Being a two sport athlete in basketball and football requires certain athletic skills and physical attributes. If the athlete is too small, he may not have the size and strength to play football. Too slow, and the lack of quickness may prove challenging on the hardwood. As a result, the most common two sport stars seem to have the right blend of size, strength, speed, agility, and just pure athleticism. Athletes like Cal's Tony Gonzalez, Kent State's Antonio Gates, and North Carolina's Julius Peppers have been able to play both of these sports at a high level.
For the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons, Terrence Daniel has proven to be such an athlete. As a current junior, Daniel has been on the varsity basketball team for two years and on the varsity football team for one year. At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Daniel has the unique blend of size and speed to play as a power forward in basketball while playing both defensive end and tight end on football. Daniel is the No. 22 ranked player in the NorCalPreps.com 2012 boys basketball rankings but is often overlooked by teammates Brandon Ashley and Richard Longrus who are the top two juniors in the region and also play in the interior.
Daniel started playing basketball in the seventh grade and considers himself to be a power player with an effective hook shot. Daniel is a post player with a solid right hand array of moves. He is fluid running the floor and can be a very good defensive player over time. During the offseason, he works on his speed and fundamentals in basketball with his Lakeshow club team. He hopes his efforts will help his Dragons go back to state and win the title.
Lakeshow Coach Joe Fuca says, "TJ is a great kid. TJ has some extreme upside potential at the college level for basketball. TJ has always played up in AAU and he also has played along side some of the best BIGS on his high school team. He has really worked hard to be ready to play lots of minutes for Bishop O'Dowd. TJ can score around the basket. He has a good hook shot. He can rebound 10+ per game. He can block 5 shots a game. TJ will be a big force on the Lakeshow 17s team this year. In my mind, he will play low DIV one next year."
In this past year, Daniel was instrumental in helping his Dragons obtain a 10-2 record on the football field as they lost in the second round of the NCS playoffs. Daniel prefers to play defensive end than tight end but believes that he has the speed to play wide receiver.
Dragon Football Coach Hardy Nickerson says, "TJ is a great kid. He's coachable, he's consistent and he is someone you can count on. At 6'6, he has the frame and the athleticism to be dominating at a number of different positions. Quiet and reserved off the field and smooth and athletic on the field would probably best describe TJ. He's a kid with tremendous upside that I think will be a star at the next level."
Surprisingly, Daniel has not gotten any serious contact from colleges for either sport. But with his size and speed, colleges should be inquiring shortly. Daniel would like to go to college close to home but will not allow geography to limit his decision. He wants to be in a nice climate and obtain a solid academic education. His best subject is Math while he would like to major in Business or Finance.
In addition to playing both basketball and football, Daniel is also on the track team. His personal hobby is playing the piano. Look for this multi-talented Dragon to make an impression in Oakland in the next two years.
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