VillaNostalgia.

It was the summer of 2001. I remember my first day as a nervous wide-eyed, anxious freshman. An inner city Milwaukee kid stepping my size 16 foot on the safe, cozy suburban catholic campus scared to death! Leading up to this day i was so excited to start my college hoops career. There was a preconceived vision I had created in my mind of what villanova would be for me. It was if i had written a script in my mind. I would come in & work diligently, hone my skills over the years,earn a starting position, excel at academics, achieve individual and team accolades, maybe bag a beauty or two, graduate and take my game to the NBA. Sounds simple right? Reality check. About 90% of the actual college life of chris charles didn't match the storyline that i'd dreamt of. As the lead role i was left to constantly excercise my improv skills. My pre-written script had gone out the window. All the recruitment letters, home visits from big time coaches you see on tv, presentations, calls, campus visits. All that was gone. Now the real deal started. Action. The beginning of the rest of my life!
Coach Jay Wright said that this program was a family. It was knowing this that helped me maintain through the suspenseful hard times in my movie. Hospital stays, heart issues, ample bench time, surgery, family pressure, fans insults...this was shaping up to be a jocks horror flick! The family was my stability though. Becoming apart of that family and program would be a major part of my development not only as a ballplayer but most importantly as a man. From the outside looking in, the average fan would think a college basketball program is about espn glamour, sports glory and winning. Face value stuff. I initially had those thoughts too but beyond the high pitched praises of Dick Vitale, the national attention, campus love... there is so much more to college basketball. At least for me it was and i wasn't even the guy who you see in post game interviews hitting all the clutch shots. I was THAT BENCH GUY. What kept me focused was that FAMILY atmosphere, not just some recruiting pitch used to lure in high school kids. Everyone on the team had their own roles,personalities and beliefs but we all lived by the word ATTITUDE. It was something that was embedded into our collective psyches. Jay Wrights system was built on having a positive attitude no matter the circumstances. You can't always control certain situations but we all have the choice to decide how we react. This extends beyond any hardwood floor and into the game of life. We shared a special bond because we all bought into something that was bigger than ourselves. Many of my peers that i grew up with in milwaukee chose to channel their energy into the negative version of this sense of belonging... gangs. Attitude is what kept me inspired in my leading role. When you walked in our locker room it was written on the wall. We said it in huddles. We wrote it on our shoes. We yelled it during our summer workouts, It was on peoples away messages. This wasn't a corny mantra. It was a difference maker. What made me and my teammates experience so unique at 'nova was that the lessons we learned not only prepared us for the demands and expectations as D1 student-athletes but they equipt us for life in the real world when the ball deflates. Responsiblity, team work, accountablity, persistence, going hard in everything you do were the hallmarks to our growth as men inside & outside the lines.
I miss college like hip-hop misses pac & biggie so whenever i get in that good ol' nostalgic mood (which usually happens...ALOT) i will highlight villanova basketball related topics i.e. throwback clips like the one about to grace my blog, interviews with wildcats etc.. Welcome to the new segment of Basketball Diaries called VillaNostalgia. The first installment features a trip down memory lane circa '06 whenmy old college squad was ranked # 2 in the country. Oh the good ol' days. On that note shout out to fellow wildcat Randy Foye and his foundation doing big things for the kids of Newark. Also, shout out to the current wildcat roster. Lil' whipper snappers. GO CATS!

P.S. To all my nova boys from the team that was ranked #2 in the country. " Shep they can't erase what we were!"- Bernie Mac in Above The Rim. RIP