By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEXINGTON - It's no longer necessary to marvel at his maturation. It's no longer a shock seeing him play center.

With Erik Daniels, it is time to postulate the previously preposterous: He could be Kentucky's MVP.

The senior from Princeton High School, who nearly transferred two years ago while languishing at the end of the Wildcat bench, has evolved into the most versatile - and perhaps valuable - member of the nation's No. 5 team.

Though he falls shy of superstar status, Daniels uses his unpredictable offensive attack to make consistent contributions.

"I would think he'd certainly get some votes for MVP," UK broadcaster Tom Leach said, noting that Daniel's efforts often go unsung. "Erik has that craftiness and that combination of skills that you don't appreciate as much when juxtaposed against someone with greater athleticism."

Previously praised mostly for his intangibles, Daniels now has the numbers, too.

His 15.4 scoring average ranks second on the team, less than a point behind Gerald Fitch.

Daniels is the top shooter at 57.2 percent, fifth-best in the Southeastern Conference. And he ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.2 avg.), assists (43) and blocks (11), and third in steals (23).

After scoring a career-high 24 points Wednesday against Mississippi, Daniels ranks as UK's leading scorer in SEC play with an 18.0 average - third-best in the conference.

His 64.3 percent shooting in league play is the SEC's best.

"He's a heck of a player," said Kevin Stallings, whose Vanderbilt team hosts UK Saturday. "There's a lot of things he can do.

"He's great around the basket. He's kind of slippery. He's got a great knack for timing and for keeping the defense off balance when he's got the ball."

Daniels has scored in double figures a team-high 14 times, and on the two occasions he didn't make it he totaled nine and eight points. His last-second putback to beat Mississippi State ranks as the season's biggest basket.

OK, it was a fortunate score.

But the 6-foot-8, 228-pound Daniels makes a living out of smart positioning in the post.

"I call him the best garbage collector in America," TV analyst Larry Conley said of Daniels. "He has a knack for being where the ball is."

Conley said 6-6 Chuck Hayes is the other MVP candidate to this point, which suggests UK's plan to go "small" in the post has been brilliant.

"Most everyone thought the strength of the team would be the guards, but these two guys have been solid all year," Conley said. "They complement each other inside."

With the ball, Daniels usually interchanges a quick-trigger release - "He has the quickest turnaround jump shot I've seen," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said - with deliberate, back-to-the-basket maneuvers. He is fast enough to beat bigger players to the hoop.

Hayes said defenders are thrown off because Daniels is left-handed and shoots a hard-to-block jump hook.

Fitch said teams continually underrate Daniels and pay for it.

"Some teams like to overlook me because of the great scorers on our team," Daniels said.

"I try to take advantage of that. I just go out and play my game, just working around the basket."

E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com