about the support. People seem to be excited that I’m back.”

The lure of coaching at Fullerton has been strong for Daniels since his playing career ended.

Daniels, 46, was a part-time assistant under Dye from 1978 to 1980 before spending a year as an assistant at Verbum Dei High, also his alma mater.

He returned to Fullerton as an assistant under George McQuarn for three seasons before leaving again to coach two seasons at Harbor College, which Daniels attended before transferring to Fullerton. He rejoined McQuarn’s staff for three more seasons, then stayed on for another year under John Sneed before leaving to join Rick Majerus’ staff at Utah in 1989.

Daniels, who applied for the Fullerton head coaching job twice previously, when it went to Brad Holland in 1992 and Bob Hawking in 1995, just hopes Titan fans won’t expect too much too soon now that he finally has it.

“It’s going to take some baby steps at first,” Daniels said. “We have to think of it as a brand new program. To me, they’re all new players, and to them, I’m a new coach. Everything is new for all of us. Teaching a new system is going to take some time.”

Kirk San Roman of Fullerton, the president of a new booster group, says Daniels was a popular choice among Titan fans. “I’m really happy the school was able to land him, and I think it’s only going to be a matter of time before he’s successful,” he said.

Daniels is reluctant to set a timetable for how quickly he thinks he can deliver a winning team, but some who know him well are confident he will be successful once he establishes his own style of basketball and has more time to recruit.

“It’s wonderful to have him in that job,” said Dye, who recruited Daniels out of Harbor College to play on his first Division I team. “He’s seen what can happen there. He was a tremendous defensive player for me for two years, a real warrior. They couldn’t get anyone more loyal or who would be more committed to that program.”

The same character traits that helped make Daniels a standout player, and then a valued assistant, will be factors in making him a successful head coach, McQuarn said.

“Donny always had a great work ethic as a player, and I think that’s carried over into his coaching,” said McQuarn, who coached Daniels at Verbum Dei and then hired him as a part-time assistant. “As a player, you knew he was always going to give you the best effort he had, and he has been that same way as a coach.”

Daniels’ recruiting savvy is expected to be a key factor in building a successful program. McQuarn credits Daniels with helping recruit Cedric Ceballos out of Ventura College in 1988. Ceballos was a second-round pick in the NBA draft two years later, and is now with the Detroit Pistons.

“That last recruiting class we had with Ceballos was a good one, and Donny had a lot to do with it,” McQuarn said. “College basketball recruiting is a lot about relationships. That’s how players end up at certain schools. Schools like UCLA and Kentucky are always going to get good players no matter what, but at other places it’s not always about the gyms or a program’s history. It’s about relationships, and Donny has built some great relationships in basketball.”

Majerus, who has been one of Daniels’ strongest backers, says he has no doubt that Daniels will be successful at Fullerton. “I think he’ll win the league in three or four years,” Majerus said.

Daniels earned high marks for his whirlwind recruiting effort after taking over the program in April. Four recruits on the roster this season--Keith Brooks of Compton Dominguez High, Joe Travis of Long Beach Poly, Chris Smith of San Bernardino Pacific and Ryan Dillon of Victor Valley--were first-team All-Southern Section selections in their divisions.

Later, the Titans added 6-foot-11 sophomore center Babacar Camara of Dakar, Senegal, who had played club basketball in West Africa.

Guard David Castleton transferred from Orange Coast College, and guard Kevin Richardson from Treasure Valley College even though Fullerton could not give athletic aid to community college transfers under a four-year NCAA probation for violations dating to when Holland was coach.

The Titans won’t be able to give aid to community college players until 2002.

“There also is a new NCAA rule that you can’t sign more than five players in one year or eight in two years, and we have to deal with that,” Daniels said. “But we will have more time to recruit in the future.”

Daniels enhanced his reputation as a recruiter under Majerus. The parents of former Utah player Andre Miller, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, said they attended the news conference where Daniels’ hiring at Fullerton was announced because of their friendship and respect for Daniels.

