UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- When senior guard Amari Carter went down with an injury in the opening minutes of the Stony Brook game, somebody was about to be faced with huge shoes to fill. Sophomore Kamaria McDaniel was thrown into the fire, and hasn't missed a beat in doing so.
While in her new role as a starter, McDaniel, who played in all 32 games for the Lady Lions as a freshman last season, has been very impressive, averaging 18 points per game since seeing her minutes increase. She is also shooting just under 54% from behind the arc in that span. It is clear that McDaniel has been making an impact in her new role, and her team knows it too.
Head Coach Coquese Washington is more than content with how McDaniel has been playing.
"I think she's played outstanding," she said. "She's scoring the ball, she's playing good defense out on the perimeter. I'm really happy with how she's stepped up."
With McDaniel playing so well, it'd be easy for the player she replaced to become angry or anxious to get back out there. However, it is all love between Carter and McDaniel.
"I think she's stepped up big," Carter, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection by the conference's coaches in 2017-18, said. "She makes shots, she makes plays, and definitely energizes [the team]."
When switching roles from bench player to a starter, it's possible that a player may try and change how they go about their preparation or how they play. But McDaniel has been sticking with her guns and continuing to do what got her to this point.
"It's not really that different," McDaniel said. "It's really the same old, same old, the only difference is I'm in the starting lineup now."
McDaniel hasn't missed a stride while transitioning to a starter and has left her teammates and coaches an impression of confidence and comfortability in her new role which is promising for the team's future.
"The experience is going to give her more confidence on gameday and it's going to add to our depth," Washington said. "She's going to be able to impact the game on both ends of the floor and give us another weapon."
Carter reiterated the idea of McDaniel being a big factor as the season progresses.
"Having the experience of knowing how the flow of the game is going," she said. "It's definitely good for everyone involved."
Although the sample size is relatively small, what McDaniel has been in able to do is nothing less than impressive. Not only does it limit the damage of losing a team leader, her performance has provided promise for the Lady Lions' future. As McDaniel is just a sophomore, one would expect to see her in the starting lineup for at least two full seasons.
Amari Carter will eventually return from her day-to-day status, but in the time being, opposing teams will have to game plan for the dynamic sophomore guard. We will see if McDaniel will be able to keep playing at such a high level as the Lady Lions will face off with in-state rival, Duquesne at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 5.
