Bob Ford: Villanova's freshmen no longer so young

In March, beneath the glare of the NCAA tournament, there are no freshmen.

There are first-year players perhaps, but having helped their teams to this very large stage, there are no longer any real freshmen.

Thirty games of Division I ball separate the players from the played, and they definitely separate all of them from the cozy comfort of high school.

"We no longer have a young team," Villanova forward Dante Cunningham, a grizzled junior, said before practice yesterday. "We've all been through the grind. This is next year that is starting now. With the freshmen, you can tell by the way they practice now. They just come out and go hard. Every practice is a battle."

Those battles make it possible for Villanova, and the other tournament teams, to compete in the real games of survival. On Friday night in Tampa, the Wildcats will try for a first-round NCAA upset over Clemson, a team that hasn't done much lately unless you count an ACC tournament win over Duke and a five-point loss to North Carolina in the final.

Clemson is very good, a little scattered sometimes, but very good. The same description could apply to Villanova, and much of what the Wildcats bring to the court Friday depends on what their freshmen bring - particularly guards Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher.

This is the time of year when guards, whatever their actual height, become very large. Clemson likes to pressure the basketball, often frenetically, and forces its share of turnovers. On the other end, the Tigers can give up the basketball in the face of pressure as well.

Which team wins the ball-control battle, which gets the easy run-out baskets after turnovers, will probably be the team that advances to the second round on Sunday. Coach Jay Wright says his team can handle the pressure, of the tournament and of the Tigers, but the freshmen must be part of the answer.

"They've been through so much. We've played everywhere. We played in Madison Square Garden, in Louisville, in Florida. It used to be the NCAA tournament was so unique because you're playing in big arenas. Now you do that all year round," Wright said. "I do think our freshmen, especially Fisher and Stokes, play like upperclassmen a little bit more than they did at the middle of the year."

Early in the season, it was Fisher who made the first jump, gaining the starting point guard role, which allowed sophomore Scottie Reynolds to come off screens and become a first-strike offensive option. Later in the season, Wright began to use the taller Stokes more at shooting guard, moving Reynolds to the point. Against Clemson, which starts a junior and a senior at guard, one 6-foot-5 and the other 6-3, Villanova figures to go with its longer lineup, but Fisher will have to come through when he's on the court, too.

"A big part of this week is making sure that Corey Fisher gets [his edge] back," Wright said. "We need him to play like he did earlier in the year, and I think he can do that."

In the Big East tournament, Stokes had a breakout game with 18 points in the Wildcats' opening win over Syracuse. That earned him the start the following day in the quarterfinal loss to Georgetown.

"My teammates have told me during the season when I have a good game that I'm not a freshman anymore," Stokes said. "I'm starting to believe them."

"I think I've come a long way," he said. "At the beginning of the season, my shot wasn't falling. I don't know why, but shooters shoot. So I just kept shooting, and they started falling in. Coach Wright just told me to stay confident and not get down on myself."

The payoff has been obvious. With Fisher, who is smaller but quicker, the season has almost been reversed. It is right now that he has to work to keep his confidence.

"It's part of being a freshman. You're going to have your ups and downs," Fisher said. "I'm a totally different guy from the start of the season. I'm more comfortable on the court, and I know that whatever happens, we have to stick together and play as one."

Whatever happens Friday, just getting to the NCAA tournament has made the season a success for the young Villanova team. That doesn't mean it can't be more of a success, though, and Wright is lecturing them on not being satisfied.

"I want to get the point across to them that you never know what's going to happen tomorrow, that you never know what's going to happen next year," Wright said. "You've got to take advantage of the opportunity right now. Don't just be happy to be in."

For the first-year players, of course, every lesson, every new step along the way, is a novel experience. It is a lot to absorb, but they have already learned so much, back when they were freshmen, way back in November and December. It seems so long ago.