Daniel Willis, who has coached alongside head coach Duggar Baucom for 20 years, has been with The Citadel basketball program for five seasons as the associate head coach.
The Bulldogs have made the most 3-point field goals (1,796) in NCAA Division I over the last five seasons.
The Bulldogs battled through a multitude of injuries during the 2019-20 season, winning road games over Southeast Missouri State, Marist and Longwood during the non-conference portion of the season. The Bulldogs finished with a record of 6-6 (.500) in non-conference play, marking the fourth time in five seasons the ‘Dogs have finished at least .500 in non-conference action. The last time the Bulldogs finished with a positive non-SoCon record in four of five seasons was the final five seasons (1980-85) of Les Robinson’s career.
The Bulldogs eclipsed the 100-point mark in three games, going back-to-back-to-back from Dec. 7 – 19 with wins over Carver (108-40), Piedmont (129-83) and Longwood (102-99, 3OT). The Bulldogs have eclipsed the 100-point mark 24 times in the last five seasons and are 21-3 when scoring at least 100 points in that span.
Freshman Fletcher Abee set the program freshman record for 3-pointers made in a season with 80, breaking the previous mark that had stood for 12 years. Abee’s 80 made 3-pointers rank sixth overall in program history for made 3-pointers in a season. Following the season, Abee was selected to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team by both the coaches and the media, marking the program’s first unanimous selection since the 2016-17 campaign. Abee is just the seventh player in program history to be named to the All-Freshman Team by both groups.
For the third time in five years, the Bulldogs had a point guard finish in the top five in program history for single-season assists as Tyson Batiste ended his season fourth in program history with 160 assists. Lew Stallworth set the program record with 181 in 2018-19 and P.J. Boutte’s 2015-16 season is third with 175 assists.
The 2018-19 season saw the Bulldogs begin the campaign 9-2 through the first 11 games, including road wins over South Florida, James Madison and Campbell. The 9-2 record marked the best start since the 1979-80 team, and the Citadel’s nine wins before the Christmas break set the program record. The Bulldogs’ 8-3 record in games against non-SoCon teams marked the best out-of-conference record since the 2001-02 team also went 8-3 prior to opening up SoCon action.
During the season, the Bulldogs set 11 single-game program records, including most points scored, most field goals made, most 3-point field goals made, most made 3-pointers in a regular-season SoCon game and most 3-pointers made against a Division I opponent. The ‘Dogs also set single-game records for most 3-point field goals attempted, most defensive rebounds, most total rebounds, most blocked shots versus a D-1 opponent, most blocked shots in a regular-season SoCon game and most 3-point attempts in a SoCon tournament game.
The ‘Dogs ended the season ranked in the top five in the Southern Conference in eight statistical categories, including leading the league in scoring average (85.1 ppg), free throw percentage (.736) and made 3-pointers per game (12.3). The Citadel ranked third in the SoCon in offensive rebounding average (10.7), defensive rebounding average (26.1) and assists per game (15.4). The ‘Dogs were fifth in the SoCon in blocked shots per game (3.7) and turnover margin (+0.73).
In the NCAA Division I ranks, The Citadel finished the 2018-19 campaign ranked second for made 3-pointers per game and fourth in both scoring average and total 3-pointers attempted (1,076). The ‘Dogs ranked seventh in total treys made (370) and 39th in assists per contest.
Following the season, Lew Stallworth was named a second-team All-Southern Conference selection by both the coaches and media, while Zane Najdawi was tabbed to the media’s third team. Stallworth, who earned five player of the week honors during the season, was also named to the HoopsHD.com All-SoCon team.
The 2017-18 campaign saw The Citadel field one of the youngest teams in all of NCAA Division I. The Bulldogs’ scholarship roster included six freshmen, four sophomores and three juniors with no seniors. Even so, the Bulldogs finished the campaign in the top-25 in the nation in eight statistical categories, including second in 3-pointers made per game (12.1), third in 3-pointers attempted (1,133), fourth in total 3-point field goals made (386), tied for fourth in steals per game (9.4) and fifth in total steals (301). The Bulldogs were also sixth in turnovers forced (542), 20th in scoring (82.5 ppg) and 21st in assists per game (16.5).
The Bulldogs led the Southern Conference in scoring, totals steals, steals per game, total 3-point field goals made and 3-pointers made per game. The Bulldogs were also second in the league in turnover margin (+2.03), total assists (528), assists per game and offensive rebounds per contest (11.8).
The 2017-18 Bulldogs’ 386 made 3-pointers, 528 assists and 301 steals are all second in program history to the 2016-17 team that converted 397 treys, finished with 561 assists and had 306 steals. The 2017-18 campaign also saw the ‘Dogs finish fourth in program history for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.107) and seventh in blocks (99).
In February, the Bulldogs earned three wins over teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. On February 1, the ‘Dogs downed in-state rival Wofford 80-78 with the Terriers ranked No. 17 in the poll and No. 4 in the SoCon standings at the time. Two days later, The Citadel notched an exciting 100-92, overtime win over Furman with the Paladins 19th in the mid-major top-25 poll and third in the SoCon. Possibly one of the biggest wins in recent history came on February 20 as the Bulldogs went on the road to defeat ETSU 84-82. The Buccaneers entered the game atop the SoCon standings and ranked the fifth-best mid-major program by CollegeInsider.com at the time. The Bucs ended the season ranked 16th in the poll. Two weeks prior to that win, the Bulldogs had lost a close, 73-71 game to the Bucs at home after defeating Mercer on the road 76-74 on January 27. The win over the Bears marked the first win for The Citadel over Mercer in Macon, Georgia since the 1926-27 campaign.
