Aug. 5, 2010
Redshirt sophomore Maurice Sutton takes center stage in this edition of the Nova Notebook, by Director of Media Relations Mike Sheridan.
In the quiet moments of summer, Maurice Sutton finds himself thinking back to a pair of games from last spring. Two in particular stand out and neither had much to do with him.
The first took place at the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia on March 6 (the building was re-named the Wells Fargo Center in late July). To most in the Nova Nation, that afternoon is not a pleasant memory as West Virginia dug itself out of a first half hole and escaped with a 68-66 victory in the regular season finale before a crowd of better than 20,000.
Sutton himself scored just one point in seven minutes of activity that day. Yet he took note of a strategic move made by the West Virginia staff to help slow Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's consensus first team All-American.
"In the second half," he says, "they switched it up and put Devin Ebanks on Scottie. As great a player as Scottie is, it made just a little tougher on him because of the size difference."
Ebanks is listed at 6-9 while Reynolds checked in at 6-2. However, Ebanks' athleticism and quickness allowed him to hang with the smaller man. Reynolds finished that game 5-of-16 from the field and just 1-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc after carving up the Mountaineers in the second half of VU's February victory in Morgantown.
Then, later in the spring, Sutton paid close heed to the National Basketball Association playoffs. In an opening round series between the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City, he paid heed as the Thunder's 6-9 Kevin Durant took on the task of guarding 6-6 Kobe Bryant late in a series eventually claimed by the Lakers.
From those two examples, Sutton imagines a defensive vision for himself as he peers ahead in his career.
"I want to be able to play like that," he says. "I'd like to take that challenge on my shoulders of guarding any type of player."
At 6-11, Sutton understands there is much work to be done in that quest and it will not be achieved overnight. But the defensive impact he was able to make in limited action as a freshman in 2009-10 suggests that the notion of being a unique lock-down stopper cannot be summarily dismissed. Sutton led the `Cats in blocked shots (25) and had the biggest swat of the season when he deflected a Robert Morris attempt in the final minute of regulation that allowed Villanova to force overtime and eventually defeat the Colonials in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Providence.
Two years have passed since Sutton arrived at Villanova from Largo, Md. A strong senior season at Largo High School and his size earned him interest from Big East and Big Ten schools. A spiritual man from a close-knit family, Sutton chose Villanova in large part because the atmosphere on campus reminded him of what he knew at home.
Sutton understood that instant gratification was not likely to be part of his journey as a Wildcat. Villanova would welcome back every key member of its 2008 Sweet 16 team for the 2008-09 campaign and head coach Jay Wright mentioned the possibility of a red-shirt season. For a 6-11 man who tipped the scales at 208 pounds, the move made sense. Sutton elected to redshirt and spent an intensive year practicing and working with strength coach Lon Record.
He had a front row seat as the `Cats reached the 2009 NCAA Final Four.
With the addition of the nation's No. 2 recruiting class in the fall of '09, Sutton still appeared to face an uphill battle in the search for minutes in 2009-10. He saw spot duty in Villanova's first two games of the campaign before everything changed in San Juan. On the eve of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, word came from Philadelphia that center Mouphtaou Yarou needed to return home to address a health issue that would ultimately sideline him for seven weeks. Suddenly, Sutton's moment had arrived sooner than anyone had anticipated.
In the opening round he scored three points and collected five rebounds in a pulsating win over George Mason. The next day he earned his first collegiate starting assignment, logging 30 minutes while scoring four points and grabbing eight rebounds in a win over Dayton. Antonio Pena was the tournament's most valuable player but the reality is the Wildcats may not have claimed the title were it not for the steady work of Sutton.
"All things work out for the greater good," Sutton says. "I think that was the start of something good."
Sutton's time on the court ebbed in January when Yarou returned but spiked again later in the season when the coaching staff concluded his shot-blocking skills were an important part of the team's defensive backbone. In the end, Sutton appeared in 26 games, with seven starts. In that win over Robert Morris, he logged 17 minutes and was credited with four blocked shots.
"It was a situation where you try to give the team whatever it needs," he says. "If there was a game where we needed to play small and you sit out, you stay ready. When the time comes for you to be out there, you play as hard as you can and give it up for your coaches and teammates.
"To me, the year was just a great learning experience on top of the redshirt year. The first year you took it all in. Last year, you put your work to use. "
Though he brings a skill set not usually seen in one his size - quick feet, solid hands, excellent timing at the defensive end - Sutton's biggest battle has been on the scale. As he notes: "some people just have a tough time putting on and holding weight. I'm one of them."
While some Americans might eagerly trade places with him, the reality is that this can be a significant handicap at the elite level of college basketball. Sutton has been tireless in his efforts to bulk up for the past 24 months yet the gains tend to come incrementally. A big milepost was passed recently when he moved to the 220 pound mark.
"I can say that Lon has been my `head' coach for two years," Sutton states with a smile. "Lon has been one of the biggest influences on my growth and development since I've been here. He's always in my corner and is always pushing me. Even though the impact I made last year wasn't super great or anything, whatever I was able to do is a credit to Lon. There is no way I would have been ready in Puerto Rico if it wasn't for Lon.
"220 is big for me. I got there with a lot of prayer, a lot of sacrifices, and a lot of shakes. But I can't be satisfied. I just have to keep pushing forward. Lon wants me to be 225 before the season starts - my own goal is to get to 230."
Every ounce of strength matters in the BIG EAST and Sutton knows that firsthand now. He has gone mano-a-mano with the power bodies and learned from it. Now, he hopes to become the kind of weapon that can turn a quality defensive unit into something special.
"I want to be a defensive presence," he says. "I'm not even thinking about scoring. I want to be able to help defensively and rebound. Those are the areas where I think I can help us the most."
For now, Sutton figures to do his work near the shadow of the basket.
One day, though, he hopes to be out near the arc, taking on the best perimeter scorer the opposition has to offer.
Now that he has reached one plateau, nothing seems beyond his reach.
Nova Notes: It was reported this week that Reynolds has signed a one year contract with Primo Veroli, a team in Italy. He is scheduled to depart for the team's training camp in mid-August. The consensus first team All-American played in the NBA Summer League for the Phoenix Suns.
