Dec. 7, 2007
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly beginning in September through February with monthly updates in the off-season with features on the men's basketball program. This week we catch up with junior forward Dante Cunningham.
That he is seated on a chair in the corner of a Davis Center opened a little more than 30 days ago seems entirely fitting. For in every corner of a locker room he now helps lead are youthful eyes staring back at him almost as new as the Wildcats' splashy home base.
"I have been asked to be a leader before," says the Silver Spring, Md., native now in his third year at Villanova, "but never with a group this young. We are such a young team."
Indeed, the Wildcats have no seniors on the roster and Cunningham has become an elder statesman of sorts. Of all the current Wildcats, only he and Shane Clark were in the regular playing rotation two seasons ago when Villanova advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and spent the entire season ranked in the top 10 of both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls.
As a freshman, Cunningham watched intently as Randy Foye, Allan Ray and Curtis Sumpter set the tone in the locker room and on the court. At times, he was envious of their place.
"Some days (during the season) you would look over and they'd be shooting free throws near the end of practice while we would still be out there practicing," says Cunningham. "Or you would see Coach (Jay Wright) get their input on the day's schedule when we were on the road. It looked nice but I had no idea of the responsibility that comes with it.
"I think it's something you have to do to understand. There is a whole lot that comes with it. Basically, we (the captains) are accountable for everything that goes on here with our teammates. It's a challenge and I am enjoying it."
From his perch, Cunningham has a unique view. As a rookie, he played an integral, if supporting, role on the squad that won more games than any other in Villanova history (28). Now he is a part of a new group as it gets its feet under it with an eye towards BIG EAST action that gets underway Jan. 3 at DePaul.
"Right now," Cunningham states, "we're still a work in progress. We have a lot of work to do. Everyone knows what we want to do and things are in place - we just have to tighten down all of the bolts. We have the potential to be good in a hurry."
A sense of urgency is generally associated with veteran teams. Senior-laden groups can literally hear the clock ticking on their college careers. Often times the view of a youthful core is that there is time to refine things. One glance at the roster tells you that every Villanova player on the roster is slated to return in 2008-09.
Yet the 2007-08 Wildcats have resolved to not be lulled into a false sense of security about what the future may seemingly offer.
"Coach Wright talks about how nobody is promised tomorrow and that's true," says Cunningham. "We have the potential to become good this year. We have to do everything we can to make that happen."
Part of Cunningham's adjustment is with his own role. As a freshman toiling in the shadow of Villanova's fabled four guard offense (Foye, Ray, Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi), the 6-8 native of Silver Spring, Md., had a simple task: defend and rebound. For an athlete who had long demonstrated scoring skill, it would have been understandable had there been a steep learning curve. Yet Cunningham adapted almost immediately.
By the time BIG EAST play rolled around in January, the former Washington Post Metro Player of the Year had become a rotation fixture. He scored the game-winning basket off an inbound feed from Kyle Lowry at Cincinnati and helped hold Craig Smith in check in the Wildcats' come-from-behind victory over Boston College in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
As a sophomore, Cunningham averaged 8.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game as a starter. His 19 points helped key a critical January victory over Notre Dame and he followed that with a 16 point, six rebound effort in a triumph over Texas at the Wachovia Center. He then closed the regular season with a career high 21 points in a win over Syracuse that helped secure an NCAA Tournament berth.
Now he is one of the offensive mainstays and that's a role he is adapting to as well.
"One of things for me is understanding that scoring is (now) part of my role," he says. "I have worked on my offensive game and now I have a chance to help our team by scoring."
Through seven games, Cunningham averages 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds a game. His 16 points and 12 rebounds in the dramatic come-from-behind victory over LSU included the game-winning basket of an offensive rebound with 5.9 seconds left. What's more, his defensive work on the interior remains exceptional and his knowledge of Wright's system is invaluable. He and Clark both have helped ease Casiem Drummond's transition into the rotation.
Three years into his Wildcat career, Cunningham feels fully invested.
"It's almost a part of me now," he says of the mindset that has come to define the attitude of a Villanova basketball player. "Coming into college you know you are going to play basketball and that it will be a big part of your life. But there is an attitude here about what it means to play Villanova basketball. You play for your teammates, your coaches, your family and your school. It's almost like it's your child.
"We all feel like we have an ownership in this. You don't want to come back here in 10 years and think that we could have done so much more if I had only been more committed. We are a part of a great Villanova history and you don't want to come up short because you weren't willing to give everything you had."
There may have been no more visible sign of that commitment from Cunningham than in the final of the Old Spice Classic against North Carolina State last month. After an on-court collision opened a gash over his eye, Cunningham reluctantly came to the sidelines. As Head Athletic Trainer Jeff Pierce did his best to stem the flow of blood, Cunningham became restless. Finally, a bandage managed to halt the bleeding long enough for Cunningham to give Wright the nod that he was ready to return.
Later, Cunningham would score a crucial put-back with 2.2 seconds left that temporarily gave the Wildcats a 68-67 lead.
"Dante really showed how much of a warrior he is," noted Wright.
When the contest ended with a Wolfpack win on a last-second shot, Cunningham retreated to the locker room where doctors applied five stitches to close the wound.
It was just the kind of dedication that no doubt served as a valuable lesson for the young charges whom surround him.
