Sept. 29, 2006
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears each Friday from September through February and monthly from April through in August. This week we introduce the Nova Nation to freshman forward Andrew Ott in our fourth of five profiles on the newest members of the Wildcats.
It was not so long ago that people viewed Andrew Ott as something other than a multi-skilled 6-9 forward.
"In the sixth and seventh grade," recalls the Wildcat freshman from nearby Abington, Pa., "I played guard. It wasn't until I began growing that I started playing inside and outside."
That fact becomes apparent when Ott steps on the court. This is not a big man cut from the traditional mold. Ott appears as comfortable facing the basket as he is with his back to it. At Germantown Academy, foes understood that he was a capable long distance shooter who could not be ignored from deep. He also brings a keen passing eye with him to the Main Line.
"I think having played guard helps me in some ways and hurts me in others," he says. "I am more comfortable on the perimeter than I might have been if I had just played inside growing up. But I also have a tendency to focus on looking to pass the ball because that was my first responsibility as a guard."
Today, Ott is less concerned with his position than he is with absorbing all the nuances of college basketball. Like his four classmates - Casiem Drummond, Antonio Pena, Reggie Redding, and Scottie Reynolds - Ott is learning the ins and outs of what it takes to prosper at this level of the sport.
"Everything has been turned up a notch," he explains. "The academics are a level up from where they were in high school and so is the basketball. Everyone is stronger, faster and more skilled. But I think I'm coming along."
As a youngster growing up in the Philadelphia area, Ott dabbled in a wide range of sports, including lacrosse and football. And while he liked basketball, it was only one of his athletic interests. However, when he arrived at GA head coach Jim Fenerty, whose pupils have included former VU standout Alvin Williams, recognized his hoops potential and suggested that it might be an appropriate time to concentrate on one.
Given that Ott was growing significantly, basketball made great sense.
After splitting time between the junior varsity and varsity as a freshman, Ott came into his own as a sophomore. His combination of sound instincts, offensive skill and burgeoning height caught the attention of college coaching staffs, including Villanova's. Recruiting letters began to arrive and it was suddenly apparent that basketball offered Ott more than just a diversion.
As a junior, Ott played a prominent role on a strong GA squad that featured Ryan Ayers, now at Notre Dame. He averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds an outing and by this point had become a recruiting priority for several area schools as well as Purdue. The Big Ten school's interest was natural - his brother Ryan (21) attends the university and his father, Mike, is an alumnus. Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Illinois were other schools that paid attention.
As his junior year at GA neared an end, Ott made an official visit to Villanova. The program was one that had been on his mind for some time. Ott was eager to attend a university with a strong academic foundation and the lure of remaining close to home was powerful.
"I liked the recruiting process," he says. "It never got tiring to me. I knew it was an important decision. The most important thing was I wanted to go to a school with good academics and all the schools I looked at had that.
"For me, coming to Villanova was a pretty easy decision. It has the academics, is close to home and I really liked the coaching staff. I had almost decided to come here before I made my official visit and after that I knew this was the right place for me."
One of the most appealing elements for Ott was the approach of the Villanova coaching staff. In it, he saw echoes of his own experience at GA.
"Coach (Fenerty) taught me that team is the most important thing," he says. "We were a close group. When I came here, I saw that Coach (Jay) Wright and his staff have a very similar approach. It's about the team here too and it reminds me of the atmosphere we had in high school."
Ott has blended quickly into campus life. Much time is spent with his teammates and the proximity to his home doesn't hurt. He speaks often to his parents (his mother is Carolyn Ott) and brother. And while his father coached him in pee-wee basketball as a second grader, the chats with the elder Ott have less to do with basketball concepts than they do life lessons.
"Our conversations are mostly about life," he says. "Both he and my mom have always been very supportive. You always hear people thank their parents for driving them to all these games when they were kids and mine did that and more for me and my brother."
After a senior season in which he averaged 19 points and 15 rebounds for GA, Ott is looking forward to the challenges ahead. One of those is adding bulk to his 215-pound frame. Since coming to Villanova he has toiled diligently in the weight room and follows the advice of the university's nutritionist. Still, adding muscle probably won't happen overnight.
"It's tough," he says. "I'm going to keep working at it and it will come."
Ott listens closely to upperclassmen like Mike Nardi, Will Sheridan and Curtis Sumpter, who know well the toll a full campaign takes on the body.
"One of the things they tell us is that it's a grueling season and that you have to take care of your body - get your proper rest and do all of the little things," he says.
Ott remembers well what it was like to be a little guy. That is no longer the case but he's hopeful that some of the skills he honed in the backcourt will pay dividends in his college career at Villanova.
Notes: Two more national television dates have been added to the Villanova schedule. On Jan. 17, ESPNU will televise the Big East contest featuring the `Cats and Notre Dame at the Pavilion beginning at 7:00 p.m. ESPNU will return to campus on Feb. 14 to broadcast the tussle with Cincinnati at 9:00 p.m. A total of 17 regular season Villanova games will air on national television in 2006-07.
