Xavier McDaniel ’96, one of WSU’s basketball greats and a resident of Blythewood, S.C., will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City as part of a three-day celebration of college basketball.
“I’m very excited to be inducted,” he says. “I’ll be thanking all my teammates. I didn’t do it by myself. It’s a team game.”
Playing for Wichita State from 1981-85, McDaniel, or X Man as he was known to Shocker fans, won first-team All-America accolades in 1985, the year he was the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring (27.2 points per game) and rebounding (14.8).
He led the Shockers to two NCAA tournament appearances and finished as Wichita State’s all-time leading rebounder (1,359), a ranking he still holds.
X says his favorite Shocker memories include a great rivalry with the University of Tulsa and winning the MVC Tournament. “Having my jersey retired was a great honor too,” he adds. “I just thank all the fans in Wichita, and all Shocker fans, for the support they’ve given me and my teammates. They’re some of the greatest fans. They stuck by us always.”
