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After amassing 25 years of experience at the NBA, Donna Daniels assumed she would continue on the hardcourt track. And for the record, she would have been perfectly content with that. As an executive, she was able to keep things fresh over the span of her career by spearheading different departments in sales and sponsorship at headquarters, while also being influential in launching a D-League team and two WNBA teams at their inceptions.Then the New Jersey Devils organization sought out NBA commissioner Adam Silvers blessing to speak with Daniels. He graciously gave it, and Daniels began her next chapter as senior vice president for business services at the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center this past April. As for how shes adapting to an entirely different professional sport, shes more than equipped in transitioning after spending her formative years relocating from town to town as her family followed her fathers trajectory as a football coach.With the puck dropping in the Devils opener on Thursday -- and their home opener next Tuesday -- Daniels details her journey for espnW and explains why she believes in the never say never concept.On the moveMy dad was a high school and college football coach, so we moved almost every two years while I was growing up. He would come home on a Friday and say, OK, Im on to my next place, and he would be gone on Monday. My mother would stay behind with us to get our studies situated and to sell the house, and then we would meet him at the next destination. It was very exciting, but adapting was definitely a way of life for us -- next team, next school, next set of friends. I have a younger sister and brother, and they were on board as well. I think some of us adjusted better than others, but we helped each other as a group. For me, it was an amazing way to grow up. I didnt really know anything else.Bleacher creaturesWe tried to get to as many games as possible, which included the away games. We would get up at 4 a.m., and my mother would load us all into our wood-paneled station wagon. Sometimes it would take six hours to get there for kickoff, but we lived and breathed it. My dad was able to drive back with us if the team won, which was such a treat. But if they lost, he usually had to go back on the team bus. (Although we probably wouldnt want him in the car with us anyway when they lost!) But then we would say our goodbyes in the parking lot and pile back in the wagon to drive six hours home. Its just what we did.Trial and errorMy father was the coach at Hobart and William Smith in upstate New York when it was time for me to go to college, so I decided to go there to continue to be near my family. I ended up majoring in English because even though I grew up in the sports world, I didnt really understand back then that there was a whole business side to sports. My best friend went into retail in Albany after graduation, so I thought maybe thats what I wanted to do. I think I lasted two months. But I learned what I didnt want to do very quickly, and Im appreciative of the opportunity for that realization. So I decided to move to New York City to see if I could make it there, although I didnt fully understand what that even meant. I just wanted to survive somehow.Garden varietyI landed a job at a medical advertising agency, which turned out to be the most amazing first job I could have. I learned a lot about working in an office environment with a great group of people, but I always used to say to my dad, Wouldnt it be great if I went to work at Madison Square Garden every day? That was my dream. I pursued it through an alumni connection and landed an interview for a job selling advertising for MSG radio. I assisted in managing inventory for the Knicks, Rangers and St. Johns basketball. That was the start of my career in sports, and it opened up a whole new world for me.Supportive superiorsAfter two years at MSG on the sales side, I really thought that I needed some buying experience and moved to the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. This is where I say never say never since working at MSG was my ultimate dream. But I really thought being a sports media buyer would be a good move from a career standpoint, which it was.I was there about a year when I received a call from a former MSG colleague who had moved to the NBA, but I didnt think I had been at Saatchi long enough to warrant a job change. But I worked for an amazing boss at the time. With him, I could walk in and say, I just got a call about a job. I told him, I love it here, I love working for you, and I think I have more to learn on the buyers side. And he looked at me and said, You have to go on that interview. The NBA is the best sports marketing company in the world. And that conversation changed my life.Mad hopsI started there working in media for our properties, like the show NBA Inside Stuff and Hoop magazine, while also selling units for the pregame shows. I then spent nine years working in marketing partnerships with brands like Nike, McDonalds and American Express before moving to sponsorship and also digital when