Eric Lavell Dailey Jr. (born January 15, 2004) is an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

player for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. He began his college career playing one season for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

Early life and high school career

Eric Dailey Jr. was born in 2004 in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

and raised in

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

. He grew up in a basketball-oriented family, with his mother,

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

, being a former national champion with the University of Texas women's basketball program and his father, Eric Sr., being a former professional basketball player. Dailey attended

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a University-preparatory school, preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. The organization is set across over 600 acres (243 ha) and features programs consisting of sport ca ...

in Bradenton, where he developed his skills as a versatile forward. He was selected to play in the 2023

Nike Hoops Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demonstrate their ...

Recruiting

On April 12, 2023, Dailey committed to play

for

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

over offers from

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, among others. Dailey pointed out his bond with OSU coach Mike Boynton as a crucial element when he made his commitment to Oklahoma State. Their connection was forged when they achieved gold as teammates for Team USA during the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in the summer of 2022.

College career

On April 12, 2023, Dailey announced that he had committed to

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

. Dailey averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 49.6% from the field in his freshman year. However, in a significant move, Dailey announced his commitment to transfer to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

in April.

National team career

In 2019, Dailey helped the United States win its first gold medal at the

FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup The FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup is an 3x3 under-18 basketball tournament run by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) since 2011. The tournament was known as the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships until the 2016 edition. History The event was h ...

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

, Mongolia. He also won the 2021 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup dunk contest.

Personal life

Dailey's father, Eric Sr., a 6-foot-6-inch (2.01 m) played college basketball for the

TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...

and played professionally overseas for 10 years in Europe, Asia and South America. His mother,

, played college basketball for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

and coached the WNBA's

San Antonio Silver Stars The San Antonio Stars were a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, as the Utah Starzz before th ...

from 2003 to 2004.

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bioUCLA Bruins bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dailey, Eric 2004 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's 3x3 basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Columbia, South Carolina Basketball players from Florida Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players Small forwards Sportspeople from Bradenton, Florida UCLA Bruins men's basketball players