Three days after Villanova’s elimination from the NCAA tournament would appear to be too soon to talk about what could’ve or should’ve been. For rookie of the year, Phil Booth, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to bring life to his heavy heart and look towards the years to come.
Booth’s team, the Wildcats, the number 1 seed in the Big East Conference, lost to the number 8 seed, the NC State Wolfpack. 68-71, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament this past Sunday at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. “I learned a lot from my first season of playing,” said Booth, 19, speaking over the phone from his dorm room back at his school. “I learned a lot from all these guys I played with, so I think we’ll be ready to go for next year.“
A stand-out from the very beginning of his basketball career, Booth, a 6’-3” guard from Mount Saint Joseph in Baltimore, continued his streak of success on the court in Pennsylvania. Booth made sure that the Villanova basketball coaches would not regret their decision of recruiting him onto their brigade, with numbers like 521 minutes of playing time, and 55 rebounds and 51 assists to follow. “It felt like home,” Booth said in response to why he picked Villanova. “Everything felt like a family.”
To win its first championship since 1985, the team will need to find a balance between consistency and change. Booth believes that this will make the difference between number one going into the NCAA Tournament and number one coming out of the NCAA Tournament. “Playing harder and playing together is the most important thing,” said Booth.
With no hint of uncertainty in his voice, Booth announced he has high hopes for next season. “The future looks bright.”