ACU Trio Part of Rare Occurrence in College Basketball
ACU Trio Part of Rare Occurrence in College Basketball
It is extremely rare for players to stay in one place for multiple years, much less four or five, but ACU featured a talented group who did just that.
Abilene Christian point guard Damien Daniels is normally the smallest player on the court. Night in and night out, the 5-7, 140-pound guard has taken the floor for the Wildcats.
160 times to be exact. Yes, you read that correctly. Damien Daniels has played in 160 games over five seasons in the purple and white.
The smallest player on the floor most nights also played like a giant most nights. There was the shifty defense leading to 222 steals over five seasons. Many of those steals led to layups in traffic with contact.
You knew they were good when Daniels would flex his 140-pound frame. It was his signature reaction.
The little giant will go down as the winningest player in ACU basketball history. During Daniels five years at ACU, the Wildcats won 109 games. Along those lines, the Wildcats won the 2020-21 Southland Conference Tournament and beat 3-seed Texas in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
109-51. A winning percentage of .681.
Daniels is just one of a trio of players who have played over 100 games at ACU over the last 4-5 years.
“I just feel like staying in one place is where my heart is and where I belong,” Daniels said. “So, that’s why I stayed. We’ve had a great run my past five years. Wins, losses, draws, ya know?”
Tobias Cameron came back for one more run at ACU. The 6-5 graduate student appeared in 142 games as a Wildcat.
“Just a special, special person that could have left,” ACU head coach Brette Tanner said of Cameron. “He didn’t have to come back. He could have been playing professionally a year ago. He wanted to come back and do another year at Abilene Christian.”
Joe Pleasant is another Wildcat that returned to ACU after a one-year hiatus. After hitting a pair of HUGE free throws to upset Texas in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Pleasant decided to take his talents to Wichita State for a year. Things didn’t pan out. Some speculate that his relationship with Damien Daniels had a lot to do with his return.
Tanner believes that it’s because people don’t want to leave Abilene Christian.
“People don’t want to leave Abilene Christian. I don’t want to leave Abilene Christian.”
So, Joe Pleasant came back. Despite dealing with multiple injuries all season, Pleasant appeared in 27 games in 2022-23, bringing his grand total in an ACU uniform to 117.
Three players, 419 combined appearances, and a combined 207 starts among them.
Damien Daniels and Tobias Cameron played their entire careers at ACU. Joe Pleasant played four of his five seasons at ACU.
That is something that is extremely rare in college basketball these days.
“I’ve said it before, these guys are Hall of Fame people at Abilene Christian,” Tanner said. “They’re gonna be in the Hall of Fame. I don’t care what anybody else says. I’m gonna make sure of it. But I don’t think I’m gonna have to fight real hard. Just a special group.”
Relationships, walking the walk, and winning ball games. It’s a culture thing in West Texas.
“It’s been a great time at ACU,” Daniels said. “Just from the people I’ve met, relationships we’ve built. The teams we’ve had. It’s just been a great experience. There’s no place like this (ACU) around the country. Everybody can talk the talk. But we actually walk the walk with the family, the way we’re connected, the stuff we do off the court, things like that.”
And with the way the college basketball landscape is these days, we may never see a trio of players combine to play over 400 games in the same uniform again.
“People that leave Abilene Christian want to come back. It’s a special place where there’s special people.”