Grudge matches, trash talk and sharp shooting: Dash Daniels on his path to the NBA

For a basketballer still at the tender age of 18, Dash Daniels has had to deal with a harsher public and social-media gaze than many players with bigger resumes.

In part, that’s because his father Ricky is a Bendigo Braves basketball legend, he is the sibling of NBA and Boomers star Dyson Daniels and also because of his own stated ambition to join his brother in the world’s best basketball league.

His decision to leave Melbourne United this year after only one season to join fierce cross-town rivals South East Melbourne Phoenix added to the headlines. Daniels – part of the NBL’s Next Star program – decided to seize greater opportunities after a tough rookie season where his minutes were spotty.

But as the star guard prepares for Thursday night’s Throwdown against United at John Cain Arena, he told this masthead he had learnt to narrow his focus.

“I see it all. I’m on social media all the time, but, you know, it kind of just goes over my head,” Daniels said, referring to the public feedback.

“I’ve learned a lot from last season as well. So obviously, you can’t get too high, you can’t get too low, and you just pump yourself up ... right now, it’s positive, but you know, next game I could have a bad game, and it could be negative [feedback].

“So, you just got to be able to stay grounded and look forward to the next game and keep improving.”

An off-season working with renowned NBA shooting coach Wes Matthews in Atlanta has improved his stroke, as became evident through the pre-season Blitz in his home town of Bendigo, and in the opening two games of the season proper.

Daniels poured in a career-high of 24 points on 9/13 shooting (2/4 from three) and 12 rebounds in 28:35 minutes in the Phoenix’s 100-79 opening-game win against the Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena, and backed up with 11 points on 5/8 shooting (1/2 from three) in a five-point loss to the Jack Jumpers in Hobart on Monday night.

Now comes another significant test against United, still stinging after their opening-night loss to the Adelaide 36ers. And the juices are already flowing.

In a warm-up game between the two clubs at the State Basketball Centre, sidelined United import Cole Anthony chirped at Daniels “hell no” when Daniels was shooting from deep. Daniels missed four of his first five three-point attempts, but nailed a pair in the final quarter as the Phoenix rallied to win.

Daniels revealed he didn’t know who was trash-talking him until after the game, but expects more to come on Thursday, from Anthony and Boomers great Joe Ingles.

“I heard someone talking s--- but … I didn’t know who was to be honest,” Daniels said.

“Obviously, a couple of guys were getting stuck into me a little bit, but it’s all just fun and games. So, it’s gonna be good to get out there, talk some s--- myself. [I’m] looking forward to it.”

Daniels said former sharpshooter Matthews had focused on three key areas of his shot.

“Mainly just the rhythm, and you know, trying to keep it [the ball] more to one side, so not coming too far to my left,” he said.

“Kind of keep my base more strong and not twisting my hips when I shoot. Just rhythm and my base.”

Daniels’ body is also stronger, his renowned defensive mentality clear to see. And an emerging play-making ability at the point or shooting guard has also been evident, and that’s not just involving becoming a consistent shooter from deep and off the dribble.

In the Phoenix’s first three scores on Monday night, Daniels splashed a three, worked a two-man game with Jordan Hunter, a floating pass allowing the centre to roll to the hoop and score, before Daniels wrong-footed an opponent with his dribble and was fouled finishing strong at the hoop.

“He is just a different person,” NBL great Lanard Copeland noted in the ESPN commentary, comparing Daniels from last year to this.

Daniels’ manager Daniel Moldovan, president of Lighthouse Sports Management, said his client “did all the work in the off season”.

“We can now see the real Dash, and I expect him to continue to get better every month,” he said.

Coach Josh King wants Daniels to be a “menace” at the defensive end, and he will be just that, particularly if he gets to match up on Anthony or Ingles.

Daniels opted out of this year’s NBA draft when it became clear he needed to do more work on his game. But a group of up to eight NBA club scouts at the Blitz saw the progress he’d made, and why he is currently inside the top 40 prospects – and shortening – for next year’s draft.

However, Daniels said he had learnt from his season with United not to predict the future, and not to get distracted by the mock NBA draft boards.

“I’ve realised that every game’s a new game. You’ve got to go out there, perform to your best, and the rest will take care of itself,” Daniels said.

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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.