Cecilia Burns, Travis’ mother, said she was particularly pleased by Daniels’ straightforward approach during the recruiting of her son last spring.

“The whole recruiting process is stressful, but Donny helped a lot to level things out,” she said. “I had a lot of questions, and he didn’t run away from any of them. But he didn’t make any promises. He just promised one thing: My son would get an education. He was very honest with us.”

Daniels said he doesn’t see the lack of a modern arena comparable to UC Irvine’s Bren Center or the Long Beach State Pyramid as a problem for his recruiting. Fullerton’s Titan Gym, which seats 3,500, was built in 1964.

“I played in that gym, and I know it’s not the best facility, but it’s comparable to most of the gyms in the West Coast Conference,” he said. “I shouldn’t have taken the job if that were a factor. If you get the right people in there, and they play hard, you’ll be all right.”

One of Daniels’ biggest challenges has been installing a new offense in a short time during the preseason.

It became more of a challenge when the Titans’ top player, Ike Harmon, was sidelined by a stress fracture in his left foot about three weeks ago. Harmon’s status for the Titan season opener Friday at Oregon State is uncertain, but Daniels said he doesn’t expect him to be back in top form before December.

Another setback came when Castleton, expected to be the starting point guard, was ruled academically ineligible for the first semester. He can practice with the team but can’t play until mid-December.

“Not having Ike has made it more difficult because we’re a different team when he’s on the floor,” Daniels said. “It would have helped if the new players would have had more time to get used to him, and for him to get used to them.”

The players learned quickly that Daniels will be demanding.

“He won’t accept anything less than your best effort,” senior center Matt Caldwell said. “From the start, it’s been important to be in good shape. I think I’ve done more running in practice than I’ve ever done in my life. There’s a lot of emphasis on defense, and if you miss a charge in practice, you’re running.”

Said Daniels: “I feel I have to establish a mentality that the harder you work, the luckier you get. I want to build a foundation of toughness, physically and mentally. Toughness will be very important to me.”

Daniels is pleased with the attitude the players have shown so far.

“They understand that they have to work hard,” he said. “But the good thing is that they’ve allowed me to be me. I’m wound tight in practice and I want things done a certain way. They’ve gotten used to my hollering and getting after them. They’ve responded well.”

Jim White, who coached Daniels at Harbor College, recently attended practice at Daniels’ invitation, and was impressed with what he saw.

“It’s very difficult to take over and have everyone on the same page in such a short time, but I think he’s an excellent teacher,” White said. “He got on a player once for doing something he thought was wrong. Then he thought about it and decided the player was right, and he told him so. I think that’s good coaching. A lot of coaches won’t accept being wrong. I think the players will believe in Donny, and they’ll trust him.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Daniels File

As a player and coaching assistant for Cal State Fullerton, Donny Daniels made his mark. Now, he’s hoping to do the same as the Titans’ head coach. A brief look at Daniels’ basketball career:

1974-75: Plays on Fullerton’s first Division I team, which finished 13-11.

1975-76: As a lead defensive player, helps win school’s only Division I regular-season conference championship. The Titans had a 15-10 record.

1978-80: Part-time assistant under Coach Bobby Dye.

1980-81: Assistant coach at Los Angeles Verbum Dei High, his alma mater.

1981-84: Returns to Fullerton to assist Coach George McQuarn.

1984-85: Head coach at Los Angeles Harbor College, where his teams were 12-16 and 20-11.

1985-89: Rejoins McQuarn for three seasons, sticks around after John Sneed takes over.

1989-2000: Assistant coach to Rick Majerus at Utah.

2000: Titan head coach.

Titan Coaching History

*--*

Coach Years Rec. Alex Omalev 1960-72 139-176 Moe Radovich 1972-73 9-17 Bobby Dye 1973-80 109-78 George McQuarn 1980-88 122-117 John Sneed 1988-92 55-59 Brad Holland 1992-94 23-31 Bob Hawking 1994-2000 59-103

*--*