It was pretty late on the east coast, but that didn't stop Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic point guard Dug McDaniel from pulling the trigger and committing to Michigan.
Breakdown
At 5-9, 145 pounds, McDaniel is obviously undersized, but from a make up standpoint, he's the exact kind of small point guard you want — he's feisty, tough, confident and fearless. He's also pretty damn good from a skill standpoint. He's extremely quick and fast, he shoots it well from the outside, he's crafty and finishes well at the rim despite his size and he's very bouncy (he can dunk with ease at 5-9). He's really good in all of those areas, but his best skill is passing the ball. He always has his eyes up, he sees plays before they happen and he has a knack for putting the ball exactly where it needs to be, and he's going to do it with some flair.
Michigan has had a successful run with smallish point guards dating all the way back to Trey Burke (6-0, 185). It was Derrick Walton (6-0, 185) after him, Zavier Simpson (6-0, 190) after him and Mike Smith (5-11, 185) after him. DeVante' Jones (6-1, 200) just might fill that role this year, and freshman Frankie Collins will also have some say in it at 6-1, 160 pounds. Jones is obviously the biggest of the bunch, but no one would call him a big guard. Michigan has proved you can have a lot of success with small point guards as long as they bring enough to the table in other areas. McDaniel definitely seems to.
McDaniel chose the Wolverines over programs like UConn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Penn State and Wake Forest among others.
More must-reads: