(Alex Daniel pictured on the far left)

Former Muncie Central and Taylor University star Alex Daniel is taking over the head coaching position at South Bend Riely, per a report from WHME-TV's Chuck Freeby. 

Daniel is the fifth head coach for South Bend Riley in the last five seasons - Andre Owens, Jared Drake, Eric Brand, Mark Johnson. Of that group, Owens, Drake, and Brand all served one year before moving on. Brand went 26-1 before leaving for Southport High School. That 2017-2018 team lost in the semi-state round to Carmel. 

Daniel has been an assistant coach at Bethel University since 2015. Prior to Bethel, he also worked at IU-South Bend as an assistant coach. In addition to his coaching experience, Daniel played college basketball. He began his college career at Saginaw Valley State and finished at Taylor. 

In his first season as a high school head coach, Daniel will get to coach high-major talent Blake Wesley. The 2021 guard is ranked 113th in the country by 247sports.com. He has scholarship offers from the likes of Notre Dame, Maryland, Texas, Indiana, Purdue, Missouri, and others. 

As a junior, Wesley averaged 26 points per game. As a team, the Wildcats only averaged 58.6 points. Daniel will need to develop a supporting cast around Wesley if Riley is going to have success this season. On paper, Riley doesn't have much experience returning outside of Wesley. Jackson Copley, Phillip Robles, and Dayvion Anderson all saw major minutes. Copley averaged 9.8 points per game. 

Heading into the year, the Northern Indiana Conference looks fairly open. St. Joe with JR Konieczny, Will Terry, and Jack Futa likely lead the list with Mishawaka Marian right behind them. On paper, there doesn't seem to be an overly dominant team. Behind Wesley, Riley has a chance to compete for a top spot in the conference.