This one-armed athlete just made college basketball history — and she’s thrilled to have proved her high school coach wrong.

As the footage plays of Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel’s historic basket for Lesley University, it’s clear the moment carries immense meaning for everyone watching.

Her teammates on the court pump their fists in celebration, while those on the bench leap to their feet in excitement. Coach Martin Rather races down the sideline to call a timeout, acknowledging the milestone — Sinaman-Daniel has just made history as the first one-armed player to score a field goal in an NCAA Division III women’s basketball game.

Yet, there’s one player who appears unfazed by the moment.

“I didn’t really think much of it when the shot went in — I was just excited it went in and knew I had to hustle back on defense,” Sinaman-Daniel told CNN Sport.

“I didn’t even realize I’d made history until later, when my coach texted me something like, ‘I’m so glad I got to witness history,’” the 22-year-old said.

“At first, I was a little confused, like, ‘What do you mean, history? I just made a shot.’ Turns out, it was a much bigger moment than I initially realized!”

The journey to that historic moment wasn’t easy — it was marked by setbacks even more challenging than what most aspiring college athletes face.

After spending three years on her high school team, the 5-foot-6 guard was eventually cut — a particularly painful blow considering how much basketball meant to her.

“In that moment, it felt like I lost a part of myself because basketball was the one thing that made me feel normal,” she said. “When I’m on the court with the ball, no one goes easy on me — everyone’s trying to win. Those moments made me feel like I belonged. Losing that felt like losing my sense of normalcy.”

Born with a small right arm that she can’t use, Sinaman-Daniel has always valued basketball as a space where she’s treated just like any other player.

“I’ve always viewed basketball, ever since I started playing, as a community where people look beyond my arm,” she said. “Not necessarily because they have to, but because if you tell your coach you don’t want to guard someone with one arm because you don’t think they’ll make the shot, that’s not going to fly — because at the end of the day, I’m still a player like everyone else.”

“I wore the jersey, did all the warm-ups, showed up to every practice, and played in some games. It made me feel like no one saw me as just the one-armed player — they saw me as a basketball player, just as capable as anyone else on the court.”

But Sinaman-Daniel wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

“After being upset for a day or two about getting cut, I told myself, ‘Maybe my basketball journey is paused for now, but it’s not over — not in college,’” she said. “So I completely changed my plan. Instead of staying in-state and going to a big school, I decided to try getting recruited. I started sending my highlight reels to as many coaches as possible.”

Her determination paid off when she earned a spot on the team at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, where she played for two years before transferring to Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

“Recruiting Baileigh was no different from recruiting any other player from the transfer portal,” said Coach Martin Rather, whose Lesley women’s team improved significantly this season, securing 11 wins after just one the previous year. “She had already competed for multiple seasons at our level.”

When faced with doubt or negativity, Sinaman-Daniel says her instinct is always to prove people wrong.
“When someone tells me I can’t do something — even when I know I can — my first thought is always, ‘Well, now I have to prove them wrong,’” she said.

“I’ve been betting on myself this whole time, determined to prove my high school coach wrong — to show that I do belong on a team, that I am needed on a court. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

Coach Rather emphasized that his main priority in recruiting was always about impact. “At the end of the day, my criteria has always been: ‘Can this person help us take the next step?’ And if you look at what this team accomplished this year — that’s exactly what happened.”

Sinaman-Daniel said a key source of her motivation has been to show her doubters that nothing is out of reach.

That determination culminated in a historic moment on December 4, when she received a pass from teammate Ahidali DeHuelbes and sank a shot from just inside the three-point arc against Fitchburg State — making history in the process.

“When the shot went in, I thought, ‘We need to hold on to this moment as long as we can,’” said Coach Rather, explaining why he called a timeout. “It also gave the team a chance to celebrate with her on the court and recognize the incredible work it took to get there.”

“The whole team was ecstatic,” Sinaman-Daniel recalled. “They’ve seen everything I’ve pushed through this season, so for it all to come together in that moment meant a lot to everyone. Everyone was yelling, cheering, hugging me — it was a really special moment.”

But Sinaman-Daniel’s story didn’t end there. She added another two points to her record on her birthday, just seven weeks later. Her team then advanced to the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West playoffs for the first time in 14 years, pulling off a dramatic 62–58 upset win over second-seeded VTSU Lyndon in the quarterfinals on February 21 — a particularly satisfying victory after losing to them twice during the regular season.

“It was such a fulfilling moment,” Sinaman-Daniel said. “From the start, we all went into that game thinking, ‘We have to win.’ Losing to that team three times in a season wasn’t something we could live with — so we went out there and made it happen.”

After the win, the celebrations were loud and joyful. “We stormed the locker room and drenched our coach with water,” she laughed. “It was a huge moment for us — thankfully, he had a backup suit!”

Leading by Example

Although the team fell short in the NAC West Division semifinal against SUNY Cobleskill, Sinaman-Daniel is already looking ahead to next season. Still, she feels she’s already accomplished what she set out to do.

“I feel like I’ve achieved what I came here to do,” she said. “Even if just one kid saw me play and thought, ‘If she can do it, why can’t I?’ — then that’s enough for me.”

She hopes to serve as an inspiration for young people who feel like they don’t belong or who struggle to see where they fit in.

“I want to be a role model for kids who feel out of place — because I’ve been there too,” she said. “Being that example means more to me than people may realize, because growing up, I didn’t have anyone to look up to in the WNBA, NBA, or college sports who looked like me.”

Now, young athletes with disabilities can find role models in players like Sinaman-Daniel and Hansel Emmanuel, a guard for the Austin Peay Governors who lost his left arm in a childhood accident.

“Seeing him break barriers has opened the door for people like us to believe this is possible,” she said. “I’ll always give him credit — without him paving the way, I might’ve thought this dream was out of reach.”