David Booth shed his allergy to defense Wednesday night. It couldn`t have happened at a better time.
Booth`s uncharacteristically tough defensive game was just about the best thing that could happen to the De Paul Blue Demons, who play powerful Louisville, Cincinnati and Florida State in their next three games.
Booth, who was criticized by coach Joey Meyer just 72 hours earlier for lackluster defense against Marquette, was terrific on defense against Bradley`s high-scoring James Hamilton as the Demons beat the outclassed Braves 68-50 at the Horizon.
Hamilton, a 6-foot-7-inch, 210-pound sophomore, scored 19 points. But only one basket came when he was being closely guarded, fronted, bumped and hounded by the usually non-physical 6-7, 190-pound Booth.
Bradley coach Jim Molinari, a former De Paul assistant, said Booth`s swift improvement and switch from finesse to physical defender was due to
”motivation caused by the law of diminishing minutes played.
”David knew he had to improve defensively or he wouldn`t play as much,” said Molinari. ”Joey is confronting guys on their weaknesses.”
Meyer pulled Booth late in the Marquette game and indicated that he was due for more time on the bench if he didn`t improve defensively. That was all the incentive Booth needed.
”David worked real hard in practice,” said Meyer. ”He showed a good attitude. He showed me he can play defense. He was very physical, and that was a key. I should have played him more minutes than I did (21) tonight, but I was trying to work in different combinations and players.”
”I concentrated on defense more,” said Booth. ”I worked on it in practice because I know I`d slacked off. I worked one-on-one against a smaller, quicker man like Howard Nathan. And I played physical against bigger men.”
Booth, as usual, was a force on offense as the Demons (15-6) won the ninth in their last 10 games. He hit two of the five three-point baskets De Paul made in the first eight minutes when it sprinted to a 23-7 lead over a Braves team that packed its defense inside and dared the Demons to fire from three-point range.
Nathan, Booth`s Peoria neighbor, hit one of the early threes. Joe Daughrity made the other two. That early rush put the game out of reach. De Paul led 33-12 with 5:44 left in the half and 38-23 at the half.
In the second half, Meyer switched defensive assignments and put 6-10 Stephen Howard on Hamilton. Howard had been playing excellent post defense recently, but Hamilton took the 6-10 Howard outside and drove on him for four quick baskets. Meyer then switched Booth back on Hamilton.
”We took a chance and let De Paul shoot the threes,” said Molinari,
”and they hit those first five. I think De Paul definitely is a tournament team. Joey has the team going the right direction.”
Howard led De Paul`s closely packed scorers with 14 points. Booth had 13, including a breakaway layup after a steal. Terry Davis scored 10. Daughrity and Tom Kleinschmidt had nine apiece. Charles White and Hamilton had 20 and 19 for Bradley (6-17), but the next-highest man had just four points.
Is De Paul a tournament team? Meyer, who has ducked that question in previous seasons on the bubble, agreed with Molinari.
”We feel we`re a tournament team,” said Meyer. ”We`re more unselfish. We`re more enthusiastic and excited for the game than at any time this year.” And the scoring leaders-first Howard and now Booth-are playing good defense. That`s a bonus.
