MOUNT Gambier Pioneers 2018 import Sam McDaniel has joined Melbourne United for pre-season training in hopes to join the NBL roster for the 2018-19 season.
McDaniel, who was brought into the Pioneers lineup midway through the South East Australian Basketball League season, brought plenty of impact and skill to the side which was weighed down by injuries.
He played eight matches for the Pioneers, averaging 16.9 points a game and alongside fellow import Alex Marzette, bolstered the ranks of the team for a more successful second half of the season.
McDaniel dealt with his own injury problems later in the season, but was back on court for the last double-header round, scoring 13 points in the final game against the Sandringham Sabres which saw the Pioneers go down by 14 points to end their season.
During his time with the Pioneers this year he averaged 45.7pc from the field, while his three point average of 54.2pc allowed him to make an impact on the scoreboard when required.
His top score was against the Kilsyth Cobras in his third game with the Pioneers in Round 10, where he banged through an impressive 28 points, while his opening two matches saw him with 23 and 26 points respectively.
McDaniel will hope to follow in the footsteps of his father Wayne McDaniel, a former NBL star who played 288 games with four different teams, with a career average of 26.5 points a game before he retired in 1995.
