:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70092016/usa_today_13717198.0.jpg)
With the Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s basketball season kicking off on November 9th, we will be previewing all members of the roster. Daniels, a senior transfer originally from Florida, comes to the Gophers via Stephen F. Austin.
Year
Senior
Position
Forward/Center
Measurables
Height: 6’ 9”
Weight: 230 lbs
Experience
Daniels played two seasons at Indian River State College (also the starting point for fellow Gopher Abdoulaye Thiam) before transferring to Stephen F. Austin for two seasons. At SFA, Charlie averaged 14.2 minutes, 4.3 points, and 3.1 rebounds while accruing four starts across 50 games played. He played 16 minutes including scoring a bucket and grabbing two rebounds in the infamous defeat of Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium during the 2019-2020 season that saw the Lumberjacks go 28-3.
Brief Breakdown
Daniels is a lean frontcourt presence who didn’t get much run in the Southland Conference. He was a member and contributor of a highly successful team, though it is very likely that a majority of the competition he encountered during that season does not compare well to the massive size opposing Big Ten frontlines have to offer. A career 45.8% free throw percentage indicates a lack of touch on his shot outside of the restricted area. Look for Charlie to crash the boards and help shore up a frontline that is in desperate need of bodies due to transfers out and injuries.
Projected Role
For better or worse, Daniels will be thrust into a reasonable quantity of minutes due to the fact that the depth chart is extremely limited when looking for bodies that can passably play the five on the Minnesota roster. With only two players listed with “center” as their position (Treyton Thompson being the other), it goes without saying that the Gophers severely lack size and, though no Redwood, Charlie will be called upon to play bigger than his frame on many occasions, especially when the Gophers enter the brutality of the conference schedule. As the second-tallest player on the roster (tied with Eric Curry and the injured Isaiah Ihnen), Daniels is going to find himself amongst the trees for a majority of the season.