Jan. 19, 2007
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 peer in at the spotlight focused on senior forward Curtis Sumpter.
On a cold winter morning after a big victory over Notre Dame, Curtis Sumpter is on the move. A morning appointment ran later than expected and he is playing catch up. After hustling inside to the locker room, he quickly changes out of his street clothes into his home white uniform.
The Pavilion lights are on but there will be no thunderous dunks or sweet 3-point jumpers today. His destination is a few feet away from the court for what figures to be one of his final photo shoots at Villanova. It may well be that no Villanova basketball player in history has smiled for the cameras more often than this 6-7 product of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Bishop Loughlin High School.
Less than two weeks into his freshman semester at Villanova, Sumpter and his three heralded classmates, Randy Foye, Jason Fraser and Allan Ray, spent the better part of a morning posing for what would become a cover photo on the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday magazine. Over the next few seasons, Sumpter has posed on his own and with his mates for Slam magazine, both major Philadelphia daily newspapers and several publications in his native New York City. There have been countless other sessions for such things as the men's basketball media guide, posters and other in-house products.
This session is as much about Sumpter as it is for him. The images today will be used to help promote Sumpter's All-American candidacy with voters nationwide. The idea is to highlight the forward's accomplishments in a way that sticks with voters. In Sumpter's case, the images are crafted with a particular theme in mind that is a nod to one of his academic pursuits in his fifth year on campus.
"Criminology is interesting to me," says Sumpter, who graduated with a degree in sociology last May and is presently working on a second degree. "We have looked at why crime happens and some of the methods that investigators use to discover who did it. I have really learned a lot."
Presently, Sumpter is taking courses in criminology and philosophy of law.
"We have studied cases that have gone all the way to Supreme Court," he notes.
So it is that the images here have Sumpter posed with all manner of tools of the investigative trade, including magnifying glass, fingerprints, and light table.
"It's cool," says Sumpter, as he patiently endures the 45-minutes of various poses.
Patience is, of course, a concept Sumpter has learned much about since coming to Villanova in 2002 as one of the headliners in that decorated class. It has helped him endure 18 months of rehabilitation after a pair of knee injuries in 2005, the latter of which forced him to watch in street clothes as his classmates helped the Wildcats craft one of the best seasons in school history in 2005-06.
That trait still comes in handy today as he helps lead a group of young teammates through the early stages of their stints at Villanova. In a sense he is reliving some of the memories from his first days in the basketball program as the Wildcats slowly learned what it takes to succeed in conference like the BIG EAST.
"Most definitely," says Sumpter when asked if some of Villanova's early ups and downs in conference play have given him a sense of déjà vu. "I tell these guys all the time that there are a lot of similarities to when we got here. When I was a freshman there were four upperclassmen and a lot of young guys who had to figure things out.
"We went through a period, especially when we were sophomores, when we were not able to finish games and lost a bunch of close ones. It hurt because you felt like you were doing all the right things and not getting the results you wanted. So now when we have our setbacks all of us - Will (Sheridan), Mike (Nardi), Ross (Condon) and I - try to keep everyone positive and focused on being the best team we can at the end of the season."
Sumpter has not forgotten the lessons of 2002-03 and 2003-04.
"It was tough," he states. "I'm a very competitive person and I want to see results. It's easy to get frustrated and I certainly did. But you learn you have to keep competing and working so that you can get better."
If Sumpter sounds wise, it is because he has gained that knowledge the hard way. Seemingly on fast track to greatness in the spring of his junior year, he saw his basketball future grow suddenly murky when he landed awkwardly under the basket in Nashville during the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Though it might be natural for a college senior to contemplate his future beyond college, Sumpter tries to keep matters concentrated squarely on the present.
"I talk to Al and Randy all the time," he says. "They tell me that pro basketball is a nice life. They are traveling to different cities, meeting new people and doing what they love to do. It sounds like fun.
"But I really don't think much about what next year holds. I am in college and I enjoy every minute I am out there with a chance to play."
The 10 freshmen and sophomores aren't the only Wildcats who have been forced to confront change. There have been adjustments for the seniors as well. In addition to scraping off 18 months of rust accumulated from being away from game action, the 6-7 forward has had to adapt to defenses designed specifically to slow him.
"It's a lot different than it was," says Sumpter. "Before, I just had to worry about beating my man. Now, I have to make a decision on where I am going to go before I even receive the pass because I know the double team is coming. I have to decide if I can make a move to beat it or pass out of it. So there's been a learning curve for me too."
The man whom Ray once dubbed "C-Smooth" has handled it all effortlessly. He averages 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. The knee hasn't been an issue, though he has battled a nagging hamstring injury. And while there have been a few highs and lows thus far in January, Sumpter is taking the advice of head coach Jay Wright to heart by enjoying the journey.
"It's been a great experience," says Sumpter of his time at Villanova. "I never would have thought I would still be here but I appreciate every opportunity I have to play the game. These are good guys and we're coming along."
Now, he is determined to help guide his young friends through the always arduous gauntlet that the Wildcats face as they head towards March.
"For all of us, Randy, Al, Jason (Fraser), our dream when we came here was to help take this program back to the top," he says. "We tried to start that and it was great to see the way things came together the last two years. Now, these guys are learning what we did, what it takes to be a Villanova basketball player. I hope our legacy as seniors is that we taught these young guys something that will help them build on what we started."
