Jan. 20, 2017
By Brandon Gann
AUBURN, Ala. – Former Auburn All-SEC guard Marquis Daniels will be honored as part of the Men’s Basketball Legends during the 2017 SEC Tournament in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena March 8-12. The Orlando, Fla. native graduated from Auburn in 3.5 years.
Daniels was a two-time All-SEC selection at Auburn from 1999-2003. He was a key figure in leading the Tigers to two NCAA tournament appearances, most notably during his senior year in 2003, where he led 10th-seeded Auburn to a Sweet 16 appearance before losing to the eventual national champion Syracuse, 79-78. In that game, Daniels had game highs of 27 points and nine rebounds to bring Auburn back from a double-digit deficit to give the Tigers a chance to win.
In three NCAA Tournament games over St. Joseph’s, No. 2 seed and ACC Champion Wake Forest and Syracuse, Daniels averaged 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 2.3 steals per game. For the season, he ranked second in the SEC in scoring with 18.4 points, fifth in field goal percentage with a .514 average, 10th in assists with 3.3 and led the league with 2.3 steals per game.
“It’s a great honor to be named a legend in such a great conference,” Daniels said. “I’m at a loss for words to be honored in such a manner.”
He was also a part of Auburn’s 2000 NCAA Tournament team that reached the second round.
Daniels garnered several accolades during his senior campaign, as he was the SEC Player of the Year by the Birmingham News, the SEC’s Most Valuable Player by CollegeInsider.com and All-SEC second team by the Associated Press and SEC Coaches.
He is ranked 10th all-time on Auburn’s scoring list with 1,530 points and scored in double digits in all 35 games as a senior. He also is the programs all-time steals leader with 208.
After his career at Auburn, he went undrafted but signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2003. Starting 15 games as a rookie, he averaged 8.5 points per game. The Mavericks then signed him to a multi-year deal, and over the course of the next two seasons, Daniels increased his production from 15 starts to 17 to 29 and boosted his scoring from 8.5 points per game to 9.1 to 10.2.
He played for the Indiana Pacers from 2006-09. In his last season with the team, he started 43 games, shot 72 percent from the free throw line, and had career-high averages with 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds.
Daniels then played for the Boston Celtics from 2009-12 before finishing his career for the Milwaukee Bucks 2012, starting 33 games and contributing 5.5 points per game.
Reflecting back on his time at Auburn, Daniels could not pick only one memory that stood out.
“Auburn is a special place,” he said. “The tradition of the school, going to the Sweet 16, becoming a graduate, spending time on planes with my teammates, the atmosphere of the games, Auburn helped me become the man I am today.”
Daniels is one of 14 SEC Legends along with George Linn from Alabama, Oliver Miller from Arkansas, Tasmin Mitchell from LSU, Jason Harrison from Ole Miss, Dontae’ Jones from Mississippi State, Acie Law IV from Texas A&M, Matt Bonner from Florida, Jimmy Pitts from Georgia, Keith Bogans from Kentucky, Jon Sundvold from Missouri, Bobby Cremins from South Carolina, Ron Slay from Tennessee and Barry Booker from Vanderbilt.
Past Auburn SEC Legends beginning in 1999 are John Mengelt, Gary Redding, Coach Sonny Smith, Bobby Cattage, Bill Alexander, Charles Barkley, Rex Frederick, Lee DeFore, Henry Hart, Wesley Person, Doc Robinson, Chuck Person, Jimmy Fibbe, Chris Morris, Ronnie Battle, Gerald White, Chris Porter and Jack Stewart.