In the Bulldogs’ 116-66 win over Trinity Baptist on November 21, the ‘Dogs had 45 made field goals, 25 steals and 32 assists. The 116 points scored ranked tied for 26th in the nation for most points scored in a single game that year while the 25 steals ranked tied for fourth for steals by an NCAA Division I team in a single game. The Bulldogs’ 32 assists were tied for the 15th-most by a team in a single game during the year and the 45 made field goals was tied for 18th in the nation. The Citadel also ranked third in the nation for 3-pointers made in a single game with 21 against Oglethorpe on November 10.
Najdawi was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 22 First Team as well as the All-Southern Conference First Team by the league coaches, media and HoopsHD.com. Najdawi became just the fourth player in program history to pick up first-team all-conference honors from both the coaches and the media. In the regular-season finale at Western Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 25, Najdawi became just the 27th player in SoCon history and second in program history to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks for his career. Najdawi scored his 1,000th-career point in the home win over Wofford on February 1 and brought down his 500th rebound in the game regular-season finale at Western Carolina.
Matt Frierson saw his offensive production take off during the 2017-18 campaign with Frierson ending the year ranked sixth in all of NCAA Division I for 3-point field goals attempted (314) and 3-pointers made per game (3.6). Frierson set the program record for treys made in a season with 114, and was named the Sixth Man of the Year for the SoCon by HoopsHD.com.
During the 2016-17 campaign, The Citadel posted 12 wins, including a 5-0 start in McAlister Field House and a win in the Southern Conference tournament for the first time since 2010. The 12 wins were the most since the 2009-10 season. The Bulldogs led all of Division I in scoring with a blistering 89.8 points per game, marking the seventh time a team under the direction of Baucom and Willis finished with the highest-scoring offense in Division I.
During the 2016-17 season, the ‘Dogs shattered eight single-season team records and six single-game records as they rolled to a 146-84 win over Johnson University (Florida). The 146 points bettered the previous single-game points record the 2015-16 squad set against Mid-Atlantic Christian by 14 points and the 80 second half points broke the previous record set back in 1972. In the same game, the Bulldogs tallied 27 steals against the Suns, which ranked second in the nation while their 34 assists ranked fourth. The Citadel also scored 144 points on Dec. 7 against Toccoa Falls, giving them the two highest single-game point totals in the NCAA during the 2016-17 season. The team also finished with five of the 11 highest-scoring performances in the SoCon and for the second consecutive year, led the conference in scoring offense and turnover margin.
After posting just two 100-point games in his first season, the Bulldogs racked up nine 100-point games with five of them coming on the road. The ‘Dogs also had just five games with multiple players scoring at least 20 points the previous season but posted 10 games with multiple 20-point scorers and five games with a 30-point scorer in 2016-17.
The Citadel’s six freshmen racked up 57 double-digit scoring games and were led by SoCon Freshman of the Year Preston Parks. Parks, who was also named to the media all-freshman team along with Kaelon Harris, became the first freshman to lead the SoCon in scoring in conference play since Davidson’s Stephen Curry in 2006-07, and is only the second Bulldog to ever earn the award. Najdawi earned two SoCon Player of the Week honors, The Citadel’s first weekly awards since 2014.
Willis also helped guided The Citadel to its first win at Wofford since 2007 as they downed the Terriers 104-103 on Jan. 2, 2017. The Bulldogs also snapped an eight-game losing streak against Chattanooga on Senior Night, giving the class of 2017 their first win ever over the Mocs.
In his first season alongside Baucom at The Citadel, Willis helped lay the groundwork for the staff’s high-paced offense and pressure defense. The Bulldogs went from averaging 64 points per game in 2014-15 to 86 points per game in 2015-16 (which ranked second in the nation) in just one season with Baucom and Willis at the helm. The Citadel set new single-season team records for total points scored, total steals, total field goals made and total three-pointers made. Willis aided his mentor in guiding a roster with just five returnees to 10 wins, including seven nonconference victories.
While Willis was with Baucom at VMI, the Keydets led the nation in scoring offense six times in an eight-year span including 2006-07 (100.9 ppg), 2007-08 (91.3), 2008-09 (93.8), 2009-10 (88.6) and 2010-11 (87.9) and 2013-14 (88.3). The Keydets also made three appearances in the Big South Conference finals and witnessed two national scoring titles by Reggie Williams (2006-07, 28.1 ppg; 2007-08, 27.8 ppg) in that stretch.
In his first season at VMI, Willis filled in admirably for Baucom in 2005-06 when the head coach was sidelined for seven games during the month of January. Willis guided the Keydets to conference wins over Coastal Carolina and Liberty.
Willis was also an assistant under Baucom at Tusculum as the pair played a key role in the Pioneers' memorable run in 2004-05 season. Together they led Tusculum to an 18-11 overall record, the program’s first South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship and automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Before his stint at Tusculum, Willis served as an assistant coach for three seasons (2001-04) at Western Carolina alongside Baucom, who was then an assistant with the Catamounts. Willis spent his first two seasons in Cullowhee, North Carolina, as a graduate assistant coach while earning a master's degree, before being escalated to full-time status on the WCU staff in 2003-04.
Willis graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory, North Carolina, in 2001 with a B.S. in Sports Management and minor in Business Administration. He left as the South Atlantic Conference's all-time leading scorer and was a consensus All-American guard, where he recorded 1,980 points for the Bears from 1997-2001. That earned him a spot in the Lenoir-Rhyne and SAC Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2010, respectively.
Among his honors as a player include National Association of Basketball Coaches/NCAA Division II All-American Second Team, Daktronics/NCAA II All-American Second Team and the Lutheran Brotherhood College All-American First Team.
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