Aamori Daniels is a star in two sports at San Diego City College. But her collegiate career had a rocky start.

Daniels, a Georgia native, was cut from the volleyball team at a local school, Fort Valley State, during her freshman year after a new coach was hired. 

She sought out other schools to play volleyball but also wanted to continue her basketball career, a sport she excelled in when she was a Peach County High School student. 

Daniels had visited San Diego to be with her mom and sister and met Grace Campbell, City College’s assistant women’s basketball coach. Campbell also coaches Daniels’ younger sister’s San Diego Empire Amateur Athletic Union club basketball team. 

On her visits, Daniels developed a relationship with Campbell as she attended her sister’s practices.

When Daniels had the opportunity to choose where she wanted to go to school, her mother reached out to Campbell, who pitched the idea of being a dual sport athlete at City.

“Her mom trusted me enough to reach out for direction and that trust means a lot,” Campbell said.

Campbell helped put Daniels in contact with City College’s head volleyball coach Audra Dent, who confirmed a position would be available on City’s volleyball team.

Daniels was headed out west to City. 

She started by playing only volleyball in the 23-24 academic year then added basketball this year. She’s listed as a volleyball sophomore and a basketball freshman. 

After a solid freshman year on the volleyball court, she improved in her second year on campus, totaling 131 kills and 148.5 points, both good for second on City’s volleyball team. 

Her volleyball coach, Dent, said she noticed Daniels’ growth, highlighting her development after an early season win. 

“Aamori has done a phenomenal job improving and being aggressive at the net and executing the ball for us,” Dent said. 

Daniels credits her growth on the volleyball court to Dent’s belief in her.

“Coach Audra, she helped me a lot,” Daniels said. “She speaks to me about how she can help me to get further, and how I have so much potential to play in the sport. I just have to work at it, and I trust her.”

Although each sport starts in a different season, their timing overlaps starting in October and continues until the volleyball season ends in mid-November. That means Daniels has a demanding schedule, juggling the two sports and academics. Sometimes she’s forced to choose between the two sports. 

“I sacrificed volleyball to go to basketball,” Daniels said. “I had to choose which game I wanted to play in, and I had to be there for my team. I didn’t want to abandon my teammates. That’s the only part I hate.”

Despite going back and forth between sports, Daniels currently leads the Knights basketball team in points and rebounds, averaging a double-double with 16.8 points and 11 rebounds.   

Daniels has made a positive impression on City College head basketball coach Andrea Aguilar-Montalban, who said she appreciates Daniels’ character as well as her skills on the court.

“Honestly, she’s amazing. She has the biggest heart of anyone,” Aguilar-Montalban said. “I love the volleyball skills. They show on the court. Those blocks are amazing. She gives us life when we’re down. So we just love having her out there.”

Daniels has also been a force on defense on the basketball court, leading City with 22 blocks and is third on the team in steals, totaling 30 so far. 

“I love defense and blocking,” Daniels said. “Don’t come in here. Don’t come in my face.” 

Daniels said she experienced some culture shock moving from Georgia to California, noting that the style of play on the basketball court is more physical out west.

“We played in a showcase, and I was just getting hit,” Daniels said. “I wasn’t used to that. So I was soft. I was not used to that at all, and initially was so frustrated.”

She has support from her grandfather, sister and mother in San Diego. Her mother voices her opinions on her daughter’s game loud and clear from the stands.

“She’ll sit in the stands and say, ‘You gotta get going, gotta get help,” Daniels said. “You gotta score, to push to win. When I’m having an off day, she’s like, ‘You have this. You got it.’”

Daniels said this will be her last year at City. A scholarship from a four-year college is her goal for the immediate future. She’s undecided on which sport she wants to play but has realized that this is her last time playing two.

“I think I’m just going to play one sport because two is a lot,” Daniels said.

Besides her on-court contributions, Daniels has started volunteering as a basketball referee on weekends and hopes to volunteer as a coach at one of her assistant head coach’s high schools to “help out and to learn more about the game,” she said.

As her time on campus dwindles, Daniels reflected on her favorite memories on campus. 

“My time with my teammates has been amazing,” she said. “I love my teammates. We have so much fun at practice, and in the game when we come together, it’s very fun to play.”