Darnell Hoskins reflects on what went wrong with Thurgood grad, former Miami recruit Derrick Daniels

Credit: Staff photo by Marc Pendleton

Credit: Staff photo by Marc Pendleton

Darnell Hoskins took the fall of Derrick Daniels like he did during every trying moment as the boys basketball coach at Thurgood Marshall High School: head on.

“Anytime something of this magnitude happens you obviously question the who, what, when, where and why,” reflected Hoskins after it was announced Tuesday that the former Cougars big man had been charged in a string of robberies that led to a police pursuit and crash last week.

“But I don’t treat this situation any different than I would any other kid who’s played in my program who’s made a mistake. Derrick Daniels’ mistake just happened to be of a greater magnitude.”

It’s a continuing downward spiral for a promising 6-foot-8 basketball talent who was the consensus No. 1 player in the state for his freshman class. The descent started after Daniels was declared academically ineligible his entire senior season in 2015-16. Hoskins vehemently disputed the ineligibility and instead insisted makeup work wasn’t turned in by school officials on time.

“It was a simple data entry error that could have been corrected at the district level,” said Hoskins.

Having already signed with Miami University in the early signing period last November, Daniels seemed destined to be the Dayton area’s next outstanding front-liner to play college ball. Instead, the three-year starter never played again for the Cougars.

Hoskins said Daniels was academically eligible to play college basketball by NCAA standards, but couldn’t meet Miami’s more stringent requirements. “Admissions just couldn’t look past a couple things that were on his transcript and they decided not to admit him,” said Hoskins.

Daniels apparently was headed to a prep school or junior college when a couple of other Ohio D-I programs recently showed interest. Hoskins wouldn’t reveal those schools. Dayton and Wright State initially were interested in Daniels, then backed off.

After averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds as a junior with many of his best games against the best teams, his recruiting interest soared.

“We stayed in contact over the phone,” said Hoskins, who resigned at Thurgood soon after last season to succeed Mark Baker as the Middletown boys basketball coach. “My whole goal, like every kid in my program, is to get the kid to the next level. I didn’t want the whole Miami thing to seem as if life was over for him. That’s how he felt.”

Hoskins said Daniels also recently became a father. He asked Hoskins how he should best provide for a young family.

“We had that conversation,” Hoskins said. “I said the easiest and best way to do that would be through basketball. That provides opportunities for you. He said, yep, coach, I’m fired up.”

That was all derailed after Daniels, 18, and accomplice Antwan Crisp were arrested. Daniels was charged with six counts of robbery and one count of failure to comply, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. He was arrested on Sept. 1 after fleeing a crash while carrying a car seat with a baby strapped into it. He was the main suspect in three robberies that occurred within 20 minutes that morning.

Daniels remains in custody, charged with aggravated robbery. His next court date is Friday. In Ohio, aggravated robbery is a first degree felony and carries a sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison and a maximum $20,000 fine.

“I hope Derrick takes an education away from the situation and hopefully he gets a second chance at life and understands that this was a grave mistake and an error in judgment and is able to go on and become a productive citizen,” said Hoskins.

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