The Villanova Update

We know all of you have been waiting for the latest update on Villanova's Curtis Sumpter. Fine, it hasn't been on your list of priorities, but for Wildcat alumni, this is important...

There is no calendar hanging in his dorm room with a big red circle around a certain date.

In Curtis Sumpter's mind, though, Feb. 26 is his red-letter day.

Villanova plays at Connecticut on that Sunday afternoon.

Sumpter, currently rehabbing his second ACL injury, would like to be in that game. "I tell myself Feb. 26, that's when I'd like to be back by," the Villanova senior said. "I hope that's it."

On Monday, Sumpter will find out if that target has any chance of being hit. He will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to meet with Dr. James Andrews, the surgeon who performed his November ACL surgery.

...To outsiders, Sumpter's target date seems nothing shy of silly. As of Feb. 26, the Wildcats will have three regular-season games left. At best, Sumpter's senior season would consist of 13 games and that's only if Villanova were to play for both the Big East Tournament championship and the NCAA championship.

The more logical choice would be to sit out this year and take the medical redshirt available, return next season healthy and strong. By not doing so, Sumpter not only is denying himself a full season, he could be risking millions of dollars.

Before he got hurt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, NBA scouts were salivating over Sumpter, in love with his ability to post up or step out and knock down threes, his ballhandling skills and his defense.

With an entire season to prove his knee woes are behind him, Sumpter would likely again be a legitimate candidate for a first-round draft pick and the guaranteed contract that comes with that.

A questionable Sumpter probably will have to earn his way on a team as a free agent and pray for some guaranteed money.

Sumpter knows all of that and he still wants to come back this year. Asked were he a betting man, would he take the odds on a return this season, he said quietly, "I would."

"I understand what people are saying, but my team is more important than that," Sumpter said. "These are the guys I've been with, the relationships I've built. The NBA, who knows what's going to happen there? I've already had two knee surgeries. If I feel like we have a chance to win a championship, then that's all I care about."

This season has been as painful emotionally as it has been physically. Four years ago, he, Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Jason Fraser came to Villanova with big dreams. Ray, Foye and Fraser are realizing them, taking the Wildcats to a 9-0 start and a No. 3 ranking.

Sumpter has watched it all from the sidelines, pedaling to nowhere on a stationary bike while his teammates practice or stuck on press row in street clothes during games.

This opens up all kinds of debate for Villanova fans -- whether it might screw with chemistry to bring Sumpter back, whether it's potentially better for both Sumpter and the program if he redshirts, whether Curtis can be effective with such a short rehab, whether he might do further damage to the knee and whether Wright should make him sit out, etc. The addition of Shane Clark to the rotation gives Wright another big body, and one who can supply some of the game that Sumpter brought to the table. It's a testament to the depth of talent on this team that were Sumpter healthy, we would have a serious battle for minutes on the front line.

In the meantime, I'm nervous as we prep for the first Big East game, at Louisville tomorrow. We already saw how tough the Big East will be this season for even the highly ranked squads, as UConn fell to Marquette last night. Nova gets the stacked schedule to maximize TV matchups, but hopefully it doesn't wear down our brilliant guards. Now, time to get some tickets...