Instant Impact: Charlie Villanueva

Illinois', NBA's loss is Calhoun, Connecticut's gain

By J.M. Woodman, Special to SI.com

Charlie Villanueva Fr., UConn Position: SF   Ht.: 6'10"  Wt.: 220 High School: Blair Academy Hometown: Blairstown, N.J. TheInsiders.com Ranking: No. 7 overall, No. 2 small forward PHOTO: University of Connecticut SI.com's Impact Freshmen Brandon Bass LSU Tigers Luol Deng Duke Blue Devils Martin Iti Charlotte 49ers David Padgett Kansas Jayhawks Mustafa Shakur Arizona Wildcats Charlie Villanueva UConn Huskies Von Wafer FSU Seminoles

It was a long journey that ended with Charlie Villanueva's donning a Connecticut Huskies jersey this season.

It began with a flurry of college recruiters ready to court the 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward, and that led to a verbal commitment to Illinois. But the departure of Illini head coach Bill Self left Villanueva questioning his choice and looking toward an NBA future.

"I was thinking about the draft and once I went through the whole process, I decided I'd be better off going to college," Villanueva said of his decision to remove his name from consideration just before the NBA's early-entry deadline. "I just thought I wasn't ready to live the NBA lifestyle."

Villanueva reopened the recruiting process and narrowed his choice to two -- Coach Self's new home, Kansas, and UConn.

When he made his decision, it was the Huskies who gladly welcomed the consensus top-five recruit.

The Hype

One of the many nicknames bestowed on the freshman is "Versatile Villanueva," a reference to his unique combination of size and talent, which allows him to play the physical inside game or the finesse game on the outside.

He starred during his senior season at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., leading his team to a 25-4 record to finish as state runners-up. There, he averaged 19 points, 10 boards, four blocks and three steals per game.

But despite the numbers, Villanueva knows there's room for improvement, and that's one reason he chose the Huskies.

"Coach [Jim] Calhoun is a big-time coach, and he develops players," Villanueva said. "I need to work on everything to get to the next level. He's going to get the best out of me, and that's what I need."

His Role

Villanueva joins a team that narrowly missed last year's Elite Eight and returns plenty of star power, but that's just one more thing that will push him to get better.

"They've got great players on the team, all the way down the line," Villanueva said. "Practices are going to be tough."

So is the competition for playing time. But Villanueva is confident that he will see his share of minutes and looks forward to lining up next to last year's Defensive player of the Year, Emeka Okafor, who Villanueva says will "show him the ropes."

His versatility could be a key to his playing time, as Calhoun has told the freshman that he expects Villanueva to see time at both the three and four spots. But where Villanueva plays doesn't make much difference to him, he's just eager to make a difference.