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SAN ANTONIO — His heart has always belonged to New Orleans, it is why he chose Tulane in the first place. And now Villanova’s Caleb Daniels is 40 minutes from playing in a Final Four in his hometown with that same heart that nearly ended his basketball dream.
Myocarditis — an inflammation of the heart that is sometimes a COVID byproduct — wouldn’t let Caleb Daniels play for five months, five heartbreaking months of fear, anguish and prayer from April until September.
“A lot of prayer,” Daniels told The Post. “Definitely a lot of prayer.”
Now, thankfully, his heart is set on beating Houston in the South Region Elite Eight showdown Saturday night at the AT&T Center for the right to play the Midwest Region survivor … at the Superdome next weekend.
So close to where he grew up in, so close to where he attended St. Augustine High School. So close to his heart.
“It would be a true blessing and a true honor to be able to do that,” Daniels said. And now a timeout for the Villanova Basketball mantra: “But right now I’m just taking it one game at a time, we are just taking it one game at a time as a team. We’re just focusing on our next game which is always our biggest game.”
He was valedictorian of his 2017 high school class, gave a speech on Harriet Tubman because of her courage, has regaled his Villanova teammates in the magic of gumbo and crawfish and Mardi Gras and everything New Orleans.
Ask him what is so great about New Orleans, Daniels tells you: “I would say the people. Everyone is very expressive. We have a different type of a unique style to us. New Orleans is just a lot of different celebrations, a lot of different festivities. It’s a very fun place to be.”
A life without basketball is not a fun place to be.
“When I found out I had that, I was pretty crushed,” Daniels said. “I never knew what it was before. When I just found out that I had it, it kinda brought me to my knees a little bit.”
As he waited to learn from one checkup to the next whether the inflammation had gone down, it was his Villanova teammates rallied to his side.
“They’re my brothers … they are my brothers,” Daniels said. “I was gonna say they are ‘like,’ but they are my brothers. Definitely my family and the coaches as well. Knowing that they were always in my corner, it practically helped me see things on a positive side.”
He needed every bit of cheer.
“I was quite scared, a little bit threatened,” Daniels said, “But once I realized what it was and how it’s a very temporary situation, I realized that it’s not gonna be the end, and that it’s just something like a minor setback for a major comeback.”
His teammates have been as heartened by his comeback as he has been heartened by their support.
“I remember we were in our dorm rooms, and he was really upset,” Collin Gillespie told The Post. “I was really sad for him, because obviously you find out that you could have been playing with it that entire time, just with the uncertainty of it and how it affects certain people, that was really scary for I don’t think just him, but for everybody, with COVID being a real issue.
“We just tried to rally around him, and let him know that he was gonna be alright and bounce back from it. A guy like that who is super-competitive and never has had to really sit down in his life and just take a step back and chill out for a little bit, we were just trying to tell him just to relax, that it could go away over time. We were just trying to tell him take it one day at a time, and just do what the doctors tell you, and we got your back.”
Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree hosted Daniels on his visit.
“I think right at that moment we kind of knew like this guy is a part of our family, and he could be one of us if he chooses to come here,” Gillespie said.
Justin Moore was a freshman when Daniels, a physical 6-foot-4, 210-pound shooting guard (10.2 ppg, 3.7 rebs.) transferred in from Tulane. He knew something was wrong because of how tired Daniels would get during practices and games.
“That was heartbreaking for him,” Moore said. “We were there for him. We knew how strong a person he was and that he was going to always fighting. … He always stayed positive, he never let us see him getting angry or down on himself.”
Gillespie was asked about Caleb Daniels on the court and off it.
“The same things you see on the court is what you’re gonna get off the court,” Gillespie said. “He’s always energetic, he’s always cracking jokes — not on the court, off the court he’s always cracking jokes — he just brings incredible energy, he’s always smiling, always kinda just the life of the room. You need a guy like that, and he’s been a special addition to our program, and our senior class especially, we took him in with open arms. That’s our brother, and we love him.”
Caleb Daniels has never played at the Superdome. After surviving and advancing through a personal hell, he stands 40 minutes from hoop heaven. What a heartwarming story that would be.
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