Dash Daniels: Dealing with pressure as title contender, Dyson's brother

DOHA (Qatar) - As Australia play in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship, there will always be a target on their backs.

"I’VE GOT HIGH EXPECTATIONS BECAUSE OF [BEING DYSON'S BROTHER] BUT I’M MY OWN PERSON WITH MY OWN GOALS SO I DON’T FEEL THE PRESSURE TOWARDS ME."

There is pressure that comes with being a back-to-back champion and being undefeated ever since the Crocs made their first appearance in the competition back in 2018. That's the kind of pressure that the likes of Tamuri Wigness, Luke Travers, and Rocco Zikarsky faced in the previous editions. That's what Dash Daniels and the team continue to experience here in Doha in 2023 in an even more intense capacity.

But that hasn't rattled them so far.

"I do feel there is pressure on the team with us being undefeated," said Daniels. "We’ve got all of Australia cheering us on and expecting good outcomes from us at this tournament. So we are going to feel it but the boys are ready and eager to win a gold medal."

Even if there's pressure on this team, they haven't shown any signs. Australia are scoring 119.5 points per game while shooting 59.2 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the three-point line, leading all teams in those statistical categories. They also lead all teams in assists with 34.3 per game and are winning all games by an average margin of 77.3 points per game.

It's easy to see why Australian rising stars like Nash Walker feels "like everyone hates Australia and they don’t want to see us do well". Everyone likes rooting for underdogs and anyone who plays against Australia are bound to be heavy underdogs.

But again, this doesn't bother the Crocs. They have the bigger picture in mind and that is to represent Australia as best as they can at all levels.

"It's a privilege to be able to represent our country on multiple stages and play against some of the best young athletes in the world," said Daniels. "It is a big step up from U15 Oceania to now playing against the best international teams there is to offer [at the U16 Asian Championship] and it’s a huge honor to be a part of the challenge."

The Crocs will be up against another level of competition soon, after clinching a ticket to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next year. Daniels is hopeful to be among one of the players of that squad and is in good shape to do so after averaging 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.5 steals per game so far in this competition.

For Dash, there's also the additional angle of being the youngest brother in a basketball family. You might know the biggest brother, Dyson, who recently played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 as a part of the Boomers squad and was a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Some might see that as a looming shadow cast over the aspiring young Dash, but the 16-year-old has an entirely different perspective.

"No, I don’t feel the pressure of being Dyson’s brother. I’ve got high expectations because of this reason but I’m my own person with my own goals so I don’t feel the pressure towards me."

His main goal? To get to the NBA.

Dash models has game after Shai Gilgeous Alexander and Kevin Durant "because of the way Shai is composed and stays under control in high pressure situations and also how Kevin Durant uses his size as an advantage also being able to handle the ball and be one of the most efficient scorers of all time", so it's only natural that is where he aims to end up.

He'll have a good chance to get there by navigating through the U16 Asian Championship and U17 World Cup as the likes of Rui Hachimura and Zhou Qi have done. He also has the advantage of access to additional support and advice from his brothers, both Dyson and Kai.

"Dyson’s given me many pieces of advice about playing international basketball but the main one that really stuck with me is how much faster and bigger the players are," Dash said. "You don’t really notice this until you’ve experienced it but it’s a big step up from Oceania. He basically told me to play hard every possession and stay ready for big calls."

Seems like Dash listened to his big brother well, as he and the Crocs are in good shape to contend for the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023 title.

FIBA