ASUN Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)
By Joey Loose
21. BaeBae Daniels
A 6’7 forward from Ashburn, Georgia, Demarcus “BaeBae” Daniels had himself quite the unique college career in the ASUN. He spent all four years of his collegiate career at North Florida under Matthew Driscoll, but came off the bench for his entire career. He started just one of the 128 games he played for the Ospreys, but emerged as a major weapon for the program.
Daniels’ production increased with each subsequent season, as did his role on the team. We already mentioned that he was never a starter, but he had starter-level minutes in his upperclassman years. By his senior season, he was averaging 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds, becoming one of the league’s best bigs on both sides of the court. The highlight of his career was his 22-point performance in the title game of the 2015 ASUN Tournament, helping lead North Florida to what remains their most recent trip to the Big Dance.
He had solid defensive metrics and was among the best offensive rebounders as well. Daniels was named 2015 ASUN Tournament MVP for those postseason efforts and led the conference in blocks as both a junior and senior. As a direct result, he was also a two-time ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, really emerging as an important piece off the bench for the Ospreys. He proved that you didn’t need to be in the starting lineup to be making a big impact.