NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Alabama of last decade
By Joey Loose
6. KJ McDaniels – Clemson
A native of Birmingham, McDaniels spent his three-year collegiate career at Clemson between 2011 and 2014, endearing himself as a defensive stalwart and impressive talent. He played limited minutes his freshman year, but worked himself into the starting lineup in his second season, blossoming into quite the star for the Tigers by his junior season.
That junior season was the big one for McDaniels, averaging 17.1 points per game for a Clemson team that won 23 games and finished 6th in the ACC. Among his career highlights was a 24-point, 10-rebound performance in a win over Duke in January 2014. McDaniels later helped lead the Tigers to the semifinals of the NIT, including a career-high 30-point performance against Georgia State. He also led the ACC in blocks in each of his final two collegiate seasons.
McDaniels was an All-ACC First Teamer for that great junior year and was also named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He ranked 11th in the nation in total blocks that season, while also ranking in the top ten in the ACC in free throw percentage, field goals, and free throw attempts, among other things. McDaniels was then drafted in the 2nd round by the Philadelphia 76ers, leaving college after just his third season to begin his professional career.