ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090064
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DAYTON, OHIO
SOURCE: Associated Press
CHRIS DANIELS averaged 13 points and made 68 percent of his shots.
Dayton center Chris Daniels, one of college basketball's field-goal percentage leaders, died Thursday shortly after being taken to a hospital.
Daniels, 22, was pronounced dead at 5:31 a.m. at Miami Valley Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Pam Hoskins.
Montgomery County Coroner James Davis said the cause of death could not be determined from preliminary autopsy results.
However, Davis said there was no evidence that Daniels died of a stroke, a ruptured vessel in the brain, or any effects from a cortisone shot he had taken for a sprained ankle. He said there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Daniels' system.
Davis said that Daniels had a slightly enlarged heart, but that was not unusual for an athlete his size. Davis said he did not think the enlarged heart contributed to Daniels' death.
The coroner said he will know more when lab results come back in two to three weeks.
Daniels was second in the nation in field-goal percentage, making 67.9 percent of his shots. He averaged 12.9 points per game, second best on the Dayton team, and was third in rebounding with six per game.
``We're obviously grieving right now,'' Dayton coach Oliver Purnell said. ``We're sort of leaning on each other to deal with this very difficult situation. ... Our guys are in shock.''
The Flyers' Atlantic 10 Conference game with La Salle scheduled for Thursday was postponed. Dayton is 11-10 on the season.
University spokeswoman Teri Rizvi said Daniels, who lived in a student neighborhood off campus, was taken to the hospital at 5:02 a.m. Rizvi said the fact that the coroner was investigating was not a sign there was anything suspicious about the death.
Purnell, a former coach at Radford and Old Dominion, said he received a call from Darnell Hoskins, a former Wisconsin player who transferred to Dayton, telling him that Daniels had collapsed. Purnell said he hurried to Daniels' home, but that he already had been taken to the hospital.
At the hospital, Purnell said, he spoke with doctors who said they were trying to revive Daniels but ``it just didn't look good.''
Daniels, a 6-foot-10, 238-pound fifth-year senior from Columbus, had a sprained ankle and did not play Tuesday night against Bethune-Cookman.
Dayton athletic director Ted Kissell said, ``The University of Dayton community is stunned and deeply saddened by the death of Chris Daniels. Our prayers are with his family, friends and with the Dayton Flyers team and coaches.''
Daniels earned a degree in communications management in April and had been pursuing a second degree in sociology. His brother, Antonio, is the starting point guard for Bowling Green.
Purnell said, ``I never heard anyone say anything negative about him as a person. As a person, he was always solid as a rock. He always took care of his academic responsibilities. He was just a good person.''
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Dayton coach Oliver Purnell said Chris Danielsby CNBwas ``solid as a rock.'' 2. Dayton's Chris Daniels was second in the
nation in field-goal percentage. color. KEYWORDS: FATALITY