Xavier McDaniel, former AC Flora student, is still the second all–time leading scorer for Wichita State. Photo courtesy of Wichita State
Just “X.” That’s what fans call former NBA forward, Wichita State standout, and Columbia native Xavier McDaniel.
On Saturday, February 4, McDaniel was named to Wichita State’s 100 th Anniversary Team, a distinction voted on by fans. The X–Man’s stellar career kicked off in a big way at Wichita State, where he is still the school’s second all–time leading scorer. While at Wichita State, he also became “the first NCAA Division I player to lead the nation in scoring and rebounding by averaging 27.2 points per game and an incredible 14.8 rebounds a game, while shooting 55.9 percent from the field.” (Source: goshockers.com).
Before attending Wichita, McDaniel led AC Flora High School to the 1981 State Championship in basketball. After Wichita, McDaniel was the fourth pick in the 1985 NBA draft for the Seattle Supersonics. He went on to play for the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, a team in Greece, and the New Jersey Nets.
In 1998, McDaniel retired and returned to Columbia. “Columbia will always be my base of operation,” McDaniel said. “My whole immediate family is here,” he added.
Shortly after returning to Columbia, McDaniel started working with a friend remodeling homes. It wasn’t long before he was investing in real estate himself. This led McDaniel to pursue his contractor’s license, which he says he will try for soon.
McDaniel has three children, ages 15, 11, and eight. The oldest lives in Anchorage, AK, and the youngest two live in Columbia.
“The most important things to me are my children,” McDaniel said. “Whatever they want to do in life, I’m going to be there for them.” McDaniel added, “I tell my children, ‘Just tell me what your goals are, and we’ll try to make it happen.’”
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