that became a priority. So again, I was fortunate to be able to stay at the same company but continue to switch departments. It kept things interesting.Team buildingWe were launching the NBA Development League in eight markets around the Southeast back in 2001, and I was offered the opportunity to go down and be the president of the Roanoke, Virginia, team. To still be part of the NBA but to start a team from scratch? That was a dream for me. I walked in and said, OK, its just me. Now what?It was a lot of hard work from hiring the right people to putting the ticket sales plan together and business strategy, and then collaborating with the arena staff for scheduling. But thats what I love to do best. Just give me a challenge with a blank slate. I had this mindset that the ball is going to be tipped off, and I know the date and the time that tipoff is going happen, so I can choose to either be ready or not ready. I was going to be ready.Launch a goI was part of what we called the WNBA launch committee, representing the corporate partnership side. My job was to work with sponsors and leverage NBA assets to make sure we could kick the league off in a way that would be effective. It just seems like yesterday that I was sitting in that room. It literally seems like yesterday, and here we are 20 years later.It was an exciting time. The WNBA began play in June 1997, and we were coming off the Atlanta Olympics, so there was a huge amount of momentum for womens basketball after Team USAs gold-medal win. And then later, I also helped launch two new WNBA teams, the Atlanta Dream and the Tulsa Shock. So when I think back over the course of my career, I really loved to work with the new entities like the D-League and the WNBA. I mean, I loved the NBA as well, but those three leagues have different personalities, so I was able to flex different muscles with each of them.Parquet to pucksWhat I really appreciated about the process is that my department head and commissioner Adam Silver gave the Devils organization their blessing to talk to me before I even knew about it. That really made me feel like it was OK to begin to explore the opportunity when they called. And one of the selling points was the ownership group of Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who I cant say enough about. When you look at what theyve done over the course of three years, from owning the 76ers and then buying the Devils Prudential Center and also the Premier League team Crystal Palace F.C. -- theyre savvy, theyre competitive, and I just love being around them.Even though the Devils are an established team, theres almost a startup feel here with a huge focus on culture and talent with this new ownership group. Since they took over, the organization has grown from about 40 individuals to more than 200. In the end, it was definitely hard to leave the NBA and the amazing human beings I spent so much time with over the years. But I left an organization with very passionate people who love to come to work every day, and Ive found only the same here. I would never have expected anything different, but you certainly never know until you get into the day to day.Range of wisdomI think theres two things I say for advice. The first is that networking is so important. Dont be afraid to reach out, because youll be surprised at how receptive most people are. And the second lesson is one I was fortunate enough to learn early on, which is that theres a whole world of opportunity at a sports team. Theyre really structured like any other business. You can go to law school and work in sports, or have an MBA and work in the finance department. Its not just ticket sales or sponsorships. You can work in HR or PR or do any number of things. In talking with people, I sometimes think they dont fully understand how many opportunities there really are. Its beneficial to think broad. Kent Bazemore Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Brandon Roy Jersey . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. https://www.blazerslockerroom.com/Jusuf-Nurkic-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Zach Collins Blazers Jersey . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Anfernee Simons Jersey . -- Nathan Pancel scored twice as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-2 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Staff Report, NASCAR Wire ServiceDistributed by The Sports XchangeJimmie Johnson might hold the Charlotte Motor Speedway record with seven wins, but lately Kevin Harvick has been better there. In his last seven starts at the 1.5-mile track, Harvick has registered two wins, three second-place finishes and no showing worse than ninth.The No. 4 Chevrolet driver will attempt to notch another Queen City victory in Saturdays Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on NBC) -- the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Round of 12 opener. Harvick won the event in 2014, the last time it was run at night. Last year, he finished second to Joey Logano when the race was held in the day on Sunday following a Saturdaynight rainout.I think Charlotte, just because of the fact weve had so much success