Erin Daniels on the women’s basketball team has a unique story about her time at Ashland University.

“I came to Ashland in 2018 with the hopes of one day winning and National Championship, and it was such a bittersweet moment to finally do it, regardless of whether I was on the court or on the sidelines,” she said.

In 2022, she graduated with an undergraduate degree, but this wasn’t the end of the road for her. The next season Daniels had the opportunity to become a Graduate Assistant and “learn from the best of the best”.

“As the GA, I was able to view the game from a different perspective and see all that went on behind the scenes from the coach’s perspective,” she said.

This lit a spark once again in Daniels.

“Throughout the year, I found myself missing playing more than I had thought I would, but still loved being the GA,” she said. “The coaches and I would joke about me coming back to play, and it wasn’t until after the National Championship game that I started to consider it.

“I came into the office one morning and told the coaches I wanted to play again and that was it! I am extremely thankful that Coach P and Coach J allowed me to come out of retirement and play basketball again.” 

She gave basketball one more shot as a player.

The season was full of unknowns and Daniels undoubtedly made the best of her opportunity.

She was able to earn the G-MAC tournament Most Valuable Player award.

“When I was awarded MVP, I couldn’t help but smile and be filled with joy and gratitude for this team and season,” she said. “It was a cool moment, but it wouldn’t have happened without my amazing teammates and coaches who have challenged and encouraged me.”

In back-to-back games in the semifinal and the championship game, she tallied 31 points and seven assists. Almost unstoppable from the 3-point line, she knocked down 9-of-13 from beyond the arc.  

“My goal is to use our platform for the greater good so that any person watching can see how much fun we have together, how joyful, and relentless we play, and how well we love each other,” Daniels said. “Regardless of what happens at the end of the season, I will forever be thankful for the opportunity to play basketball again with this team and coaches.”