Charlie Villanueva: 2005 Fantasy Rookie of the Year?
A good article on Charlie Villanueva who is having very nice numbers in the Pre-season for the Raptors.
Guess what? Villanueva currently leads all rookies during the preseason in scoring (16.9 points) while adding 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and .86 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game. He had 19 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) to go with five boards in just 25 minutes Monday night against the Blazers. Last week he had 24 points and seven rebounds in an OT victory over the Nets, including three clutch free throws in the final seconds to send the game into the extra session.
"I think people are seeing why we took Charlie with the seventh pick," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell says. "He's a multitalented guy, he works hard, he can play three positions and he's getting better every game. If you look at the numbers he's putting up and the different ways we are using him this kid has a chance to be a very good basketball player."
Villanueva is definitely playing with a chip on his shoulder. He admits he was ticked off by the criticisms he received on draft night. He remembers every word Dick Vitale and the other experts on ESPN said about him. He recalls getting on a plane to Toronto the next day and seeing a local newspaper ripping his selection. His agent, Billy Ceisler, has since had the newspaper framed and hung in Villanueva's apartment.
"It hurt," says Villanueva, who had been watching the ESPN telecast with his family. "It was my big day, you know. Getting drafted was something I'd dreamed about. To hear all those negative comments was tough." "But I decided it was just going to make me work harder. I feel I've got something to prove."
What the critics failed to mention about Villanueva on draft night was that he was only 20 years old and that he had been making progress. UConn observers say his work ethic had improved under coach Jim Calhoun's strict hand. They note he was always a willing passer and good teammate. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while helping lead the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Talent and Opportunity may make him a good mid to late round choice at Power Forward.
Guess what? Villanueva currently leads all rookies during the preseason in scoring (16.9 points) while adding 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and .86 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game. He had 19 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) to go with five boards in just 25 minutes Monday night against the Blazers. Last week he had 24 points and seven rebounds in an OT victory over the Nets, including three clutch free throws in the final seconds to send the game into the extra session.
"I think people are seeing why we took Charlie with the seventh pick," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell says. "He's a multitalented guy, he works hard, he can play three positions and he's getting better every game. If you look at the numbers he's putting up and the different ways we are using him this kid has a chance to be a very good basketball player."
Villanueva is definitely playing with a chip on his shoulder. He admits he was ticked off by the criticisms he received on draft night. He remembers every word Dick Vitale and the other experts on ESPN said about him. He recalls getting on a plane to Toronto the next day and seeing a local newspaper ripping his selection. His agent, Billy Ceisler, has since had the newspaper framed and hung in Villanueva's apartment.
"It hurt," says Villanueva, who had been watching the ESPN telecast with his family. "It was my big day, you know. Getting drafted was something I'd dreamed about. To hear all those negative comments was tough." "But I decided it was just going to make me work harder. I feel I've got something to prove."
What the critics failed to mention about Villanueva on draft night was that he was only 20 years old and that he had been making progress. UConn observers say his work ethic had improved under coach Jim Calhoun's strict hand. They note he was always a willing passer and good teammate. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while helping lead the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Talent and Opportunity may make him a good mid to late round choice at Power Forward.
posted by Coach T at
11:23 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home