AUBURN, Ala. – Shana Askew Daniels epitomized perseverance.
"When you're faced with adversity, you can't let it get the best of you," she said in 2021 after completing 15 months of treatment and surgery for breast cancer. "You can't just lay down and quit. I knew I had a family I had to fight for and I'm here trying to live for every day because they need me just as much as I need them. There was no way I was going to quit."
An Auburn women's basketball student-athlete from 1997-2001, Daniels died of brain cancer on Monday, June 12, 2023, at age 44.
"I'm very saddened to hear of the passing of Shana Daniels," women's basketball coach Johnnie Harris said. "She was a good friend and supporter of me and of our program. It was evident from talking to her that she loved Auburn University, the Auburn community and Auburn women's basketball.
"She was so proud of the direction the program was heading. We will miss her coming by practice and the encouraging words she would give to the team. My heart goes out to Marquis and the Daniels family, the Auburn Family, all of her teammates and those that knew and loved her."
Daniels met her husband, Auburn men's basketball director of player personnel Marquis Daniels, on the Plains when they were both standout players. They are the parents of two teenagers, a daughter and a son.
Over her four seasons at Auburn, Daniels played in 95 games, starting 68, and scored 793 points. She was Auburn's top 3-point shooter in 1999-2000 with 39 3-pointers, and she was a preseason All-SEC selection prior to the 2000-01 season.
"The loss of Shana has saddened our entire Auburn family," said Joe Ciampi, who recruited and coached Daniels at Auburn. "My heart, prayers, and condolences go out to the Daniels family. Shana's competitive spirit on the court and her determination to win made us a championship program. She was a gift to everyone who ever met her."
A native of Macon, Georgia, Daniels was a top recruit out of Southwest Macon high school, leading the team to state runner-up finishes in 1994 and 1995. In her high school career, she scored 1,887 points and was an all-state selection. She was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Daniels' funeral will take place Friday at 2 p.m. ET at Lundy Chapel Baptist Church in Macon.
"My body has been through a lot," she said in February 2021 after surviving breast cancer. "I have endured a lot. I'm grateful to God that I'm still here, and I was able to get through it all and come out on top.
Surviving breast cancer deepened Shana's appreciation for the gift of life.
"If you ever get in a storm, you have to understand the storm is not going to always last," she said. "There's going to be some type of sunlight at the end of the tunnel. Stay prayerful and be encouraged."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer