When Marist graduate Cencere McDaniel received the devastating news that her school, Notre Dame College in Ohio, was closing, she knew that she had to get on the phone. McDaniel, the niece of former NBA great Dwyane Wade, played AAU basketball with the Illinois Defenders for coach Tonishea Mack, who is the head coach at Governors State. “It was unfortunate that Notre Dame closed, but I’ve known ‘T-Mack’ since she coached me in AAU, so I called her,” McDaniel said. “I love her as a person and as a coach. “All the values that she has, I personally have, too.” Mack was pleased to receive that call. “She didn’t want to leave her old school,” Mack said of McDaniel. “She was starting a little groove with it, but when the unfortunate situation happened, I was the first person she called. “It made sense. I coached her when she was little. It’s awesome that we’re back together after all of these years.” Governors State, currently sitting atop the standings, has never won a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. But the Jaguars hope that changes this season. Governors State’s Cencere McDaniel (12) pulls up for a 3-pointer against St. Francis during a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in University Park on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown) McDaniel figures to loom large in those plans. The junior guard scored eight points and added six assists and four rebounds Wednesday in a 71-67 win over St. Francis of Joliet in University Park. Although McDaniel missed the last five minutes of the game for Governors State (13-3, 7-1) with an injury, she said afterward that she should be all right after icing her ankle. Le’Lani Harris, McDaniel’s former teammate at Marist and in AAU, had 14 points and eight rebounds for St. Francis (12-3, 5-2). The trio of Harris, McDaniel and Mack had a nice reunion after the game. “She’s always been a great teammate,” Harris said of McDaniel. “We played together for a long time. It’s a little bit different playing across from her, but she still has that same competitive spirit. “I know that she is bringing great things to Governors State.” Governors State’s Cencere McDaniel (12) and Zaria Chèvre (10) reacts after a McDaniel 3-pointer against St. Francis during a CCAC game in University Park on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown) Mack will not argue that point as she likes what McDaniel has brought to the table in her first 16 games with the Panthers. “She brings energy and intensity and has always been a great scorer,” Mack said of McDaniel. “The stuff she is doing now is stuff she was working on when she was 10. “I really challenge her every day to being the energy. Her scoring is a natural thing, but where is the energy? That’s what she plays with, and it’s so much fun to watch. I’m proud that not only did I train her when she was little, but I can coach her now.” McDaniel may have a famous uncle in Wade, but it was her father, Lester, who got her interested in basketball. Lester was high school teammates with Wade at Richards and both are cofounders of Celebrity Sports Academy, which hosts camps with appearances by professional players. “My dad introduced me to the game, and I just loved it from there,” Cencere said. “I love being a part of a team.” Governors State’s Cencere McDaniel (12) hits a 3-pointer against St. Francis during a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in University Park on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Vincent D. Johnson / Daily Southtown) McDaniel said basketball is a tool that teaches people about real life. “You have the highs and lows, and you can take those highs and lows put them toward your life,” she said. “There are life lessons to grow and build.” Right now, she wants Governors State to grow and gain that elusive CCAC title. The program started in 2015-16 with a 2-28 record, but the Panthers had their first winning season in 2018-19. Now, the goals are bigger. “If we do what we need to do as a team and we stick together, we can do anything,” McDaniel said. Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.