Villanueva showing no fear

The imposing presence of Alonzo Mourning stood between Charlie Villanueva and the basket as the Raptor rookie put his head down and attacked the rim late in the fourth quarter yesterday afternoon and there was a sense of impending doom.

Mourning, one of the NBA’s best shot blockers and as tough an inside presence as exists in the game, was having none of Villanueva’s youthful exuberance and solidly blocked the kid’s dunk attempt. But youth being youth and ignorance being bliss, Villanueva shook off the block, rebounded his own miss and laid the ball back in for a critical basket in Toronto’s 107-94 victory over Mourning and the Miami Heat.

“ I put it on the ground and I was like, ‘ I’m going to dunk this and take it right to him,’ ” said Villanueva. “ He blocked it, he’s a helluva shot- blocker but I stayed with it.”

It says something for Villanueva’s attitude that he knew it was Mourning guarding the basket and still he didn’t care.

“ I try to go at anybody, I don’t really care,” said the Raptor rookie. “ Alonzo could be a hall of famer, he’s a helluva player but he’s just a basketball player.”

Villanueva has proven himself to be something of a good basketball player of late. He entered yesterday’s game having averaged 21 points and nine rebounds in his previous four games and while his offence struggled, he grabbed 12 boards, including five on offence.

“ I couldn’t get my offence going and the coaches and vets were on me to get involved in other ways so I hit the boards,” he said.

Villanueva was also part of a big Raptor second quarter run that got them back in the game after a slow first quarter.

“ That’s what I’m supposed to be doing,” he said. “ I’m a rookie. The guys expect me to come in and give some energy.”