The Story of Travis Daniels

Written by Jason Hills (Stingers Staff) • Jul 02, 2019

When you hear Travis Daniels tell his story, you would likely understand if he chose to walk down a different path in life.

From the moment he arrived into this world, 27 years ago, Daniels has faced many obstacles, challenges and heartbreak.

Kids like him aren’t expected to succeed. Kids who’ve endured all he has, often end up on the streets, in jail or dead. But he never gave up.

The Edmonton Stingers power forward may not have had the childhood kids dream about, but he had the game of basketball to help get him through his tough times.

“Growing up, I had to go through a lot of bad times, but I always had the game of basketball. Basketball had to be in my life, some way. Every day.”

Born in Eutaw, Ala. Daniels was immediately placed in the system. With his birth mother dealing with mental health issues and in and out of jail, he was raised by his grandmother, who was also taking care of Travis' six other siblings.

At his grandma’s house, there was a basketball court across the street that him, his siblings, and the neighbourhood kids would call the “Big Park”. That’s where he fell in love with the game.

“My older brothers would take me to the Big Park and I was too small to play, but I used to just watch them and every once in awhile, they’d let me play and I would try to learn as much as I could,” said Daniels.

By the time Daniels was 13, his grandmother was hospitalized for a year, and Travis moved in with his cousin over that time.

But, when she started having a family of her own, there was no room for Travis anymore.

“The house was getting overpacked, and being in the system, things were getting tight,” said Daniels.

So Daniels turned to his skills on the basketball court to try to provide for himself and allow himself and keep some money in his pocket.

“I started to play basketball for money,” said Daniels.

“Guys would challenge me to hit a shot from the 3-point line or wherever on the court, and I would end up coming up late from gambling, because you can’t just win the money and leave. I became a habit where I was breaking curfew.”

A young kid in his situation, Daniels could’ve easily fallen into the trap of selling drugs and the gang life, but he was a good kid, who stayed off the streets and went to church every Sunday, but that wasn’t good enough.

His cousin kicked him out and he went to live with his older sister, but that was also short-lived.

After just a couple of weeks, his social worker Carmeisha Gibson walked into the school asking for his transcripts and his clothes in garbage bags and told the school counsellor Tamika Thompson that Travis' sister couldn’t take care of him anymore. His sister had her own family to look after.

"I remember her calling me into the office to tell me that she was going to keep me," recalled Daniels.

"She';s my god-mom now, and in a lot of ways I consider her to be my mom."

Daniels finished his sophomore year living with Tamika and Stan Thompson. But, the Thompson’s weren’t allowed to become Travis’ legal guardians, and before his junior year started, he was placed by his social worker to Florence, Ala. to live in an all boys group home.

Going through all of these challenges was tough on Daniels, but he never lost hope on or off the basketball court.

“What I went through was very difficult. I often would talk to myself and ask why nobody wanted me?,” said Daniels.

While his life away from basketball was in turmoil, he felt safe on the court.

“The basketball court was my only sanctuary,” said Daniels.

“I would push and motivate myself and imagine playing in a big game. I had a lot of roller coasters (growing up) and I just believed that if I stayed with it and didn’t get side-tracked, everything would fall into place.”

For most of his youth, Daniels was the small skinny point guard that never received any attention from basketball scouts at the next level. He cherished the time on the Big Park learning the game from his older brothers or his cousin or the guy every neighbourhood kid knew as the “Boss Man”. It was his way to escape the chaos. But that all changed in high school, and especially when he moved to the group home in
Florence.

Not only was he forced to grow up and learn many life skills living in the group home. He grew up. Literally.

“I grew from five-foot-nine in Grade 9 to six-foot-two and then I went up to six-foot-five and then six-foot-seven,” smiled Daniels.

Daniels went from being a small player with guard skills, to a big man with guard skills, which can be a lethal combination for any college basketball recruiter.

All those late nights, putting up shot after shot at the Big Park proved to pay off.

He helped his school reach the state semifinals and at the end of the year, and more importantly, he was adopted by another family in Russellville, Ala. Harlan and Linda Winston brought Daniels into their home and he started to flourish on and off the court.

He graduated high school and then played two years at Shelton State Community College, where he was a two-year starter and caught the eyes of Division I schools.

Daniels transferred to Mississippi State in 2014 and started 51 of 61 games.

The last three years, Daniels has played professional basketball in Bulgaria, Greece and now with the Edmonton Stingers.

Daniels has played a big role in the Stingers’ early season success. In six games (three starts), Daniels is averaging 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds and is a force at both ends of the floor and is the team's leading scorer.

Daniels continues to achieve so much success, and now has the tremendous opportunity to play in a new country and be at the forefront of a groundbreaking new league like the CEBL.

"I love it here. I still have big hopes and dreams and I want to do everything I can to play basketball," said Daniels.

Daniels kept his sights set on success and is a high school and college graduate. A pro basketball player and by opening up and sharing his story, he's a role model and mentor.

He keeps close tabs on his birth mother and grandmother and his siblings to make sure they're doing good. He also keeps in touch with his former Sunday school teach Isaac Atkins and her husband Norman and his church member Carolyn Young, who all looked out for Daniels when he was young.

Daniels also holds a special place in his heart for people like the Thompson and Winston who took him in when it seemed like nobody else wanted him.

“I tell her (Mrs. Thompson) every time I talk to her that she changed my life. Who knows what would’ve happened to me, but she took the time to invite me into her home and make me part of her family,” said Daniels.

“I have such a great relationship with them. They call me their son, and I’m like a brother to their daughters. I can just pop by their house at any time.

“My other family; the Winston’s, we have a great relationship. We call and check up on each other all the time.”

Throughout his life, the game of basketball provided Daniels his safe place. Now it’s taken him to places he’s never dreamed of.

“I think how far I’ve come all the time, and I know I have a lot to be proud of,” said Daniels.

“I want to talk about and be open because I see young kids growing up behind me and I want to show them that they may have to take a tough route, but you can turn it into a positive.”

Written by Jason Hills

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