there, said Harvick when asked what Round of 12 track he was most excited to go to. Weve run well there really every time weve been there with our Stewart-Haas Racing cars. Going there this weekend is definitely something Im looking forward to. Any race track where youve had some success at, you definitely want to go back.A win would earn Harvick more than just a trophy, it would advance him to the Chases Round of 8. The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has visited Victory Lane at all three tracks in the Round of 12 -- Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega -- indicating a third straight trip to the Round of 8 might be inevitable.Its nice to know that you can go to any of these race tracks and win because we have, Harvick said. Theyre all hard to win at and I think as you look at Charlotte, trying to put the car back in Victory Lane is the first goal, and if you cant, try to get the best finish that you can. That comes with no mistakes and if you do have a mistake, overcome it and capitalize on the moment if you have it to actually get to Victory Lane.Despite his success at all three tracks, Harvick is focused on this weekends race. In 31 career starts at Charlotte, including 15 in the fall, Harvick boasts three wins, seven top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.There could be challenges no matter where you go, he said. Charlotte is a very finicky race track and with the way that we practice, most of the practice will be during the day with the race at night. So temperature has a huge factor in how the race track changes and how they pace changes, so you have to try to guess a little bit to that. And obviously the weather can be a little bit of an issue as we creep into the weekend. You have to try to plan and balance all of those things to have a good plan, but you have to be ready to abort that plan and come up with a new one on the fly at any given point.Erik Jones tries to stave off elimination from XFINITY ChaseEntering the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase with a series-leading four wins and the 12 bonus points that came with them, Erik Jones seemed like an absolute lock to make the playoffs Round off 8 if not the Championship 4.ddddddddddddHe sure doesnt look like a lock right now.Jones goes into Fridays Drive for the Cure 300 Chase cutoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN) four points below Brennan Poole on the cutoff line. If he cant make up those points, he will be eliminated from championship contention.Jones dug himself into his current predicament by finishing 28th at Kentucky and 16th at Dover. In three career starts at Charlotte, Jones has finished 15th (spring 2015), second (fall 2015) and 31st (spring 2016).We have a good team, we just have to do it right, Jones said. I know this 20 team builds fast cars and I know this weekend at Charlotte will be no different. We just need to go out and execute and hopefully get into the next round. A lot of work and a lot of pressure, but I think we can do it.NASCAR Sprint Cup SeriesRace: Bank of America 500Place: Charlotte Motor SpeedwayDate and Time: Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. ETTune-in: NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioDistance: 501 miles (334 laps)What to Watch For: Martin Truex Jr. tries to defend his spring Charlotte victory. He has won three of the last five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and led the most laps in the two he didnt win. ... Joey Logano attempts to repeat as the Charlotte fall winner. ... Jimmie Johnson looks to add to his track-record seven wins. ... Kyle Busch goes for his first Charlotte win. He has visited Victory Lane at every active track except for Charlotte and Pocono. ... Non-Chaser Kasey Kahne looks to spoil an automatic bid for a Chase-eligible driver. He has won four races at Charlotte and has posted four top 10s in his last five starts.NASCAR XFINITY SeriesRace: Drive For The Cure 300 Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North CarolinaPlace: Charlotte Motor SpeedwayDate and Time: Friday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. ETTune-in: NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioDistance: 300 miles (200 laps)What to Watch For: Daniel Suarez (6.6) and Elliott Sadler (8.9) -- both of whom have advanced to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Round of 8 via victories -- lead all championship contenders in average finish at 1.5-mile tracks this year. ... The Chase bubble is packed with 10 drivers within 17 points of elimination. Heres where the drivers who havent clinched berths in the Round of 8 stand: Justin Allgaier (17 points ahead of Ty Dillon on the cutoff line), Brendan Gaughan (+14), Ryan Reed (+11), Darrell Wallace Jr. (+10), Blake Koch (+4), Brennan Poole (+3), Dillon (-3 points below Brennan Poole on the cutoff line), Erik Jones (-4), Ryan Sieg (-10) and Brandon Jones (-18). ... NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Larson, Matt DiBenedetto, Josh Wise, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick are all scheduled to compete in Fridays NASCAR XFINITY Series race. ' ' '