At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked or under-recruited in some capacity, and today’s edition will highlight Camren Daniels of Southern Durham High School.
We’ve watched Daniels steadily progress over the years, recently stating, “After standing out as a focal point for All-Carolina throughout the summer season, Daniels should be a prime target for various types of scholarship-level programs. Between his size and shooting alone, it’s easy to see the appeal. However, Daniels is far more than just a spot-up threat. He’s a fairly well-rounded guard with size, ball skills, and the ability to make plays for himself and others off the bounce. Daniels is a quality athlete with length, toughness, and a solid motor on both ends of the floor. He displays nice feel as a defender and rebounder, and is capable of producing within a role or leading the charge based on team need. Daniels should have more offers right now, so it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of his summer irons out.”
No matter how much the game of basketball evolves, the value of size and shooting will never change. This plain fact makes the lack of recruitment for Daniels particularly confusing. It’s understood that his teammate generates a lot of buzz, but college coaches are simply overlooking a guy who could be a real difference-maker for a bevy of programs. This season, Daniels is posting nightly averages of 16.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG with 52/41/72 shooting splits. While the three-point percentage is impressive on its own, adding in the fact that he’s attempting six per game and maintaining such high efficiency makes it even more uncommon. Daniels is a capable creator with the ball in his hands but looks to play to his strengths as much as possible. He provides a quality blend of IQ, athleticism, and two-way instincts. Daniels is a solid rebounder who contains his assignment well defensively and consistently gets to his spots in transition.
