Dominique Daniels Jr. has turned California Baptist into the bracket buster no one saw coming, powering the Lancers to their first NCAA Tournament berth and a Friday date with Kansas at Viejas Arena. The 5-10 graduate guard is a relentless, high-usage scorer who puts up roughly 22 to 23 points per game, piling up some of this season's loudest box scores while driving CBU to a 25-win season and a WAC title. For a program that only began its Division I transition in 2018-19, Daniels's scoring binge has shoved the Lancers onto the national radar.
As Mark Zeigler details in his profile tracing Daniels's road from Compton through junior college to Riverside, teammates and coaches count on him as much for his presence as his points. CBU coach Rick Croy told the paper that Daniels will lead in the locker room, university and church. Kansas coach Bill Self, sizing up the matchup, added that Daniels can score on anybody and is capable of getting 30 or 35 any night, as reported by The San Diego Union‑Tribune.
WAC Player Of The Year, Heavy Minutes To Match
Daniels was voted the 2025-26 WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year after a season built on volume scoring and heavy minutes. According to the conference, he averaged about 22.6 points over his first 30 starts while boosting his efficiency and carrying a first-option offensive load for the Lancers. The WAC noted that the award was decided by a vote of the league's coaches.
Monster Nights And A Late-Season Heater
Daniels has stacked up eye-popping lines, including a 47-point eruption in an overtime win against Utah Valley, a performance the Associated Press framed as a defining moment in his season. The San Diego Union‑Tribune reports that over his last six games he averaged 28.2 points and shot about 41.3 percent from three, and it highlights the WAC title swing when three straight 3-pointers from Daniels flipped a deficit into a 63-61 lead. AP/ABC News also spotlighted those performances.
How A Four-High-School Journeyman Got Missed
Daniels reached Division I after two years of junior college and time at four different high schools, a winding resume that left him largely ignored by Power-Five recruiters despite his scoring ability. ESPN lists him at 5-10 and shows the scoring numbers that have finally pushed him into the national conversation this season, per ESPN.
March Test: Kansas And A Blue-Chip Freshman
The bracket sends California Baptist to Viejas Arena for its NCAA debut against No. 4 seed Kansas, per Selection Sunday coverage. That matchup, set by the AP, puts Daniels on the same floor as the Jayhawks' freshman Darryn Peterson, a player widely discussed as a potential top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. CBS Sports and others have tracked Peterson's draft status.
What This Stage Means For CBU
CBU's rapid rise, which the athletics department notes began with its transition to Division I in 2018-19, turns any big March night from Daniels into both a personal showcase and a milestone for a newcomer program. CBU Athletics points out that the shift to Division I reset the university's athletic ambitions, and Daniels's breakout run now gives that transition a headline, one high-scoring night at a time.
