Maddy McDaniel is a relentless competitor. How she’ll help South Carolina basketball

Bishop McNamara coach Ron James’ voice boomed across the gymnasium in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

“Madisen Marie McDaniel!”

All heads turned to the 5-foot-9 point guard better known as “Maddy” McDaniel – the state’s top-rated girls basketball player and the No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2024.

When an adult uses someone’s government name to call them out, they mean serious business. Everyone in the gym knew that.

“That’s your middle name?” someone asked.

“No,” McDaniel said. “Coach Ron just calls me that.”

“My middle name is not Marie,” she shot back to her coach. “It’s Michelle!”

James knew this, of course, having first met McDaniel when she was an elementary school-aged basketball player. But he liked how easily Marie rolled off his tongue. And he knew a poke like that would fire her up. Hence, Madisen Marie McDaniel.

Her parents, Tameka and Jerry, prefer the nickname “Maddy Mouse,” an allusion to her soft-spoken nature. But don’t let that or the sweet smile fool you. McDaniel is a competitor.

“Every time I challenge her with that, sorry to the other team and that poor kid is trying to guard her now,” James told The State. “It’s a different personality. It’s a seek-and-destroy mission. She is out to seek and destroy when I do that to her. Because she wants to shut me up and wants to prove me wrong. And I love it.”

Whether an ego check from James or an ill-timed injury, McDaniel has sought to overcome it all in her quest to become the best. Her latest challenge: carving out a role with South Carolina women’s basketball as it looks to win another national championship.

A new perspective

McDaniel’s basketball roots run deep. While her father, Jerry, preached the importance of fundamentals, McDaniel’s uncle, Ronnier Lester, guided her along through everything else.

Lester played for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, winning a championship alongside NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson in 1985. After battling knee injuries throughout his six-year playing career, Lester joined the Lakers’ front office, where he helped L.A. win seven more championships. He now lends his vast basketball knowledge to his niece, floating tips and words of encouragement — along with messages of mental fortitude through injury rehab — her way.

McDaniel’s first major injury came her freshman year of high school when she tore her ACL. She had surgery in March 2021 and spent 10 months away from the court for physical therapy. It was challenging to sit on the bench and watch her AAU teammates play all summer. But the experience offered her a new perspective.

Literally.

From her new vantage point, McDaniel could see the court from a different angle than she could in-game, which helped sharpen her basketball IQ and decision-making skills.

“Seeing it from the sideline, you would be like, ‘Why’d you make that pass?’ ” McDaniel, 18, told The State. “But playing on the court, when you’re in front, you would definitely think, ‘Oh, that angle’s open. I can definitely get it there.’”

“So being able to tell my teammates, ‘Oh, look at this. Look at that,’ and watching them go out there and do it, it’s like when you really sit down and sit back and pay attention, the game is easier than you think.”

Because of the injury, McDaniel didn’t really hear from any of her “dream” schools until junior year. That’s when South Carolina first started courting her, in 2022. McDaniel took her official visit to Columbia last June, where she bonded with future teammates and played laser tag with them on the indoor volleyball courts. She announced her commitment in August 2023.

“After my photo shoot, I was like, ‘This is definitely where I could see myself for the next four years,’ ” McDaniel said. “It was definitely the family atmosphere. Like a home away from home.”

A ‘great addition’ to USC

Back in Maryland, McDaniel helped Bishop McNamara achieve a stellar regular season in the DMV, which saw the Mustangs lose just one game and climb to a No. 6 ranking nationally. But she tore her meniscus in the regular-season finale. Her team went on to lose its conference championship game but win the state championship. McDaniel had surgery Feb. 26.

Recovery time for surgery on a torn meniscus can vary widely, from three months to nine depending on the severity. Because of the injury, McDaniel wasn’t able to participate in the McDonald’s All-American Game or the Jordan Brand Classic and wasn’t in prime basketball shape for the 2024 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team trials, James said.

But she’s moving well now and should be good to go at the start of USC’s 2024-25 season, which tips off in Las Vegas on Nov. 4.

Ask McDaniel about Xs and Os, and you’ll hear her perk up through the phone. An encyclopedia of basketball knowledge flows out with such confidence that one might forget they’re talking to a teenager. But the way she lays it all out is easy to follow, whether you’re a fellow hoops aficionado or a casual fan. It’s the mini-coach in her shining through.

As far as her style of play, McDaniel describes herself as a “pass-first point guard,” though she’s tried to place greater emphasis on scoring and getting to the basket as of late.

At 5-foot-9 (the same height as teammates Raven Johnson and Te-Hina Paopao), McDaniel anticipates having to play on the perimeter a lot in college. So she’s working on catch-and-shoot 3s and creating her own shots off the dribble instead of worrying about getting all the way in the paint, where bigger bigs than she’s used to could park and swat her attempts.

One of the biggest draws during the recruiting process was the prospect of learning from a legendary point guard like coach Dawn Staley. Their conversations often center around tips and areas to focus on for improvement, but never about changing McDaniel’s game at its core, which is often about speed and pushing tempo. (Sound like any other South Carolina point guard you know? Hint: rhymes with “Shmaven Shmohnson.”)

“Maddy is a heady point guard that’s gritty, plays both sides of the basketball, can score it, communicates well, defends well,” Staley said after McDaniel signed in November. “Great addition. Great addition. She’ll keep up with the pace that we’re trying to play at.”

The expectation is for McDaniel to come to Columbia and be herself, whatever that looks like in Year 1.