This One-Armed Player Just Made Women’s College Basketball History
Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel plays basketball for Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While women have been playing collegiate sports for quite a while, Sinaman-Daniel has a unique life trajectory.
The 22-year-old, from Stafford, Virginia, was born with a shortened right arm, reported CNN Sports, but that didn’t stop her from playing basketball. Her dream almost ended when she was cut from her high school team.
“In that moment, I felt like I had lost a piece of myself because basketball was the only thing that really made me feel normal,” she told CNN. “Because when I’m on the court and I have the ball, nobody’s going to take it easy on me because they want to win the game just as bad as we do. So those moments kind of felt like they were being taken away from me, and I had no sense of normalcy.”
But the five-foot-six guard wasn’t willing to give up that easily. After being upset for a few days, she came up with a plan.
“I simply told myself that, you know, ‘It [playing basketball] could be done for now, but it can’t be done in college,’” she said. “So, I scrapped my whole plan of staying in state and going to a big school, and told myself to see if I could get recruited. So, I sent my film out to as many coaches as I could.” She had no idea how far this would take her.
Making History
Sinaman-Daniel came to Lesley University as a transfer student where her hard work and determination caught the eye of Martin Rather, the women’s basketball coach Martin Rather, reported AP News. According to Rather, she completed more individualized practices than anyone else on the team. This dedication helped lead the Lynx to their best season in 14 years.
It is also this determination that helped Sinaman-Daniel make history on December 4, 2024, when she became the first one-armed NCAA Division III women’s basketball player to score in a college game. She made the shot from the three-point line which went into the net without hitting the rim.
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But she wasn’t even aware of the significance of the moment. “I kind of just shot the ball with the anticipation that I would have to go and get it back on a rebound,” Sinaman-Daniel said; “When the shot actually went in, I was more so surprised.”
Rather immediately grasped the significance and called a time-out to commemorate the moment. “My first thought was, ‘That’s history and we need to take a second to pause and celebrate it,’” he said. “Everybody just swarmed Baileigh, giving her high fives, celebrating her.”
Being a Role Model
Sinaman-Daniel scored two more points seven weeks later before her team made it to the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West playoffs and won over VTSU Lyndon, in the quarterfinals on February 21, 2025, according to CNN. Although the team later lost the semifinal to SUNY Cobleskill, Sinaman-Daniel takes pride in what she has already accomplished and believes that her wins can inspire others.
“I feel like I have done what I wanted to do when I came out here to play basketball. Even if it was one kid who saw me and thought to themselves, you know, ‘If she’s doing it, why can’t I?’” she told CNN. “Being a role model, it means so much more to me that I think other people can see because, growing up, I didn’t have that role model to watch in the WNBA or the NBA or any college sport.”
She is one of the few one-armed basketball players in collegiate sports. Another is Hansel Emmanuel, a player with the Northwestern State University Demons. Emmanuel lost his left arm in a childhood accident.
“[Emmanuel] being able to open the door for opportunities like this to happen for people who look like us is a very big deal for me,” Sinaman-Daniel said “I will always give him props where it’s due because, if it was not for him, I probably would have thought that this was close to impossible to accomplish.”
She believes that the time is getting closer when someone with her disability can play professional basketball, but for now, Sinaman-Daniel is enjoying playing the sport she loves and looking forward to next year’s season.
“I feel like next season will definitely be an interesting one because my confidence has just skyrocketed through the roof,” she happily said. “If you tell me to dunk, I might try!”
