[Si] TV

Criticism comes in many different forms and can inspire individuals to ascend to new heights or cower under negative pressure. When basketball analysts counted out the former University of Connecticut b-ball star, Charlie Villanueva defied the critics when he was chosen seventh by the Toronto Raptors in the 2005 NBA draft. Villanueva's silky smooth jump shot (a rare skill for a 6' 11" player) and his rebounding prowess made him a gem in an otherwise uninspiring rookie class. In his first year, the Dominican dynamo averaged 13 points and 6.4 rebounds a game; helping him finish second in the rookie of the year voting (behind New Orleans' point guard Chris Paul) in the '05-'06 season. But just when CV seemed to have gotten adjusted to life in the L, he was unexpectedly traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2006 off-season.

"I didn't expect [the trade] at all," says the Queens, NY native with just a hint of disappointment, "but now I'm happy to be in Milwaukee." The surprise trade would have broken the spirits of most young players, but Villanueva has been proving nay sayers wrong since he entered the NBA. "I felt like a lot of people doubted me when I was picked so high," he says, "[so] I had to prove everybody wrong and that's exactly what I did."

And that's exactly what Villanueva has continued to do since he was diagnosed with Alopecia Universalis when he was just 10 years old. "Kids in elementary school would say mean things because they didn't understand," admits an empowered Villanueva so many years later. The skin disease which affects 1 in every 100,000 people caused CV to lose all of his hair, including his eyebrows. Now, Villanueva is using the NBA as a platform to help others who suffer from the same illness. CV is a spokesperson for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) and he often invites children afflicted with the disease to basketball games; giving the youngsters advice on how to overcome their sickness. "[I] just want to be around them and let them know they're not by themselves and that there's hope because I overcame it [and so can they]," encourages Villanueva. "It brings joy to my heart because every time I see the kids smiling it makes me feel good about what I'm doing."

Villanueva's pride stretches into everything he is a part of, including his Dominican heritage. Only one of three Dominican players currently in the NBA (a group which includes the Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford and Sacramento Kings' Francisco Garcia), Villanueva hopes to eventually play for the Dominican national team.

Still, international play isn't on top of CV's to-do list; first he must once again prove himself in the NBA. Since being in Milwaukee, Villanueva has struggled (he only played in 39 of 82 games last season due to a shoulder injury), but he continues to play hard, averaging 18 minutes, 7 points and 5 rebounds a game in this young '07-'08 NBA season. And while those numbers are a long departure from the 29 minutes, 13 points and 6 rebounds that CV posted in his rookie season, for Villanueva, it's just another source of motivation.