Jan. 20, 2006

The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears through the basketball regular season. This week we tag along with senior forward Jason Fraser for a morning photo shoot on campus.

In December of 2000, a national sports publication came to Villanova to photograph Michael Bradley, who would go on to become an All-American. The magazine was eager to shoot the image outside to capture Bradley on campus. Trouble was, temperatures hovered near 20 degrees and a recent snowstorm had dumped six inches of snow on the Villanova landscape.

Given the conditions, the photographer raised the possibility of snapping a shot of Bradley making a snow angel on the ground. The request was politely declined.

"That's all I would have needed," Bradley, now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, said later with a chuckle. "I would have heard about the `snow angel' in every arena we play in."

The story comes to mind again in 2006 as another national publication has sent a photographer to campus to shoot a portrait image of senior Jason Fraser. But on this day there will be no suggestion of snow angels. Rather, there is a hint of spring in the air as temperatures will climb to near 60 degrees later in the afternoon.

As he walks through campus to past the Connelly Center, it is clear that four years after his arrival, Jason Fraser remains very much at ease in his adopted home. Along the way he stops to chat amiably with several students of his acquaintance. Most importantly, he walks without pain.

At one point the photographer, who confesses that he isn't much of a sports fan, asks the Amityville, N.Y., product what exactly happened with his knees. Fraser just smiles.

"It's a long story," he says with a chuckle.

Of course, it is one known well to members of the Villanova community. Last May, Fraser underwent the fifth, sixth and seventh surgical procedure since he came to campus as one of the nation's most ballyhooed prospects in 2002. Yet the fact he is here on this morning, walking tall as an important cog on a top 10 team, speaks to both his determination and his faith.

"There are times in sports when you hear players complain about going to practice," says Fraser. "Well, I see how lucky I am to be able to practice each day now. I'm very grateful for that and thank God that He has given me the opportunity."

Fraser says he never was the type of athlete who dreaded practice and it was owed to a simple truth - he is driven to compete, particularly in practice against his friends and teammates.

"We see it here every day," Fraser states. "We see Randy (Foye) and Al (Ray) go at it every day to see who gets the better of one another. Or it might be me going up against Dante (Cunningham). All of us compete and I have always been that way. In high school (in Amityville, N.Y.) I went up against Tristan Smith and some of my other teammates. It was something that I always enjoyed."

So his inability to join his mates out on the court each day, which was an accepted fact of life in Fraser's first three seasons as a Wildcat, wore on him. It is why he can now fully embrace all the elements, from simple to complex, that are a part of the daily practice regimen.

"You build a sense of gratitude about it," he says.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright marvels at Fraser for many reasons. One of them is the senior's capacity to learn at points where he was able to do little more than watch.

"It really is amazing that Jason grasps so much of what we are trying to do," Wright says.

At the mid-point of his final season at Villanova, Fraser's statistical contributions appear modest. He has averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Wildcats, who take a 12-2 record into Saturday night's showdown with Syracuse at the sold-out Wachovia Center. On a squad featuring All-American candidates Foye and Ray, Fraser's input is not always understood.

One indicator of his significance can be found inside the Villanova Basketball Cinema, which adjoins the locker room. Fraser's name can be found in no fewer than eight places on the giant "Attitude Club" board that hangs from one wall and measures a variety of intangible contributions that are not reflected in the standard stat sheet. No other `Cat's name is seen more frequently on this ledger.

"As a big man you can sometimes seem invisible on the game stats," Fraser states. "We have great guards and people can see a lot of what they do. As forwards we aren't always in a position where people see our contributions. Looking up at the `Attitude Club' board really allows all of us to see that what we bring to the team is meaningful to our teammates and coaches. "It kind of gives evidence to those of us on the team that we are there for one another as teammates."

As the season has gone on, Fraser has appeared more comfortable on the floor. There was a considerable amount of rust to be shaken after yet another summer without basketball in the fall. He only resumed practicing on a full-time basis in early December and returning to top form is not merely as routine as flipping a switch.

Yet Fraser can sense that it's coming.

"Usually by this point in the season I'm dealing with my knees and was only able to practice here and there," he says. "But one thing I'm excited about now is that I feel like my knees are getting stronger. (Villanova team surgeon) Dr. (Rob) Good and the other doctors told me that the cartilage would grow for up to two years after the surgery."

Although there is plenty to consume him these days - a home life with wife and daughter, the final semester of his college career and basketball - Fraser's mind does occasionally drift ahead. Like many of his fellow college seniors, he wonders just where life will find him in a year.

"You concentrate on the present but you cannot ignore the future," he says. "There is an expression `failure to prepare is preparing to fail.'"

Fraser hopes to pursue a professional basketball career. He will graduate in May with a double major of sociology and criminology.

Yet all of that remains in the background.

"I'm focused on what we can do as a team," he says.

The photo session complete, Fraser heads towards the Pavilion. Practice begins in less than two hours. But he'll be there a little early.

He's been waiting a while for the opportunity.