'Cats' Pena a humble & hungry team leader

Antonio Pena isn't the No. 1 commodity on Villanova's ninth-ranked basketball team. The fifth-year forward probably isn't the runner-up, either. Or perhaps even third, at least statistically speaking.

Yet he's arguably been the most consistent. And maybe the most indispensable.

As coach Jay Wright puts it, he's a rock. A Villanova senior. And the way he runs his program, there's really no higher calling.

"I don't know where we'd be without him," said Wright, whose Wildcats (19-4, 7-3 Big East) visit Rutgers (12-11, 3-8) tonight. "It's never about him. Always the team. He's got everything in order.

"He took it upon himself to become a leader. He wanted that responsibility, and he's grown into it. Some people never do. But he's gone through the process. There's a maturity about him. He takes care of his business. It's just so rewarding to see where he is now."

Pena, 24, is one of three senior starters who made an unexpected run to the Sweet 16 as freshmen and got to a Final Four as sophomores. The 6-8 Pena came to the Main Line from Brooklyn's Lincoln High, by way of St. Thomas More Prep School (Oakdale, Conn.), which also sent Gary Buchanan and Dwayne Anderson to the Wildcats. His career hasn't always been the smoothest of rides.

After redshirting in 2006-07 because of a knee injury, he started 19 times his first season. Then he kind of went sideways as a sophomore. Last season, he doubled his scoring average, to 10.5 a game on 57.7 percent shooting, and upped his rebounds from 4.2 to 7 per. This time around, those numbers are roughly the same. Yet it just seems as if he's contributing so much more.

"I know my role," Pena said. "It's about doing whatever it takes, all the little things. We really believe in bringing the right attitude. Not everybody can be the star. You still have to get things done.

"I'm not going to sit here and lie. Any kid coming out of high school and going to a place like Villanova thinks he's going to be the man and score a lot of points and get the attention. Then you find out you have to learn how to be the best player you can be. In the long run, it pays off. You have to be willing to accept the challenge.

"I look at it as being humble and hungry. I don't mind if it's diving for loose balls, getting rebounds, playing defense, busting your butt. That's how you win games. If you do your job and leave everything out there, then I have no problem going back to the locker room with a smile on my face."

The one number that's different is his minutes. He's averaging nearly 32, an increase of nearly 7. And with sophomore center Mouphtaou Yarou continuing to, as Wright said, "struggle forward," Pena's steadying presence up front has become a key. He's also added a decent midrange jumper to his game, never a bad thing.

Nevertheless, Wright remains more impressed with what's inside.

"Right from the beginning, he's always been 100 percent committed," Wright said. "He just didn't take everything as seriously as he needed to. But that's Tone. Everyone loves him. But that doesn't help you on the court. I just knew he'd get it eventually . . .

"At times, certain guys can't take that fire in their face. He's probably taken more criticism from me than anyone. That's why he's one of my all-time favorites. He never questioned whether you were on his side. He'd say, 'I don't like it, but I know you're right.' He'd always tell you that, even in tough times. Then he'd get to work [correcting] it. He never wavered. And he was willing to listen.

"Going into this year, I knew he had the experience. Last year, he was in and out. Now I never want to take him off the floor. I worry about wearing him out. He can guard the 'three' man, the 'four' and the 'five.' Against Marquette, we had him handling the ball against the press . . . When I go after him, he knows it's not just directed at him. But he can handle it. You have to respect that."

His story hasn't unfolded exactly the way Pena envisioned. That can't alter what he's poured into it, or extracted from it. He's a piece of the equation who put in his time, sweat and patience the best he knew how. On the sufficiency meter, that's plenty.

"I can never thank [Wright] enough for what he's done for me, for the opporunity," Pena said. "He got on me, so I could respond. That's given me the confidence in myself to become a man. If he wasn't yelling at me so much, he probably wouldn't care. It does take some getting used to. I could be doing everything right, then something would go wrong and he'd just kill me. And I'd be like, 'But it's only one thing.' But that's how you get better. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

"A lot goes into this. I learned from the people that came before. I have to do the same for the younger guys, show them so they can pass it on to the next group. You have to leave something behind. If I were somewhere else, my stats might be better, but it wouldn't mean as much. For me, that's the main thing.

"It's been a tremendous experience. When I'm done, I know I can walk away satisfied that I did my part."

A bigger part than a casual first glance might indicate. *