Despite sitting in last place at the end of the 2007-08 season, Charlie Villanueva is optimistic that the Bucks can be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. City Weekend spoke with the 24-year-old NBA player to find out what Villanueva is bringing to the basketball court this year.

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An off-season trade that included bringing seven-year NBA veteran Richard Jefferson from the New Jersey Nets to the Bucks, a chance to be a starter for the 2008-09 season after coming off the bench for most of his career and a new diet ripe with organic foods are just a few of the reasons Charlie Villanueva says he thinks the Milwaukee Bucks can bring some serious competition to the field.

The seventh overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, Villanueva begins his fourth season in the NBA. Averaging 6 rebounds and nearly 12 points in the 2007-08 season, the power forward says ratcheting up his play and hitting a double double isn’t out of the question. City Weekend hooked up with #31 to go over the stats sheet.

City Weekend: In the three years you’ve now got under your belt, what conclusions have you drawn about being a player in the NBA? Charlie Villanueva: You have to bring it every night, on any given night. You have to be ready. Every team is coming at you and everyone can play. You have to take care of your body. For me, it’s more of mental thing than physical. And mentally, I’m prepared.

CW: Was this league everything you’d thought and expected it to be? CV: It is 100 percent what I thought it would be. It’s a dream come true. It’s something I’ve waited a long time to get to. I’m fortunate and blessed to get into my fourth season, and hopefully many more.

CW: As it is your four season as an NBA player, what are you expectations for yourself as the new season gets closer? CV: My individual goal is to average a double double, and get better defensively. I can be a double-double guy in this league. As far as my defense, I’ve been working hard and improving a lot.

CW: What are your expectations for your team and how they will perform this year? CV: This season is a different year. The Bucks have a lot of new faces on the team. The whole coaching staff is new. We only have six players returning from last year. Chemistry is going to be a big factor for the upcoming season, and jelling early. This team is going to be very successful. We have a good group of guys.

CW: You hired a nutritionist this past summer and changed your diet completely. What did the diet consist of before and how has changing it translated into how you play on the court? CV: Before, I didn’t look at what I was eating. I would eat at all sorts of hours. I felt if I was hungry, I ate. I was a big cereal guy, and I nearly ate cereal every hour.

One player gave me the analogy if you had a sports car, would you put the cheap gas in it? You wouldn’t, you’d put the expensive gas in it. So I cut back on the junk food and started eating more organic food. It gives you so much more energy and keeps you focused all the time.

CW: What cereal were you constantly eating and how hard is it now to refrain? CV: It has to be Fruit Loops. I get cravings all the time, but I have to remind myself not to eat that kind of food. It’s a mental thing. Fruit Loops is tough. But I try and refrain.

CW: The Bucks just acquired Richard Jefferson from the New Jersey Nets. The Bucks also have Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd and Luke Ridnour. What kind of team chemistry do the Bucks have right now as preseason gears up? CV: We haven’t had a chance to practice or play yet. I’ve been in Milwaukee a few weeks. Mo Williams was just traded to Cleveland and I we got Luke Ridnour. I’ve played with him. But having Richard [Jefferson], with his experience, will help out on the team. He’s won a lot in NJ, gone to the finals twice and he brings experience.

CW: From your alma mater, the University of Connecticut, Rudy Gay is now on the Memphis Grizzlies, Josh Boone on the New Jersey Nets and Marcus Williams plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. What players do you see or talk to from your former school and how do you feel they’re doing in the NBA? CV: We are a very close family. Even the guys who didn’t go to UConn with me, such as Ray Allen, we all played under Coach [Jim] Calhoun, and we’re all a family. As far as Marcus and Rudy, we’re always in contact. Emeka Okafor [of the Charlotte Bobcats], I’ve actually worked out with him a few times.

CW: There were 10 international players selected to the NBA during your 2005 draft year, 15 in 2006, and 12 in 2007. How do you feel the growing number of international players who want to participate in the NBA affects the league? CV: It’s a good thing. The NBA has expanded overseas and we’re getting international players here, it makes it more competitive and interesting. It’s the best league in the world, so why not have the best players in the world?

CW: As Team USA just won the gold medal here in Beijing at the 2008 Olympic Games, did you watch any of the tournament and, if so, what are general feelings on how Team USA performed? CV: They played with a chip on their shoulder. They had swagger, they had one team goal. They were called the Redeem Team, and they showed it. They played as a team. Most of the guys around the team are the best players on their respective teams, and to see them come together with one common goal, they did a tremendous job.

CW: Do you have any aspirations of being on a future Olympic team? CV: Actually, both my parents are from the Dominican Republic, so one of my goals is to represent the Dominican Republic one day.

CW: Given that in January of this year NBA China was created to begin tapping into the Chinese market, how do you feel about the NBA coming to China and what do you think it does for the league? CV: NBA expanding to China is a good move. It’s obviously a good business decision. But the game has also expanded. We’ve got Yao Ming [of the Houston Rockets] and Yi [Jianlian of the New Jersey Nets]. There will be more to come. It’s a huge move for the NBA.

CW: When it’s not playing basketball, what are you doing and why? CV: I’m probably at home watching a movie. I am a huge Denzel Washington fan. The most recent film I saw was Dark Knight. That was a great movie.

CW: In reading up on your foundation, the Charlie Villenueva Foundation, what is the foundation doing for the remainder of 2008 and through 2009? CV: We just finished up doing a bunch of summer activities. We donated 10,000 pairs of Crocs to the Dominican Republic. Once the season starts it will be about playing, but during the off-season we’ll be kicking around some more ideas and working to help out more through the foundation.

Villanueva and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks will be playing a pair of games with the Golden State Warriors in China this October as part of preseason. Oct. 15 the two teams play in Guangzhou at the Guangzhou Gymnasium and then again Oct. 18 in Beijing at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena.