Nov. 14, 2003
Each Friday Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan takes you inside the men's basketball program.
Baker Dunleavy acknowledges that power forward is not his natural collegiate position. At 6-5, 200 pounds his frame is not built for the kind of rugged interior action that is the norm in the Big East.
Yet when the ball is tossed into the air at center court at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 21 at Temple's Liacouras Center, that is essentially where the redshirt freshman will find himself. With center Jason Fraser nursing a stress fracture and four other members of the Wildcats' frontcourt serving suspensions related to last March's telephone access code incident, Dunleavy is one of only two 'Cats taller than 6-3. The upshot is that in his first collegiate game Dunleavy will be asked to hold his own against a collection of taller, more muscular athletes when Villanova meets the Owls.
The challenge is one that Dunleavy won't duck.
"Coach (Jay Wright) always stresses to us that you can never predict how things are going to work out," says Dunleavy, who spent his youth in Milwaukee and Portland, Ore. "You have to work hard and be prepared because you never know what might happen."
Fortunately for Dunleavy, he possesses an uncommon amount of basketball smarts born of a basketball family. He is a coach's son and an All-American's brother. (Mike Dunleavy Sr. is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers after previous stints with the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers while Mike Dunleavy Jr. was a Duke standout and the No. 3 selection of the 2002 National Basketball Association Draft by the Golden State Warriors.)
Dunleavy understands better than most that even the best plans fall victim to the unforeseen. It is a phenomenon he witnessed as a youth.
During his father's stint as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in the late 1980s, the NBA team was hit by a rash of injuries. So it was that the franchise activated Mike Dunleavy, Sr., then nearly 40, for several weeks of action. The guard, three years removed from his retirement, nonetheless lent a helping hand so that the club could keep its head above water in the playoff chase.
Now Dunleavy's middle son will attempt a similar feat. And while age won't be a nemesis, fatigue might be.
"One thing that helps is that no matter what position you are playing in this system, Coach wants you focusing on defense and rebounding," says Dunleavy. "In this case, I'm just going to be doing it from a different position.
"The main problem is that I won't have the height that some of the people I will be guarding have. That means I have to concentrate on putting a body on people so that we can rebound as a team."
While his task will be challenging, it also represents an opportunity. A number of roles on the 2003-04 Wildcats are still in a state of flux and if Dunleavy acquits himself well in the first three games - Chris Charles and Curtis Sumpter become available for the second of three games in the EA Sports Maui Invitational - then he might carve a permanent niche for himself in the rotation, though likely not on the interior.
For now, the simple prospect of game action excites Dunleavy. He sat out the 2002-03 as a redshirt, honing his game in practice while sitting idle during games. Although this was a plan he believed in, it still was a strange sensation for one who loves to compete.
"Even though we had pretty much made the decision in the preseason and I knew what was coming, it was still a tough adjustment," Dunleavy states. "Even though you are in uniform you understand that no matter what happens you aren't getting in.
"As the year went on, though, you adjust. It was exciting to be a part of the team in practice and be there for my teammates during the games."
With four seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining, Dunleavy can feel the benefits of 2002-03.
"I think the most helpful aspect of it was that it prepares you for how to practice at this level," says Dunleavy. "A high school practice and a practice here are two entirely different things. Last year gave me a lot of experience and really benefited me when we began practice this season."
The Dunleavy of 2003 is a more polished shooter than the one who arrived here in 2002. Sessions in the weight room have provided more muscle tone and the pace of the game is no longer foreign to him.
"I think I can help the team out in a few ways that you might not necessarily see on a stat sheet," states Dunleavy. "I'm a guy who won't try to do too much myself. I try to let the game come to me. We have some really super talented people on this team and I want to do all I can to help them."
If you are looking for bold statements, this isn't the place to search. Dunleavy came to Villanova in the shadows of a ballyhooed recruiting class and understands that, to many Villanova fans, his identity comes from the achievements of his father and brother. Yet he is a tireless worker with a terrific attitude who now welcomes a most unusual opportunity.
Interestingly, Dunleavy's expected heavy workload in the early going will take him within driving distance of his parents' new home in Los Angeles. After facing Temple on Nov. 21, the 'Cats visit the University of Redlands on Nov. 22 in Southern California before flying to Maui for three games.
"Unfortunately, my Dad will be on the road when we are in California," Dunleavy states. "But my Mom and little brother will be there."
Did father offer son any advice in anticipation of this collegiate debut?
"Just the same thing he told me all summer: to keep working on my game and be as prepared as you can be for this," notes the son.
So for the first time in his Villanova career, Baker Dunleavy finds himself on center stage. He does so in a position that he never envisioned playing at this level.
Yet the product of Lawrenceville (N.J.) Prep appears not the least bit flustered. He is approaching it with a level head and self-deprecating sense of humor.
Not long after Fraser's injury was revealed, Dunleavy greeted this writer after a workout.
"Hey Mike," he said with a wry grin, "we got all my bio stuff updated for the introductions?"
When informed that it was, he laughed and shook his head.
"Just checking," he said. "We've got to be prepared."
Even for the unlikely...
The 2003-04 debut of "Talking Villanova Basketball with Jay Wright" takes place on Monday evening at Gullifty's Restaurant on Lancaster Avenue. The show airs from 7-8:00 p.m. and this week's scheduled guests include Philadelphia Daily News writer Dana Pennett O'Neil, former Wildcat standout Jonathan Haynes and a current Wildcat. Fans are welcome to join the fun or tune in on WZZD (990 AM) in Philadelphia or through villanova.com.
