Jalen McDaniels was not supposed to be this good.
Not yet, anyway.
The 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Federal Way, Washington was expected to be a role player, someone who could contribute to the team while learning behind senior forward and team captain Malik Pope.
McDaniels has officially flipped the script, having cemented himself into the starting lineup – five straight starts going into the Aztecs’ matchup against Fresno State University – while averaging 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game this season.
McDaniels is only one of 24 freshmen across the country with those averages while shooting over 50 percent from the field, and he is averaging 11.