Ex-Villanova star debunks a myth

The idea that modern-day male athletes can't come out as gay is slowly turning into a myth. The idea that teammates can't handle such a thing? Utterly false - at least when it comes to Villanova basketball.

In a must-read story on ESPN.com, Dana O'Neil writes about how years ago former Villanova forward Will Sheridan came out to teammates, how it didn't change the dynamic of some fine 'Nova basketball teams even a little bit.

As a Villanova freshman in 2003-04, Sheridan told another freshman, Mike Nardi. Sheridan later told other teammates. Nardi joked to O'Neil that there was never a team meeting about it. Villanova coach Jay Wright wasn't even told until after Sheridan graduated in 2007.

"After I found out, I was like, 'Did you know?' " Wright told O'Neil. "And all the guys, they were like, 'Yeah, Coach, we knew,' " Wright said. "They just didn't care and I guess I was just oblivious."

Not that he cared, either.

"He was the perfect student, the perfect student-athlete, the perfect teammate. He never gave me an ounce of worry," Wright said. "He was so low maintenance. You could ask him to do anything and he'd do it. I don't know. It sounds weird, but it never came up."

Here's another myth that can go away: Searching for words to describe Sheridan's play, "blue-collar" often fit the bill. He wasn't a big scorer, but a tough player, a guy who always did the little things that contributed to victories. His junior year, Villanova reached the Elite Eight with the 6-foot-8 Sheridan starting at power forward.

He also didn't hide his artsy side at Villanova, and now is a 26-year-old musician performing in New York clubs. Nothing surprising to his old teammates, who hadn't seen anything worth sharing with the outside world.

"Your personal life is your personal life," Nardi said. "It didn't matter to us because it's family and you don't go putting your family's secrets out in the streets. I mean, why would I tell anyone? It's no one's business except Will's."

. . . and his constant low blows to Donovan McNabb?

I'd heard B-Hop showed up at the NovaCare Complex years ago and McNabb basically ignored him while other Eagles talked him up. That has the ring of truthiness. Hopkins already had made local-icon status, and it's believable he'd take such a slight extremely personally.

In Monday's paper, I wrote about Congie DeVito, the inspiration behind King Congie in Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Former Temple video coordinator Dave Cartularo checked in Monday with another Congie story, from 1992, when DeVito was still in high school, living in Downingtown.

"My favorite Congie moment, the morning after Temple lost to the Fab 5 in Seattle," Cartularo said. "The team took a red eye into Philly. The only Temple people there to greet the team at 6 a.m. were Congie, his mom, and me. I only lived five minutes from the airport. They lived about 45 minutes [away]."

. . . are backup centers like lefthanded relief pitchers? Can't help but think that when seeing Nazr Mohammed is still going strong, now with Oklahoma City, in his 12th NBA season. . . . Will Joe Biden be back at the Stotesbury Regatta this week, just sitting in the grandstand near the finish line like the Veep did last year, watching his granddaughter row? . . . Is there an Antonio Bastardo fan club yet? Plenty of possibilities there, legitimate or not.