Sumpter wants to carry Wildcats

During the opening of Villanova preseason basketball this fall, fans at the Pavilion chanted Curtis Sumpter's name before they even saw him.

When he ran onto the court and into a spotlight, it was a long-awaited homecoming.

He felt the goose-bump, spine-tingling thrill of being healthy and playing on a basketball court, a thrill he had never thought he would lose.

However, this season has provided both a remarkable comeback and a frustrating struggle for Sumpter. What he reminds himself, however, is that the season is not over.

"In the beginning of the season, I was like, 'Yes! I'm back playing,' " Sumpter said. "Then it was like, 'Yes, I'm excited, but I don't know. . . . I want to do a lot better than what I'm doing.

"I want to set the tone from beginning to end," the native of Brooklyn, N.Y., said, "like, 'Villanova is here. I'm Curtis Sumpter. We're going to take it to you and win this game.' "

That's the attitude the senior takes into ninth-seeded Villanova's (21-9, 9-7) first-round game of the Big East tournament against eighth-seeded DePaul (18-12, 9-7) today at Madison Square Garden.

Most of Sumpter's story is well-known.

The Sumpter lore includes how he injured his knee, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2005 NCAA tournament, and underwent surgery and rehabilitation all summer only to re-tear it during a preseason practice, which forced him to take a medical redshirt last season as his classmates marched toward the Elite Eight.

Sumpter has played only a game and a half in the NCAA tournament, so you can bet he craves playing there again.

"It would mean a lot to me," the 6-foot-7 first-team all-Big East forward said. "I haven't had a great experience there."

What people don't know about Sumpter is how tough this season has been for him.

He never publicly showed more than a grimace as a result of a painful hamstring injury in the early part of the season and an annoying shin bruise suffered on Jan. 17.

He entered the season as the obvious go-to guy, but his scoring leveled out as Villanova adapted to a cast of young players and his injuries wore on him.

"He was like, 'Oh, I give up,' " Sumpter's mother, Priscilla Robinson, said, recalling a phone conversation with her son. "He began to cry because he had worked so hard. I said, 'Curt, you got through the hard part. . . . You've got to continue to fight. You're not done.' "

Two days later, he called her again and said he would try.

Injuries kept Sumpter from starting three games and playing in one - against Texas - and his practice time was limited. His scoring average fell from 20.1 points per game on Dec. 20 to 16.9 points by Feb. 19.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said he told Sumpter, "You're going to come back fresh when everyone else is worn down."

Sumpter, who is back to full-tilt practices, looked recharged in the last two regular-season games, with back-to-back double doubles. At Connecticut, he scored 18 points and had 10 rebounds, and against Syracuse he posted 20 points and a career high of 15 rebounds.

"We always judge people by their actions," Wright said. "You look at those plays, big defensive rebounds, big offensive rebounds, hustle plays. That's where he's saying: 'I'm going to get things done.' "

Sumpter, who is averaging 17 points (which is third in the Big East) and 7.3 rebounds, said he did not feel he was as good as he was as a junior, when he averaged 15.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.

Conference coaches, who voted Sumpter to the all-Big East first team, disagreed with his harsh assessment.

"I have the utmost respect for him coming back," Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said. "I've seen guys who haven't come back with the level of success he has. I think he's become a better player, and that means a lot."

Sumpter's goal is playing in the NBA, something he chose after his junior season. He said he was now hopeful because his knee was 100 percent healthy and he was feeling "better and better every day."

A scout, who wished to remain anonymous, said Sumpter would likely be a second-round draft pick.

"Villanova is having a good year, and he's one of the leaders," the scout said. "But he's not the guy to carry a team. That's not his style."

That is exactly what Sumpter is trying disprove.

"I think a lot of people are still unsure about it," he said. "I want to prove I can get it done. Tough games, close situations, I can still be the one to win a game for the team."