Suffolk

The four-year span of 1998-2002 was one of the most successful eras in Suffolk men’s basketball’s history and Winston Daley is a main ingredient why. 

Dubbed “one of the best players in Suffolk’s long history,” by former Rams’ men’s basketball coach Dennis McHugh, Daley was reliable, dependent, and resilient. Most importantly, and unforgettably though, Daley was a team player that pushed his teammates to new heights on and off the hardwood. 

Offensively, Daley’s output was second to few. In 103 games played, he poured in 1,257 career points, which is good for 15th on the University’s all-time scoring list. He was one of the most consistent and efficient shooters in program history as well with an over 50 percent connection rate from the field. Defensively, his name is etched in every category in the Rams all-time annals with 839 rebounds (fourth), 117 steals (tied fourth), 90 blocked shots (third) and 8.1 rebounds per game (6th). 

A Jamaican-born resident was productive from the get-go. As a freshman in 1998-99, he put together a .626 field goal percentage converting 77 of his 123 field goal attempts. 

Daley came back hungrier and more ready as a sophomore. He averaged a double-double of 13.5 points per game and 10.6 caroms per outing, the 12th-best effort on the glass in NCAA Division III in 1999-2000. 

The two-year captain saved his best for last as he helped lead Suffolk to new heights as a senior. That campaign saw Suffolk capture a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The ticket was punched to the Big Dance after Daley and the Rams cut down the nets as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions, a feat only that squad has accomplished in program history. 

Daley was a critical component to the blue-and-gold’s title season that came behind fast-paced offense and suffocating defense. The All-GNAC First-Team honoree supplied 14.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game to cap off his Rams’ career. 

Alongside his 2001-02 teammates, who were inducted as a team into the Hall as part of the 2019 Class, Daley helped write a tradition of excellence for Suffolk men’s basketball. That four-year group has recorded the second-most wins (59) by a four-year class all-time behind the Class of 1979 that earned 63 victories.

“My favorite memory of playing at Suffolk is the friends that I made on the men’s and women’s basketball teams,” Daley said. “I don’t remember much about the games, but I remember the people.” 

Today, Daley is a Senior Training Manager at Health Resources in Action (HRiA). He received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration in Business and Entrepreneurial Studies from Suffolk and continued his education with a Masters in Sports Leadership at Northeastern.