MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Palmetto native Eric Dailey, Jr. played it cool when he made the biggest decision of his young life on Wednesday. With his mother, Shell, and his father, Eric, by his side, Eric revealed where he will play college basketball.
"I will be committing to Oklahoma St. University." Dozens of friends, teammates, and coaches erupted in applause as the unveiling was streamed live on YouTube via 24/7 Sports.
"It’s not like a bad nervous. It was a happy like, 'I’m excited' nervous," Dailey, Jr. joked. "Having all my friends and family here to support me. That means a lot."
"To see this journey come to this point is so exciting," said Shell, who's the Director of Girls Basketball and head coach at IMG. "I’ve seen it for other people. But when it’s your kid, it feels so special."
Signing day is the culmination of years of workouts and travel that take place around the clock.
"Everything that happens in the dark shines to the light," Eric added. "All the hours I put in as a young kid, and all the times me and my dad worked out. It added up to this moment right here. This is just one step. One step of a long journey."
Dailey's decision continues the family tradition of playing Big 12 basketball. His mom played at Texas, and his dad played at TCU.
"It’s almost in a directly line- Oklahoma, Fort Worth, to Austin.," Eric Sr. said. "So it’s going to be great for him to build his own path."
Eric Jr. is a gold medalist with USA Basketball, and his travels with that organization and his family have shown him almost everything there is to see with regard to youth basketball.
"We’ve been all around the world to expose him to basketball," Eric Sr. added. "It’s really great to see him come to the finish line and be able to be rewarded."
"He knows the process," Shell said. "But for him to actually go through it and take it in and make a great decision, that’s pretty big."
Dailey, Jr. has a great relationship with current Oklahoma St. head coach Mike Boynton. The two worked together during their USA Basketball days, and Eric thinks continuing that partnership in Stillwater is the best path for his basketball career.
"They want all their players to develop. I’m a big person on development and just getting better every day and grinding."
