Desmond Dailey "is like watching time stand still, like a rerun 17 years apart," said Max Powers, who has been Glen Burnie High's public address announcer for 19 years.
Powers, a native of Indiana and die-hard Hoosier fan, watched Desmond's father, Tony Dailey, roam the court for the Gophers in the late '70s.
"Desmond has total awareness on the court just like his dad, and it's an innate trait that can't be coached and learned," said Powers. "Great athletes are born with it."
Tony Dailey, a 1977 grad of Glen Burnie, was one of the top players Terry Bogle has coached in his 27 years at Glen Burnie. Now nearly 20 years later, the same can be said of Tony's 17-year-old son, Desmond.
When the week started, Desmond was Anne Arundel County's leading scorer with 22.3 points a game and owned the county season single-game high of 47 points.
After contributing 11.2 points per game as a sophomore in Glen Burnie's 20-5 season that took the Gophers to the Class 4A state final four last year, Dailey has become the focal point of opposing teams.
"His dad was more fiery and stronger at this stage of the game, while Desmond is laid-back," said Bogle, who is coaching the son of a former player for the first time.
Tony Dailey was All-County in football, basketball and baseball.
MA After a year at Valencia Community College in Florida, he was
drafted as an outfielder by the California Angels and later signed. He had a short-lived minor-league career.
Desmond Dailey is playing basketball and baseball after a brilliant youth football career with the Pasadena Chargers. Gophers football coach Dave Rigot has been trying to get Dailey out in the fall but to no avail.
"I decided to concentrate on basketball and baseball, because I didn't expect to play football in college," said Dailey. "Otherwise, people compare me to my dad and tell me I'm a lot like him, although he was more fiery, more pumped."
Powers said Dailey is a smaller version of his father, who was an inch or so taller but had a similar frame. Desmond is a slender 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds. Tony was slightly taller and maybe 15 pounds heavier.
Desmond Daily said Bogle "never compares me to my dad, once in a blue moon, he calls me Desmond, but most of the time, he just calls me Dailey."
The Daileys are different type players.
"Desmond is lighter on his feet than Tony was and has a softer touch, shoots a lion's share from the corners while Tony got more shots underneath," said Powers. "Of course, they're playing a different type basketball now."
During Tony's era, Bogle ran a control, half-court offense. These days, Bogle has more of a running offense.
When Tony played, there was no three-pointer. Desmond is one of the county's best in that department and had eight in a game against Severna Park.
"The three-pointer is my best shot if I get my feet set," said Desmond.
The night he scored 47 he had six threes and was aware of the county records of 52 points and 10 threes by Mike Thibeault of Glen Burnie in 1990. He asked to go back into the game against South River, a game the Gophers won 87-66.
"I told him no, because records should mean something, and not come at the expense of the other team," said Bogle.
Desmond said Bogle did the right thing and he learned from it just as he did his skills from his father, his youth coach Ed Wilson of Severna Park, Bogle and his assistant Mike Rudd. Bogle and Rudd are working on his defense and rebounding, which have improved.
"We're still not happy with his defense, but it is getting better and he accepts constructive criticism real well," said Bogle. "He needs more weight training and if he gets stronger I think he has the tools to play Division I basketball."
Maryland, UNC-Charlotte and Iowa have shown interest in Dailey.
"But when I'm playing baseball, I'm just as excited about that," said Dailey. "I would prefer to play both."
Just like his father.