The opponent was Texas-Pan American, a team with one victory to its hyphenated name, meaning DePaul was pretty much painting on a blank canvas.
Sometimes the paint ran and sometimes a wild bristle would mess things up, but in the end the Blue Demons won 93-82 Saturday and could begin pondering real art: Thursday’s game at Kansas.
DePaul coach Pat Kennedy was so worried that his team would be looking ahead to the game against the Jayhawks that he showed film of Texas-Pan American’s 101-94 loss Tuesday to New Mexico on the road. In that game, the Broncs led by as many as 18 in the second half before falling apart. Kennedy showed the film two hours before Saturday’s game at the Rosemont Horizon “for better shock value.”
He was breathing on his own again later Saturday.
“A very scary game for us,” Kennedy said.
No, scary is what happened last year, when the Blue Demons went 7-23 and probably would have lost this game. Six of those wins came against Division I opponents, so at 6-2, the Blue Demons already have matched that total.
Scary? Not when you have Quentin Richardson, who shot 12 of 15 from the floor, scored 26 points and had 16 rebounds. Bobby Simmons had 21 points and Willie Coleman had 20 points.
There never seemed to be a fear factor, even when the Broncs trimmed what had been an 18-point first-half lead to 62-56 with 12 minutes 28 seconds left in the game. The Blue Demons promptly went on an 11-0 run, as if it were simply a matter of putting their minds and bodies to making a push. And maybe it is with this club. Or at least it is against Texas-Pan American (1-9).
In the first half, the Broncs took some of the worst shots in recorded history, sending up backboard-seeking three-point attempts, flat jump shots and runners that had a distinctive limp.
“We’re not the type of team that can make mistakes and miss layups and expect to beat a team like DePaul,” coach Delray Brooks said.
By the time the Broncs’ leading scorer, Brian Merriweather, got his hottest, it was too late. He had 13 points in the final 10 1/2 minutes.
“Merriweather’s got to be on somebody’s all-something team,” Kennedy said. “He’s got the quickest release I’ve seen in a long time.”
The Blue Demons ran more than usual because their opponent gave more than usual. Most of Richardson’s points came on layups, and many of his layups came off rebounds. Almost all of it came in the context of a game that didn’t need a shot clock.
“I really like it when the pace is more up and down instead of halfcourt, kind of pound-the-ball, end-of-the-shot-clock type of thing,” Richardson said.
This piece of art DePaul is trying to create is very much a work in progress. It was only the eighth game the starting lineup has played together. Simmons is still learning when to take his shot. Kerry Hartfield, the point guard, is still learning how to play the position.
“I feel more comfortable playing the point now,” he said. “I’ve got to pass up my shot to get somebody else a better shot. But it’s been real tough. When I came in (from Southeastern Junior College in Iowa), I was a scorer.”
All five DePaul starters scored in double figures Saturday, with Hartfield getting 10.
As the Blue Demons mature and meld together better, better things should happen. But they and their fans are looking for more immediate gratification–say, Thursday in Lawrence, Kan.
“That’s going to be real fun,” said Richardson, who chose DePaul over Kansas.
