Florida Tech Senior Forward Sam Daniel Named Preseason Honorable Mention All-American
By Daniel Supraner, Florida Tech Sports // October 9, 2017
SCHOOL RECORD 96, 3-POINTERS LAST SEASON
ABOVE VIDEO: Following a breakout junior campaign, Florida Tech’s Sam Daniel has been tabbed a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by Division II Bulletin.
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA— Following a breakout junior campaign, Florida Tech’s Sam Daniel has been tabbed a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American by Division II Bulletin.
Daniel is one of only two players from the Sunshine State Conference to be recognized amongst the nation’s elite. Barry’s Elvar Fridriksson was also chosen and is among the list of Super 16 Selections by DII Bulletin.
A product of Kingsland, Georgia, Daniel is coming off a season in which he averaged 20 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and was an All-SSC First Team selection.
Daniel is a proficient shooter and made .456 from the field, .400 from three-point range and .825 from the charity stripe during the 2016-17 season. He posted six double-doubles last season and registered 25-plus points in 10 games.
In his best outing of the 2016-17 season, Daniel notched a season-high 37 points, gathered 11 boards, made 13-of-13 free throws and knocked down the game-winning shot at the buzzer to defeat Embry-Riddle, 109-106.
Daniel set a new school record with 96 three-point field goals last season, obliterating the old record of 84 set during the 2005-06 season. He also eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone last season and sits at 1,013 points heading into his fourth season under head coach Billy Mims.
ABOVE VIDEO: Sam Daniel’s Buzzer Beater 3 lifts Florida Tech past Embry Riddle last January.
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“I can still remember Sam’s official visit to FIT four years ago,” said Mims. “He visited us on the weekend of our annual Athletic Awards Banquet, and told me then that one day he would be up there receiving an award.
I told him, “Sam I believe you’ll be an All-American before you leave Florida Tech!” And now, he has performed at a level to receive that kind of attention.
“Last year, he had just an amazing season. I am extremely proud of his growth as a player, but also as a student and a young man during his time in Melbourne. I look forward to seeing him on court at the Clemente Center wearing the Crimson and Gray again this year, in his final season as a Panther.”
The men’s basketball team opens the 2017-18 season on Nov. 10-11 at the NCAA South Regional Tipoff Challenge hosted by Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
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