DSR E-E SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: Dewey High versatile warrior boosts volleyball, girls basketball

It's no coincidence that Dewey High's turnaround in girls' basketball began when Cheyan McDaniel, and a handful of girls from the same class, began to fit into the program's framework.

McDaniel returns as Dewey's leading scorer from the past two seasons, helping lift the Lady Doggers' program to 11 wins each year.

McDaniel also helped elevate the Lady Doggers' volleyball program to an impressive 21 wins last fall and a regional victory.

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But, now it's basketball season and McDaniel is hoping she and her teammates will leave a strong legacy.

McDaniel began taking the sport seriously when she resided in fourth grade.

"It was mainly my brothers," she said. "They led me into it. They gave me the motivation, to compete with them and be better than them."

Whether she has achieved the latter, McDaniel basically took the Fifth.

But, her push for progress on the hardwood continued year after year — with a major assist from home with her mom encouraging her to stick with it.

"Then, my sophomore year, I got recruited to play for a competitive team," McDaniel said. "The girls on that team made me love it even more and in playing team basketball."

That attitude carried on to the high school team.

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McDaniel credits the team's success the past couple of seasons on "probably the teamwork and the attitudes we have toward each other," she said. "Right now we're lifting each other and inspiring each each other and wanting each other to get better."

McDaniel perceives her strengths as vision on the court and in distributing the ball.

And, as mentioned, in putting the pumpkin in the hole.

She's already recorded a 33-point game (in last year's Adair tourney) in her career for the Lady Doggers and added that's her most prolific effort "so far."

Dewey's volleyball success — the Lady Doggers are coming off back-to-back winning seasons — also means a great deal to McDaniel.

Her favorite aspect of the sport?

"Spiking it on people," she said.

The positive fortunes in volleyball was "upbeat and exciting," McDaniel said. "We worked really well together. When someone was down we would pick them up. We had lots of high energy."

But, McDaniel sees her college future on the hardwood, although she hasn't decided just where yet.

Whatever awaits in her future, she knows her family will support her.

"It means everything," McDaniel said. "I just want to make them proud, going out there and playing to the best of my ability."

She defines success as "a lot of teamwork and hard work and sportsmanship, just going out there and being fully committed, knowing that's what you want to do and just being in the game."

Dewey head basketball coach Paul McCann praised McDaniel for her leadership skills.

"The team looks to her," he said. "She can play any position on the court for me, which is good."

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Spotlight: Focus on Dewey High girls' athlete