“At the park, you gotta get off the court if you lose.”
That is the mentality of Marist men’s basketball junior forward Jaden Daughtry every time he steps on the floor, according to assistant coach Drew Metz.
The 6’7″ junior and Metz are natives of Queens, NY, where the public parks have a prevalent basketball scene. Metz recruited Daughtry twice in his coaching career. The first was early in Daughtry’s high school career for Metz’s New York Jayhawks, an AAU program. The second brought Daughtry to Marist. Metz always saw something unique in Daughtry’s game, particularly his intensity and determination.
“The major attribute that made him a high priority here is just how tough [he is], how hard he plays, and his defensive versatility,” said Metz.
Daughtry is known for his high-intensity playstyle. He’s fifth in the MAAC in blocks and 11th in steals. You will always find him making big plays on defense to give the crowd and bench life. He knows his role and is always willing to embody that archetype.
“I just like playing aggressive, and I like playing hard. Even if my offense isn’t going, I know my defense can always back me up in some type of way,” said Daughtry.
Fortunately for the Marist wing, Daughtry’s offense is leveling up through the first segment of the 2024-25 campaign. While averaging 7.4 points per game, Daughtry is shooting a career-high 57% from the field and a team-high 61% from 3-point range.
Combining Daughtry’s defensive impact with a developed offensive game makes him a key piece to this Marist team who won 18 games last season and was inches away from a MAAC Championship game appearance for the second straight year.
Despite the hard-hitting play on the court, Daughtry is a relatively quiet person, a contrast to what people see on the court. He lets his play do the talking and leads by example.
Daughtry is a unique player as a low-volume, efficient shot-maker this season. In the previous two seasons, he shot just 28% from beyond the arc. Although it is a small sample size thus far, Daughtry knows he is making progress, but he also knows he has more left in the tank when it comes to developing as a basketball player.
“I feel like I knew I could do all the stuff that you see that I’m improving on, but I just need to translate that on the court, and going into practice and realizing I got to work harder every day to accomplish what I wanna do,” said Daughtry.
Coach Metz shares that same feeling. As they have worked together for many years now, Metz feels that Daughtry is as coachable as they get, and it plays into the environment that this coaching staff has worked to build.
‘[Daughtry] has been very, very coachable, which is something that we commend all of our guys for. It’s just being coachable to understand that you made this mistake, here’s how we bounce back from that mistake and move forward,” said Metz.
Despite the positive outlook on the development of Daughtry as a basketball player, every player’s road to reaching their ceiling has speed bumps along the way, and head coach John Dunne is certainly aware of that.
“He knows I’m going to play hard every time, but he always tells me I got to slow down,” said Daughtry.
Slowing the game down for himself has always been a focal point of development for Daughtry since arriving in Poughkeepsie. He acknowledges that limiting the adrenaline in-game helps him see the court better and make better decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s shown progress in this area with consecutive double-digit scoring outings.
One thing that is and will always be a constant for Daughtry is leading by example. As a veteran in the program, he has evolved into a leadership figure that players gravitate toward.
“All the guys in the team really love J.D. and respect him because at the end of the day, he’s going to give it his all. He’s not a big vocal leader, but his energy and effort is always going to be high,” said Metz.
Daughtry will always bring the New York City parks attitude. After all, if you lose in the parks, you have to get off the court. Jaden Daughtry never wants to vacate the court.
Edited by Dan Aulbach and Marley Pope
Graphic by Quinn DiFiore
Photo from Marist Athletics
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