Villanova’s Booth seeks more ‘shining moments’
PITTSBURGH » The last time Phil Booth played in an NCAA tournament game, he wound up with confetti in his hair, a national championship hat perched on his head and sitting on a riser in the middle of NRG Stadium watching “One Shining Moment” with his teammates after the Wildcats stunned North Carolina to win the 2016 national championship game.
Booth was the leading scorer on that April night in Houston with 20 points, and was nearly perfect. He shot 6-for-7 overall, 2-for-2 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free throw line, including two with 35 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 72-69 lead.
It’s been a long, tough road back to the Big Dance for the 6-foot-3 redshirt junior guard out of Baltimore. Booth missed all but three games last season with an injury to his left knee and seven games this season with a fractured bone in his right (shooting) hand.
Now the knee is fine and so is the hand and Booth is raring to go as the topseeded Wildcats (30-4) prepare for Thursday’s firstround showdown with Big South tournament champion Radford (23-12) at PPG Paints Arena (6:50 p.m., TNT).
“I’m glad to be back for sure,” Booth said.
The toughest part for Booth a year ago was being on the bench, not being able to help his teammates as they dropped a 6562 decision to Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAAs. Yet it turned out to be a valuable learning experience for him, especially when he was hit by the injury bug again this season.
“It made me stronger mentally more than anything,” Booth said. “It’s given me a bounce-back attitude. That’s what life is all about.”
The return from the broken hand has been a roller coaster ride for Booth. He scored 14 points in his return to the lineup against DePaul Feb. 21 and then did not score in double digits again until the Big East tournament, when he posted 15 points in the win over Marquette and 14 in the victory over Butler.
Booth then went scoreless in the triumph over Providence. That’s the first time Booth failed to score since the win over Kansas in the 2016 South Region final. Yet he did not let his offensive struggles against the Friars keep him from making a contribution in that game. He turned in a solid defensive effort and did other little things to help the Wildcats win their third Big East tournament title in the last four years.
Villanova coach Jay Wright was not surprised. He’s knows how resilient Booth can be.
“I actually think it’s been tougher on his parents (Phil Sr. and Robin),” Wright said of the injuries. “He’s got great parents who really support him and support us … I could tell the night he broke his hand, his mom was crushed; more for him, like, you know, now this? Like, he can’t get through a year (without an injury?)
“But it does not affect him. He’s incredible, man. He’s got the best attitude. I still think he’s not 100 percent yet, but he’s getting closer. He had a great practice today. As a matter of fact, he had our best practice. He was the best player in practice today. He’s so mature. He’s been through so much. He’s very intelligent. I think he’s in a great place. I think he’s going to have a great tournament.”
That wouldn’t be a surprise. Booth has played pretty well in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 7.8 points per game during the national championship run and nine points in two games as a freshman in 2015.
Ironically, that first NCAA tournament experience came in the same building where Booth is making his March Madness return, only it was known as the Consol Energy Center back then. The Wildcats were the No. 1 seed in the East Region that year, too. Booth hopes to leave the Steel City with better memories this time around.
“I remember we ran into a very good team in N.C. State,” Booth said. “It was a tough loss. I remember just being in this locker room and being upset after that loss. It was tough.”
The Wildcats fell to the eighth-seeded Wolfpack that year, 71-68. They could face another No. 8 seed out of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the second round Saturday if Virginia Tech knocks off ninth-seeded Alabama in the second game of Thursday’s night doubleheader.
Booth, though, is not looking that far ahead and neither are his teammates. Radford is the only team on his mind. He’s focused on the Highlanders, and being back in the Big Dance after a one-year absence.
“Last year was hard watching the way it went down in Buffalo against Wisconsin, so it’s definitely great to be back,” Booth said.