Charlie Villanueva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| Team | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Jersey | #31 |
| Born | August 24, 1984 Queens, New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| College | UConn |
| Draft | 7th overall, 2005 Toronto Raptors |
| Pro career | 2005–present |
| Former teams | Toronto Raptors (2005–2006) |
Charlie Alexander Villanueva (born August 24, 1984 in Queens, New York City) is an American NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Villanueva is the son of Dominican immigrants Roberto Villanueva and Doris Mejía. He grew up in Queens before moving to New Jersey and now resides in Brooklyn, New York. The 6'11" forward was drafted 7th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2005 NBA Draft.
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[edit] High school
He attended high school at Blair Academy, with current Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng, where he earned All-American honors as a senior as well as New Jersey Co-player of the Year.[1] He originally entered the 2003 NBA Draft but decided to withdraw and attend college at the University of Connecticut (UConn).
[edit] College career
Villanueva originally gave a verbal commitment to play for The University of Illinois, but after Bill Self left the Illini for the University of Kansas, Charlie withdrew his commitment, and considered following Self to the Jayhawks, but instead opted to play for NCAA Hoops powerhouse UConn. [1] In his first year at UConn, Villanueva was named to the Big East All-Rookie Second Team and was a key reserve on the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champion Connecticut Huskies team. As a sophomore, Villanueva was named second-team All-Big East after averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
In the Summer of 2004, Villanueva was a member of the gold medal-winning United States 21 and under team at the World Championships.
[edit] NBA career
The Toronto Raptors were widely criticized for selecting Villanueva seventh overall in the 2005 NBA Draft[2], but he responded with a solid rookie campaign, ranking second among rookies with 13.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg. He was second in the voting for the 2005-06 Rookie of the Year Award[3] and was selected to the 2005-06 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team.
On March 26, 2006, Villanueva set a career high and Raptors rookie record for points in a game with 48 in a 116-125 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. His point total was the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson scored 50 in 1997.
Villanueva was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard T. J. Ford and cash considerations on June 30, 2006.
As of the 2007 off-season, Villanueva has career averages of 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
[edit] Personal
Villanueva suffers from Alopecia areata, an autoimmune skin disease. This results in hair loss on the scalp and/or elsewhere on the body, but the disease is not otherwise life-threatening or harmful. Villanueva has become a spokesman for the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) to help others growing up with the same condition.[4] In March 2006, the NBA recognized his efforts by giving him the league's Community Assist Award for the month of February.[5]
Villanueva is fluent in Spanish, as it is the language he speaks with his family.
[edit] Honors
- 2003 - New Jersey State High School Co-Player of the Year, shared with Luol Deng
- 2003 - New Jersey High School All-State Team Honor Selection
- 2003 - McDonald's High School All-American
- 2004 - Big East Conference All-Rookie Team
- 2004 - NCAA National Championship, UConn Huskies
- 2004 - USA Junior World Basketball Team Gold Medalist
- 2005 - Big East All-Conference Second Team
- 2005 - NBA Draft Lottery Seventh Pick
- 2005 - Toronto Raptors Community MVP Award
- 2005 - Named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December
- 2006 - Selected to compete in the 2006 T-Mobile NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge in Houston
- 2006 - NBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of February
- 2006 - Toronto Raptors Franchise Rookie Record: Single-Game 48 Points
- 2006 - Toronto Raptors Franchise Rookie Record: Single-Game 18 Rebounds
- 2006 - NBA Rookie of the Year Runner Up, behind Chris Paul
- 2006 - NBA All-Rookie First Team Honors
- 2007 - Selected to compete in the 2007 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge in Las Vegas (did not play due to injury)
[edit] Trivia
- His idol growing up was Reggie Miller. His regular number is #3, but he wears #31 as a tribute to Miller, who retired after the 2004-05 season.[citation needed]
- Villanueva is known by the nicknames CV, Charlie V., CV31, and The Big Smooth.
[edit] References
- ^ Charlie Villanueva, Basketball-Reference.com. Accessed November 10, 2007.
- ^ "Raptors trade Charlie Villanueva to Bucks for T.J. Ford and cash", CBC, June 1, 2006.
- ^ 2006 Awards. Basketball-Reference.com.
- ^ Charlie Villanueva Biography, National Alopecia Areata Foundation, accessed 8 February 2007.
- ^ RAPTORS: Villanueva Receives NBA Community Assist Award for February
[edit] External links
- Charlie Villanueva Info Page at NBA.com
- Charlie Villanueva Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Villanueva's official website
- Villanueva's official Myspace page
- ESPN profile
- Yahoo! profile
- SI.com profile
- The Charlie Villanueva Foundation - still under construction
- National Alopecia Areata Foundation, spokesperson
- Charlie Inspires (video download of Villanueva inspiring other sufferers of alopecia areata)
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