Things aren't perfect, but Sheridan is at peace and his relationship with his father has improved.

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Just a month ago, the two finally closed the circle.

Sheridan went home and got his father, and together they drove to Villanova's most recent team banquet.

"We are closer now than we've ever been," Sheridan said. "We talk all the time, but I know it's hard. I know it's still really hard for him."

Indeed, although a relationship has been reborn, stronger and more honest than it was before, acceptance remains aloof.

Will Sr. admits he is worried what people will think, what his fellow churchgoers will say, when they read this article. He himself still struggles, straddling the line between enlightenment and ignorance.

At one point in a 30-minute phone conversation, Will Sr. said, "I don't use the word 'tolerate.' I 'appreciate.' I appreciate that this is who he is, and I believe this is who God wants him to be."

And then, only minutes later, he adds, "I treat him like he ain't. I believe one day he's going to change. He says he's not, but I believe he will. A man has to have some kind of belief and hope."

A year after graduation, Sheridan moved to New York City, taking his mother's advice to go to the bright lights and find his dream.

He met new friends, started hanging out at various clubs, but quickly grew tired of listening to what he thought were meaningless rappers whose music had no message.

Fueled by the perfect concoction of ignorance and hubris, he hosted his first party -- the Will to Win, he called it -- at the Spark Center, a tiny cafe attached to an Italian restaurant in New York. With virtually no fanfare -- he mentioned it on his blog -- he packed the place and more than 1,200 people downloaded his music after that night.

Sheridan had always been a writer -- in college he penned a journal for the Philadelphia Daily News during Villanova's 2006 NCAA tournament run and after, he wrote for Source magazine -- so writing lyrics wasn't a stretch.

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Courtesy of Will SheridanKenyan children from the town in which Sheridan found his inspiration hold up an EP of "Ngoma."

But a career as a musician? Sheridan wasn't certain.

At least not until he spent 10 days in Nairobi working at the Ruiru Rehabilitation Center.

And by work, Sheridan means toil. He and two friends went to Kenya on their own, interested in helping instead of vacationing. There, they refurbished the outside kitchen facilities while living on site.

"I've traveled a lot in my life for sports through basketball, but never anything like this," Sheridan said. "We watched people wake up at 5 a.m. to scrub the floors, then walk to school and come back and work more with us. It inspired me, and it really added to my personal power."

That power now has found its focus in Sheridan's music.

It is, he believes, himself in its truest form.

His first EP is called "Ngoma," which is Swahili for music. His first video, "Welcome to the Jungle," has a decidedly African rhythm and the constant refrain of the word "asante," which means thank you.

Thank you, music.

It is the perfect phrase to capture Sheridan.

Welcome To The Jungle

The lyrics to Will Sheridan's first music video have a distinctly African feel. To view the debut, which has well over 50,000 hits on YouTube, click here.

In music, he has found not only his purpose but also his voice. His songs are equal parts personal and inspirational. They are strong and powerful, with a message and a meaning.

And they are reaching people. He now has a deal with a record label, affording him the chance to make more polished videos, and he's hosting more parties with bigger crowds than ever.

He even counts his parents among his fans; his mom knows all the words to his songs and frequently comes to his shows. And although his dad admits, "It's not my kind of music," he thinks it's pretty good.

It all still seems fairly whirlwind to Sheridan, but his friends in the profession saw his success coming from his very first show.

"He just had such a stage presence," said Brittiny Porter, who goes by DJ Bonnie Danger and has worked with Sheridan frequently. "The way he performed, the delivery, his comfort. It was like he'd been doing it his whole life. He's just getting started, but I think he can definitely blow it out. There's no end for him."

Sheridan isn't about becoming world famous, "though I wouldn't mind it," he said with a laugh. He wants people to listen to his music and respond. He wants people to know who he is and react.

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Courtesy of Will SheridanWith a towering stage presence, Sheridan wants his music to come with a message and a meaning.

He's not naive. He knows some of that reaction might not be positive. But he's also not worried.

In fact, he's empowered.

"I'm prepared to cut the grass and let the snakes show themselves," he said. "I don't need people who won't be supportive. I have a career that I've earned. I have friends whose respect I've gained. I have this music thing that I've started. If you don't want to be in that conversation, then I just won't have the conversation with you. I'm proud of who I am."

Mostly Sheridan hopes that by speaking, by telling his story, others will share their stories, too.

And maybe together, with one person telling his or her story and another and another, they will finally put a stop to the turmoil and the stigma.

This won't be news anymore. It won't be such a big deal.

People will know Will Sheridan as a musician and an artist and a performer.

They'll remember that he was a Division I basketball player.

They'll know that he's gay.

And they won't care.

Dana O'Neil covers college basketball for ESPN.com and can be reached at espnoneil@live.com. Follow Dana on Twitter: @dgoneil1.