Cal Women's Basketball: Bears Signee Dalayah Daniels Named McDonald's All-American

She heads a 2020 Cal recruiting class ranked seventh-best in the country

Further proof of the strength of the Cal women’s 2020 recruiting class arrived Thursday, when Cal signee Dalayah Daniels was named to the girls' McDonald’s high school All-America team.

The Bears are struggling this season under first-year coach Charmin Smith, but she has shown she can recruit with a 2020 recruiting class that is ranked the seventh-best in the country, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. 

The other two members of the Bears’ 2020 recruiting class -- Michelle Onyiah and Fatou Samb – are both highly rated players, but Daniels is the projected star.

She is ranked as the 14th-best prospect overall in the class of 2020 by HoopGurlz and is rated the second-best power forward.

Daniels is among 24 players named to the women’s McDonald’s All-America team.

You will note that five of the McDonald’s All-Americans are headed to Oregon next fall, so surpassing the powerful Ducks will be a major challenge for any Pac-12 team.

But the Bears should be competitive in the years to come.

Daniels is certainly not the first McDonald’s All-American to play for the Cal women. The Bears had three McDonald’s All-America players on the squad last year, but all three are now gone. Kristine Anigwe went on to the WNBA, and McKenzie Forbes (Harvard) and Kianna Smith (Louisville) transferred.

Here is the list of women’s McDonald’s high school All-America player who attended Cal:

Dalyah Daniels - 2020

McKenzie Forbes - 2018

Kianna Smith - 2017

Kristine Anigwe - 2015

Mikayla Cowling – 2014

Gabby Green – 2014

Reshanda Gray – 2011

Justine Hartman - 2011

Afure Jemerigbe – 2010

Lindsay Sherbert - 2010

Gennifer Brandon – 2009

Eliza Pierre – 2009

Tierra Rogers – 2009

DeNesha Stallworth - 2009

Alexis Gray-Lawson – 2005

Devanei Hampton – 2005

Cal is in action tonight, taking on Utah (9-8, 2-4 Pac-12) at 12 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion in the sixth edition of the Bears' annual School Haas Rock Game.