Daniels lauds United for helping him grow

Coming into NBL26 as a 17-year-old, Dash Daniels faced a steep learning curve.

The athletic young hooper from Bendigo was however able to hit the ground running, playing a pivotal role in our 9-0 start to the season, providing energy and defence off the bench.

This continued to close the season, where the teenager was inserted into the starting lineup for the final eight games of the regular season, where he helped the team gain momentum heading into the Play-In.

Looking back on his debut professional campaign, Daniels believes he has growth significantly, both physically and mentally.

“I learnt a lot throughout the season,” he explained.

“The physicality of the game and how fast it is, just how high IQ the players are, there's a huge difference coming in.

“I came in pretty skinny. I could still hold my ground, but I wasn't as comfortable with it, and then, throughout the season I got a lot bigger and learnt how to use my body against the opposing team and disrupt offenses.

“The season's been great being able to learn so much. Not everything's gonna go right, you're gonna have ups and downs so I think being able to adapt and go through that so early in my career has been a huge help for me.” 

Daniels’ best game of the season came in Round 1; his first experience playing inside John Cain Arena, where he scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and came away with two steals.