Oct. 28, 2009
By Andrew Gavin
UCFAthletics.com
Daniels 1-on-1 Video Interview
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With just over three weeks remaining until UCF officially gets the 2009-10 season underway on Nov. 15, the Knights are furiously working to get better each and every day in practice. One of the experienced group of seven juniors now on the UCF roster, forward D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) is excited to helping her team build on its 2008-09 success.
Daniels has nearly 500 points in her two-year UCF career despite an average of less than 20 minutes per game. While her scoring dipped to 5.3 points per game as a sophomore, Daniels still made her mark both on the glass and defense in helping her team to the Conference USA Tournament title.
In the championship game against Southern Miss, Daniels spent most of her 20 minutes of action guarding the Golden Eagles' Pauline Love, and helped the UCF defense hold Love to 4-of-15 shooting from the field.
Daniels also recently spoke with Stephanie Hayes of UCFAthletics.com for a quick Q&A interview, looking back on last season and speaking on her goals for the upcoming campaign.
How did the team stay positive last season despite getting off to a difficult start against a tough schedule?
"We looked at it as a learning experience and tried to get better from every loss. That tough schedule helped us in the long run and when we got to conference play. We played three games in three days against tough teams at the Paradise Jam, so when we got to the conference tourney and faced the same thing we had been there before."
Talk about the conference season and how the team improved.
"We just learned from each game and learned about each team. It was us coming together and playing our own game and listening to what coach told us to do."
You went 8-0 at home last season. Is that something you take pride in?
"We are the first ones to play in this gym so we have a lot of pride in that. We keep going and try to use the energy from the crowd that comes to support us."
What was the C-USA Tournament experience like for you?
"It was so much fun. The majority of my family was down there because I am from New Orleans, so it was a blast. Getting to go to one of my favorite restaurants, Landry's, after we won and getting to win with this team and with coach for the first time was a lot of fun."
What did you learn from going to the NCAA Tournament?
"I learned that you have to give it your all at every opportunity. Even though we were supposed to get blown out by UNC, we came in there and played our best and only lost by five. It was a great experience, and we learned that we can play at a high level and anything can happen on any given day."
Did the team's success last year change the mindset going into this season?
"No, we go into this season just like we did last season. Last year, we were picked to finish 12th and we won. We can just expect to win this year. We worked hard last year and we are going to work harder this year."
What individually did you focus on over the summer?
"I focused more on my offensive game. I am more of a defensive player, but I know that I can contribute offensively as well."
What do you hope to accomplish this year, both individually and as a team?
"Individually I am going to work on transferring what I do in practice over to the games more. As a team, I want us to do better than last year, get back to the NCAA Tournament and get passed the first round."
Knights fans will have a chance to see Daniels and the Knights play on Nov. 8 when UCF hosts St. Leo for an exhibition game at UCF Arena. The Sunday afternoon contest is slated to tip-off at 3 p.m.
UCF will officially get the 2009-10 season underway on the road, playing at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 15. The Knights will play six of their nine non-conference games at the UCF Arena, including the home opener on Nov. 20 against Bethune-Cookman.
Season tickets for both teams are currently on sale with the UCF Ticket Office. For more information on tickets, contact the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.