Athletes - Charlie Villanueva

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	Athletes - Charlie Villanueva

Charlie Alexander Villanueva (born August 24 1984 in Brooklyn, New York) is an NBA player for the Toronto Raptors.

Villanueva is a first-generation American, son of Dominican immigrants, Roberto Villanueva and Doris Mejia. He grew up in Queens before moving to New Jersey and resides in Brooklyn, which he calls home. A 6'10" (6'11" with shoes) power forward, he was drafted 7th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2005 NBA Draft.

After the Raptors traded Jalen Rose to the New York Knicks for center Antonio Davis, Villanueva has been designated as the Raptors starting small forward.

He attended high school at Blair Academy, with Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng, where he earned All-American honors as a senior as well as New Jersey Co-player of the Year. He entered the NBA Draft but decided to withdraw his eligibility to attend college at the University of Connecticut.

In his first year at UConn, Villanueva was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team. In the Summer of 2004, Villanueva was a member of the gold medal-winning United States 21 and under team at the World Championships. He was also a member of the 2004 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champion Connecticut Huskies.

Villanueva had surprised many fans and sports reporters by averaging 16.9 points per game in the 2005-2006 pre-season. This led all rookies in the pre-season and surpassed the second-best rookie by 4.5 points.

Villanueva suffers from an autoimmune skin disease called alopecia areata which affects 4.7 million Americans. This results in hair loss on his scalp and elsewhere on his body, but the disease is not otherwise life-threatening or harmful. Villanueva has become a spokesman for the NAAF (National Alopecia Areata Foundation) to help others growing up with the same condition. In March 2006, the NBA recognized his efforts by giving him the league's Community Assist Award for the month of February.

Villanueva is also known by the nicknames Charlie V. and The Big Smooth. He is currently ranked second in the running for this year's award.

On March 26, 2006. Charlie Villanueva set a Career High and Raptors Rookie High in Points with 48 against the Milwaukee Bucks. His 48 points are the most by a rookie since Allen Iverson scored 50 in 1997.

Honors

2005 - Named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December
2006 - Selected to compete in the 2006 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge in Houston

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Charlie Villanueva ]

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Athletes - Charlie Villanueva

Honors

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