Troy Daniels is shooting 39 percent (69-of-175) from 3-point range this season.
RICHMOND, Va. – If Shaka Smart was trying to send Troy Daniels a message, he appears to have gotten his point across.
Daniels stroked 5-of-10 3-pointers and led VCU with 15 points in a 59-56 win over Northeastern Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena. It was Daniels third straight solid shooting performance since Smart benched him midway through the Rams’ Jan. 25 game at Towson. In the three games since, the 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds and has knocked down 14-of-30 (47 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc.
Smart has consistently preached that Daniels believe in his shooting ability and be ready when opportunities arise. Daniels was just 1-of-4 in 12 minutes at Towson last week when Smart decided he’d seen enough. It’s safe to say Smart’s tough love with Daniels is working.
“I’m always hard on Troy. My assistants say I’m too hard on Troy,” Smart said. “Just shooting the ball with confidence. He’s really a terrific shooter. He’s been doing a really nice job of shooting the shots that come to him for the most part. I don’t think he’s forcing too much. He shot 10 threes tonight and I really only thought one of them was forced.”
