July 3, 2008

The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears weekly during the fall and into the basketball season and periodically from May through August. In this entry we meet the latest newcomer to the Wildcat basketball family, freshman-to-be Maurice Sutton.

It was a routine day midway through his senior year at Largo High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., and Maurice Sutton decided he would have some fun.

With his basketball profile having grown markedly, each morning there would be inquiries from classmates, teachers and others about his college destination. The 6-11 Sutton had elected not to sign in November's early signing period, thereby adding to the mystery. So on this occasion, Sutton decided to surprise folks with his answer.

"I signed with Villanova," he told folks in his U.S. Government classroom that day.

Congratulations were quickly offered but Sutton couldn't keep a straight face for long.

"I was playing with them," he says. "At that point Villanova wasn't even recruiting me. I just thought it sounded good."

It's said, though, that in all humor there is at least a measure of truth. For Sutton, that was very much the case. Although his contact with the Wildcats had been limited in the recruiting process at that juncture, there was no mistaking his affinity for the program and its leadership.

"I always liked Villanova," says Sutton now. "I just liked Coach Jay Wright and the style they play."

Not more than seven months later, Sutton is in fact, a Villanova basketball player. After helping lead Largo to the Maryland Class 3A state championship while averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots per outing, he stamped himself as one of the spring's top unsigned prospects. Indiana and Seton Hall were among those pursuing him at the end but it was Villanova that earned his signature on a national letter of intent.

He is now in summer school classes at the university with an eye towards the start of the 2008-09 academic year.

So just who is the newest Wildcat?

He is a well-mannered, polite individual who will turn 19 later this month and comes from an athletic family. His father, Maurice Sutton, Sr., played football at Norfolk State and his mother, Gwen Sutton, was a hoops player at North Carolina State. Sister Candace Sutton-Pearson played basketball at the University of North Carolina before graduating in 2004 and longtime National Basketball Association forward Chris Gatling is a cousin. So the youngest of Maurice Sutton Sr. and Gwen Sutton's three children has been exposed to the game from his earliest days.

"Basketball was always a part of my life," he says. "It wasn't something that my family forced on me but it was always there for me. I just remember always having a basketball in my hand."

Athletics, though, were only part of the equation in the Sutton household. Faith was an important consideration.

"For us, it was God first above everything, then school, and then basketball," recalls Sutton.

It is impossible for the Villanova observer to listen to Sutton and not hear echoes of Jason Fraser, another big man whose faith was a very visible part of his daily life. Those who may recall Fraser's experience in the 2002 McDonald's All-American game, when he moved to score a basket on his own team's goal, may see another parallel.

"I will never forget my first time on the court," Sutton says with a laugh of an early youth game. "I thought I had a fast break layup but it turned out that was because I went towards the other team's basket."

His progress from there was steady, if not startling. Blessed with height and a slender, athletic frame, Sutton made progress each year. By the time he reached high school he possessed intriguing size but little experience. He learned a bit about high-level basketball while watching his sister go through it en route to the Atlantic Coast Conference and took a liking to Kevin Garnett's game.

But he had much to discover about organized team basketball and found a willing tutor in Largo coach Lewis Howard.

"The learning process from ninth grade to 12th was very memorable," he says now. "As a ninth grader I didn't play basketball. I was coming in only with the basic fundamentals. The first time I really played high school basketball was as a sophomore. That was a real turning point for me to see what I had to do to get better. I was just the skinny kid running up and down the court.

"Coach Howard really showed me what I needed to do to improve. He told me that between my 10th and 11th grade year I really needed to be in the weight room. I did that and kept working on all facets of my game."

In 2006-07, Sutton played a key role as Largo rolled to a 24-1 record. In the process, colleges began to take notice. Instead of looking to sign at the first opportunity in the fall of his senior year, though, he elected to allow his senior season to play out before choosing a destination.

"I didn't sign early because God hadn't moved me to make a decision yet," he says now. "I thought there were other schools out there for me."

It would be hard to argue with the decision. Sutton was at the center of Largo's state title in 2007-08 and his value rose. There was no shortage of high-level suitors when April rolled around.

Villanova was among those with a serious interest.

"I'm very family oriented and that was one of the things I really liked about Villanova," says Sutton. "We were like a family in high school and this really reminds of that. It just felt like a real family here - everyone is on the same page with where they want to go.

"A lot of coaches hit you with how much you can play right away. That's cool and all. Of course, everyone wants to come in and play right away. Coach Wright was up front with me - we talked about the fact that all five starters would be back. He said it's possible I might redshirt this year. He put that on my shoulders and we'll test the waters when we get into the season and see what's best."

Sutton says he was able to look beyond the matter of first-year minutes to view the entire horizon of his college experience.

"As far as picking a school, I think this is where God had me to go," he states. "I have a lot of family up and down the East Coast. I don't think He wanted me to go that far from home.

"It's been great so far. Everyone has embraced me like a little brother. I'm learning and the older guys are teaching. It's going to be intense playing with these guys but I'm ready."

Through his first few days, Sutton has detected at least one trait among his new teammates.

"They go hard," he says. "It's very competitive. Everybody wants to win and that's how I am. I hate to lose."

So what does Sutton feel he can add to the `Cats when he officially dons the blue and white this fall?

"I run up and down the court," he says. "I'm long and I can block shots. I think I rebound well. I can step out and shoot. The screen and roll is something that has been effective for me.

"The biggest thing is that I'll do whatever I can to help us get the win."

About that Sutton is straightforward and serious.

And that's no joke.