-By Jeff Bersch, Clinton Herald Assistant Sports Editor

CLINTON, Iowa - At a time to perhaps be a little selfish or bask in the glow of what he's about to accomplish, Daniel Joiner hasn't changed a bit.

Only 14 points shy of becoming the career scoring leader for the Ashford University men's basketball program, Joiner still is all about team.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Joiner talked early this week about getting the record out of the way soon. That way, he said, the focus could return to the team.

Need another example of his team-first approach. Needing 25 points to break the record, Joiner took only six shots in Saturday's home game against Waldorf. He finished with 11 points, but more important to him was the fact the Saints won by 15 points.

It's just fine with him if the record waits. Joiner's next chance comes Wednesday night at St. Ambrose. If not then, Ashford is home Saturday against Mount Mercy.

"I'm more of a whatever happens kind of guy," Joiner said. "It's more of me trying to get our team wins. I'm trying to go out my senior year with a bang, with maybe another banner in the gym. That's really what it's about."

Andre Childs, who played from 1998 to 2002, holds the program's all-time scoring record with 1,515 points.

Joiner, who averaged 13.1 points off the bench as a freshman, needed 346 points entering the season to break the record. The countdown seemingly started some time ago.

"A lot of people have been reminding me of it, talking to me about it," Joiner said. "I've been trying not to think about it. Most people think I already have it in the bag. I'm just waiting for it to happen."

Joiner, from West Chicago, Ill., was a big-time scorer in high school. It was his shooting ability that attracted Ashford coach Andy Eberhart.

That showed in Joiner's first two seasons. He had a season-high 24 points as a freshman and scored 29 in a game as a sophomore, earning most improved player honors in the Midwest Collegiate Conference that season.

In a game last season against St. Xavier, Joiner poured in a career-best 32 points. His season high this season is 29 points against Missouri Baptist in a November victory.

After a solid freshman season, Joiner averaged 11.7 points as a sophomore, starting about half of the team's games. As a full-time starter a year ago, he averaged 15.4 points.

This season for the Saints (12-8, 3-3 MCC), Joiner is averaging 16.8 points while shooting 51 percent from the field, including 41 percent from 3-point range.

"He came in right away as a freshman and picked up the college game quickly," said Eberhart, who's been with the program 14 seasons and coached back in the days when it was Mount St. Clare College. "We knew he had the ability to score when we recruited him, but I didn't picture this.

"We've put him in positions to score and relied on him to do that a lot for us. He's a great talent."

Ever humble, Joiner hasn't talked much with teammates about the record. He certainly didn't come to Ashford with his mind set on becoming the best scorer in the program's history.

Teammate Byron Emerson, a senior guard from Rockford, Ill., has played with Joiner from the start. He's seen his game evolve and seen the hard work his friend and teammate has given the game.

Emerson, himself, is nearing 1,000 career points and missed most of last season with a knee injury.

"We've never really boasted about things like that; we just try to win games," Emerson said. "I've been with him (Joiner) every step of the way, every bucket. It's nice to see a teammate excel."

Joiner said he hadn't given much thought to how he'd like to break the record - whether it comes on a 3-pointer, a jump shot, a layup or maybe standing at the free-throw line.

The only selfish thing he wants is for his parents to get the chance to see it. They will be in attendance Wednesday in Davenport for the game against the Bees.

"There's a lot of anticipation," Joiner said. "I'm just ready to get it over with. I'm ready to get it done so we can focus on winning games."