Dec. 1, 2006
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears each Friday from September through February and monthly from April through August. This week we spend time with sophomore forward Dante Cunningham.
The scene is repeated daily at Villanova basketball practices and roughly 45 minutes before every game. The Wildcat captains -in 2006-07 they are seniors Mike Nardi, Will Sheridan and Curtis Sumpter - line up across center court facing one basket. From there they lead their teammates in stretching exercises before serious basketball work begins.
It is a familiar ritual to anyone who has observed the Wildcats.
On a recent afternoon, the stretching session to close a practice session took on a slightly different look. The hour was approaching 6:00 p.m. Nardi, Sheridan and Sumpter were excused from the final stretching portion of the practice so they could shower and head off to evening classes. So, for the first time in recent memory, the faces along center court were not those of men who have grown up along with Villanova's recent surge.
It was a small, seemingly insignificant moment. Yet it underscores that a transition of sorts has begun. For when this campaign comes to a close, Villanova will no longer be in the hands of those most responsible for its recent success. Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry, and Jason Fraser have already moved on. Sumpter, Nardi and Sheridan will conclude their careers at the end of this season.
So it was that the sophomore class occupied those spots at mid-court on this occasion. In the center circle was 6-8 Dante Cunningham. It was a most fitting development for a native of Silver Spring, Md., who has expanded his role in year two with the program.
"Coach (Jay) Wright talks about that to us," says Cunningham of his fellow members of the class of 2009. "He reminds us that when the season ends, we are going to have to be the ones to step up and be leaders. We have had some great leaders here and I have just tried to absorb all I can from them."
In his relatively short time at Villanova, Cunningham has quickly become an essential ingredient for the `Cats. His averages of 2.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game only hint at the meaningful contribution he made in 2005-06. From the start of the campaign he was in the rotation, usually serving as the first forward off the bench. And, while it was a role he handled well, it was a transition for him.
As a senior at Potomac High School, Cunningham had done it all, leading his squad to a state title. The Washington Post recognized him as its metropolitan player of the year.
"It was an adjustment for me," Cunningham says of his early days in a Villanova uniform. "But I just wanted to do whatever the team needed me to do."
On most nights, Cunningham focused on defense and rebounding. Yet throughout the season there were instances where he flashed his considerable athleticism and offensive potential. In the BIG EAST Conference opener at Louisville before a crowd of better than 20,058 and a national television audience, Cunningham connected on 4-of-6 from the field for eight points and added six rebounds and three assists in a 76-67 victory over the Cardinals.
"If there was one game that sticks out for me, it might be the one at Louisville," states Cunningham. "We went into a tough environment and played great."
It wouldn't be the last important contribution Cunningham would make as the Wildcats posted a 28-5 record. He scored the game-winning basket in a 74-72 victory at Cincinnati on an in-bounds feed from Kyle Lowry with less than two seconds left. He gathered nine rebounds in 31 minutes of VU's 82-78 win over Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and saw 31 more minutes of activity in the 60-59 overtime triumph over Boston College that advanced the Wildcats to their first Elite Eight since 1988.
"Those experiences definitely help me now," notes Cunningham. "The biggest thing is that you just get used to playing in the environments at this level. It just makes you calmer and less anxious than you are when you go through it for the first time."
The new season has brought new challenges. Cunningham has started all six games this year after making four starts last season. His 167 minutes entering play at Penn on Saturday evening trailed only Nardi (171) among Villanova players.
At the offensive end, Cunningham is taking advantage of the opportunity to assert himself. He has displayed a low-post presence that adds a new dimension to the Villanova attack after a 2005-06 campaign that centered much of the offense on one of the sport's top backcourts. On three separate occasions this season he has established a new career high for points, capped by the 10 points he scored in the 72-44 win at Stony Brook.
"I'm comfortable in the low-post," states Cunningham. "I played there in high school and we work on that part of our game here with the coaches all the time."
Cunningham, though, is not limited to the paint. His quickness at 6-8 allows him the flexibility to perform away from the basket or near it. And his long arms and strength make him one of the club's most versatile defenders. In the early going he has been assigned to check athletes ranging in height from 6-4 to 6-10.
"I definitely like the challenge of defending great players," he says. "It means the coaches have confidence in me to handle that. It's as much a mental challenge as a physical one. You have to prepare not just for the player you might guard, but for the whole team so that you understand what they are trying to do."
It was in the fall of 2004 that Cunningham decided to attend Villanova. A former teammate of Dwayne Anderson's at St. John High School in Washington, D.C., his signing did not attract huge headlines. But in the course of his time on the Main Line, he has emerged as a vital ingredient in Villanova's current campaign and a linchpin of their future.
"I'm very happy with the decision I made," states Cunningham. "It's worked out even better than I could have hoped for."
The image of Cunningham leading his teammates figures to be repeated in the years to come.
