PITTSBURGH — Calm, poised, talented Villanova point guard Dylan Ennis was talking about calm, poised, talented Villanova point guard Phil Booth.
“He’s 18,” Ennis said, shaking his head and smiling. “Playing in the NCAA Tournament like that, and he’s an 18-year-old true freshman. It’s great, isn't it?"
Booth has become quite a secret weapon for Villanova.
He’s coach Jay Wright’s third guy off the bench, but he just keeps getting better and better, forcing Wright into giving him more and more minutes.
Booth, who was attending Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore a year ago, made his NCAA Tournament debut Thursday night and was typically efficient, with nine points in 20 minutes in Villanova’s 93-52 win over Lafayette in the Eastern Regional at CONSOL Energy Center (see game story).
Booth made three of four shots, including both his threes, and has now made 50 percent or better of his threes in 10 of his last 13 games.
“I see a lot of me in him, the way he comes off ball screens, the way he gets after it defensively,” said Ennis, who led Villanova with 16 points Thursday.
“I think if he sticks with it, he could be one of the great Villanova guards here. It might come as a surprise to everybody that he could come into his first NCAA game and play like that, but I’ve seen this kid play since August, and it doesn’t surprise any of us because we’ve seen it every day.”
Like just about everybody else on this Villanova team, Booth can flat-out stroke it from deep.
He’s got a quick release and perfect form, and as the year’s gone on, he’s gotten more and more accurate.
Booth was 13 for 35 from deep in Villanova’s first 21 games (37 percent), but since then he’s 16 for 27, which is 59 percent from beyond.
Which is nuts.
Overall, that’s 29 for 62 for 46.8 percent. If he had more attempts, he’d be second in the Big East, behind only teammate Josh Hart (47.3 percent), another underclassman from Maryland who comes off the bench.
“It's the NCAAs, and I've dreamed about this all my life, definitely,” Booth said. “But once the game gets here, I just focus on what I’m supposed to be doing and don’t get caught up in it.”
Villanova, 33-2, No. 2 in the country and No. 1 seed in the East, faces No. 8 seed North Carolina State at 7:10 p.m. Saturday for a berth in the Sweet 16 in Syracuse.
The Wildcats have one of the most talented rosters in the country and two exceptional point guards in Ennis and Ryan Arcidiacono.
But Booth has made it impossible for Wright not to find him minutes.
He averaged 11 1/2 minutes per game through early January but is at 17 minutes per game since.
“We knew from day one with Phil Booth that he’d be fine,” Arcidiacono said. “He comes in and just does what he does. He’s so confident.
“When I’m on the court with him or if he’s on the court with Dylan, he’s going to make the shot, make the right decision and just play well overall. We’re just excited with the way he’s playing.”
The biggest thing you notice with Booth is his poise.
He played 20 minutes Thursday night in an NCAA Tournament game as an 18-year-old true freshman on national TV in front of 18,000 fans and couldn’t have looked more comfortable.
“It’s just natural, I guess,” he said. “It’s just the confidence I get from the other guys. They make me feel comfortable.
“The transition (from high school) isn’t that easy, but when you’re around guys like this, they make it a lot easier for you.
“The leadership. Everybody’s older than you and they teach you a lot of little things that prepare you for a situation like this all season so when you get here, it’s just like another game. It’s definitely a great thing having those guys around.”
On a team with no stars and just a bunch of unselfish team-first guys, Booth fits right in.
“It’s great to have a veteran team like we have,” Ennis said. “And for a freshman to come in and play like that, that’s just the cherry on top.”