Penn Hills basketball standout heads to CCBC with drive to improve game

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, June 13, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Eddie Daniels wanted to be in a place where everyone would have the same mindset as him.

When the Penn Hills senior basketball standout didn’t field an offer he liked to play college at the next level, he sought an environment that would keep him competitive. Daniels decided to bet on himself and play at the Community College of Beaver County next season.

“No. 1, I didn’t have any schools I was interested in after me,” Daniels said. “I looked at that as, ‘You need to keep working to get better.’ The best way to do that was to play juco. I’d rather do college workouts and play with other college players in the same position as me.”

Daniels was a key cog of an Indians team that captured the Section 3-5A title in a pandemic-shortened season. Penn Hills finished 13-5 and reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL tournament before bowing out to Laurel Highlands.

Indians coach Chris Giles, who played collegiately at Seton Hill, believes Daniels will find plenty of success at CCBC. What Daniels, a 6-foot guard, needs to develop to find the landing spot he is in search of is a consistent perimeter game.

“He’s working on how to get more separation off the dribble and having an outside shot,” Giles said. “He’s shown tremendous pride in getting better with his outside shot. He had more 3s this season than in the past two combined.”

Having a more consistent shot is something Daniels has spent a lot of time working on with his trainer, Breland Thompson. Always a high-energy defensive player who looked to generate baskets off steals, Daniels is now looking to diversify his attack.

“I’m working on shooting it quick off the dribble and off screens,” Daniels said. “I want to be able to shoot as well off the dribble as well as catch and shoot.”

Daniels has been playing the CJ2K summer league with other local players to get better this summer. They play their games at Brady’s Run Park in Beaver Falls.

Giles believes Daniels has the skills to use playing at CCBC as a stepping stone to a four-year program.

“He’s physically strong. He’s quick and athletic,” Giles said. “He’s becoming more explosive. When you get to the next level, everyone is fast and strong. The question is how do you get separation? Can you separate off the dribble or have an outside shot?”

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