Carlos Daniel is in his second season (2016-17) as the strength and conditioning coach for SMU basketball. He joined the Mustangs after five seasons as the Director of Athletic Development with the New Orleans Pelicans (2010-15). He was also on the strength and conditioning staff of the San Antonio Spurs for the 2009-10 season.
In 2015-16, the Mustangs finished 25-5 with a 16-1 record at Moody Coliseum. SMU was second in the American Athletic Conference at 13-5. The Ponies were No. 24 in the final AP Top 25 after reaching as high as No. 8 during the season. The final poll was the 17th straight week in the AP Top 25. The Mustangs won the Las Vegas Classic en route to a program-best 18-0 start; eventually becoming the last undefeated team in NCAA Division I. SMU led The American in 8 of 21 statistical rankings and ranked in the top 10 of 7 NCAA stat categories. Nic Moore was selected AAC Player of the Year and AP All-America Honorable Mention for the second straight season. He was named All-AAC First Team for the third straight season. Nic Moore was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, a member of the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, on the Naismith Midseason Watch List and on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List. Markus Kennedy was on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and earned his second straight AAC Sixth Man of the Year honor. Shake Milton was a unanimous pick for the AAC All-Rookie team. Ben Moore was named to the NABC All-District Second Team.
While with the Pelicans, Daniel worked with All-Stars Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. In the summer of 2012, Daniel accompanied Davis during the United States Men's Basketball Team's exhibition schedule and to the 2012 London Olympics. Daniel also traveled with Davis to Spain for the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Prior to working in the NBA, Daniel was the Performance Trainer and Basketball Director for the FORZA Fitness and Performance Club in Denver. In the 2006-07 season, Daniel was an assistant coach at Northern Colorado.
Daniel played seven years professionally in the CBA, IBL, as well as internationally in Japan, Israel, Australia and France. Daniel last played in 2004-05 with the Yakima Sun Kings, when he was selected to the CBA All-Star Game.
A cum laude graduate of Washington State University in 1998, Daniel was a standout basketball player for the Cougars, garnering first-team Pac-10 All-Academic honors each of his four seasons and capturing the first team Arthur Ashe Academic All-American honor twice. The Boulder, Colorado, native finished in WSU's top 10 in blocks (second), rebounds (sixth), field goal percentage (seventh), minutes played (eighth), points (ninth) and field goals (ninth). He garnered first team All-Pac-10 honors his senior season after averaging 16.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Daniel is ISSA, NASE and CSCS certified trainer and is a NASM performance enhancement specialist in addition to holding an M.S. in human exercise science.
He and his wife, Eva, have a son Isaiah. His son Michael attends college at Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio.
