College is hard enough with managing classes and life at the same time. Imagine how hard it would be if you added a competitive sport on top that. If you do all those things, and do it well, there is no doubt that you deserve some praise.

Declan Daly, a six foot seven senior from Anaheim, California, was named Athlete of the Month in February because of his strong performance on the basketball court in January.

“I feel like I won this award [by] simply doing my job. I go out there and do what I am asked to do,” Daly said.

In January, Daly played 224 minutes in the span of eight games. During that month alone, he scored 71 points for the Cougars and tied his season high of 13 points in one game on Jan. 28 against Cal State East Bay.

Daly leads the entire California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in blocks, averaging 2.5 blocks per game. Daly also averages 9 rebounds per game, and comes up right behind Humboldt State’s Rakim Brown in CCAA ranking.

In regards to what he brings to the scoreboard, Daly has improved greatly in contrast with his first season on the basketball team. During the 2014-2015 season, Daly scored an average of 4.9 points per game. As this season comes to an end, he now averages a solid 9 points per game.

This being Daly’s final year at CSUSM, he is preparing for graduation this spring by not only enjoying  the game of basketball, but his experience as a whole.

“One thing I will savor about this team is the brotherhood … They are all good people. ”

As for after graduation, Daly plans to let life, and more so his basketball career, play it’s course.

“Right now I do not have any plans for after college with my basketball career … I am the type of person to just go with flow and take things as they come.”