Silver Creek High School (Sellersburg, Indiana) guard Kasen Daeger tore a ligament in his ankle in April. It forced him to miss two months of AAU, but he came back in July, although he said he was about just at 50-60 percent capacity.
After enduring a measure of pain, followed by an arduous rehab, Daeger recently verbally committed to Division I Stony Brook University Men’s basketball program, he noted.
With three other D1 offers to his credit–SEMO, Morehead State, and Eastern Illinois–Daeger decided landed on the Seawolves because they matched his basketball approached, and he vibed with the coaching staff.
Plus, he said he plans on majoring in business and Stony Brook possesses a good business program.
It “felt like it was the perfect fit play- and style-wise,” the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Daeger said, “and I really liked the coaching staff.”
Knowing he was unable to test his ankle and needed to add strength and size to his upper body in the meantime, Daeger hit the weightroom with a vengeance. Not only did the hard work pay physical dividends, but it also improved his mental outlook and positivity.
“I worked extremely hard getting back to 100 percent,” he explained. “During this time when I couldn’t play, I spent a lot of time in the weight room and put on some much-needed weight/muscle, about 10 pounds. Was really tough mentally to handle given the timing and missing so much of my last AAU season and not being 100 percent when I came back. I do feel like I am better from this now and has made me stronger mentally as I look back on everything now. But it definitely affected me mentally dealing with this adversity at such an inopportune time.”
Daeger, who sports a 3.5 GPA, averaged a team-best 16.5 points per contest and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc, while his team posted a 22-5 record.
Additionally, the 2024-25 Indiana Junior All Star surpassed the 1,000-point high school hoops point career mark as a junior.
Impressive stats aside, Daeger, a bonafide sniper, said the Dragons have great potential to do major damage in their conference, and have a legitimate shot at the Hooser State High School Basketball Championship Crown.
“This season, we will be one of the best teams in the state and have a great chance to win a state title; will be the favorite in class 3A,” Daeger said.
Silver Creek tips off the 2025-26 campaign on Saturday, November 25th.
The Sea Wolves posted an 8-24 overall record and went 4-14 Coastal Athletic Assocation (CAA) in the 2024-25 season.
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Photo: Kasen Daeger.
NY NJ Sports World/Brooklyn Sports World 