PacHoops: The Hero Colorado Has

[absinthe]

By Adam Butler
www.PacHoops.com

Pride is a funny thing. It often seems to be a feeling reserved for generational gaps – a father is proud of his son, a teacher of her student. But that’s not always the case. In many instances we witness impressive acts and feats and we understand that what we just saw was more than just a good performance. The act itself is rarely the whole story. And it’s for that reason that I genuinely – and uncomfortably – felt proud of Askia Booker after last weekend’s performance against the LA schools.
Seemingly all eyes were on him as Spencer Dinwiddie went under the knife. For such a scrutinized and criticized talent, Askia Booker was going to have to rise to the occasion. And he did for which I felt proud. To be honest I don’t know what that says about me – I certainly don’t know a thing about Booker on a personal level – but I do understand the dynamics of a locker room and the tribulations of a season. What the Buffaloes endured in Seattle was about as trying as it gets. The kind of trial by pain that can excuse an entire season.

So when I checked Thursday and Saturday’s box scores, the first place I looked was at Booker’s numbers. What I saw was fantastic. In words it was efficient, unselfish, poised, settling, mature, and needed. In numbers it was 10-16 shooting for 34 points and 8 assists. When he was needed to score – he scored. When he was needed to distribute – he distributed. The consummate leader in the face of adversity.

So yes, for whatever it means or represents, I was proud of Askia Booker.

And I have no idea what he’s going to do against Arizona. It was already going to be the toughest test of the season – number one team in the nation, in Tucson, rivalry game, without Batman to your own Robin – but Booker showed us that his propensity to not give a f*** is perhaps him giving all of the f***s. Your game doesn’t change like that, or you don’t channel yourself in new ways, when you’re the gun slinging cowboy. It’s now as if he has constituents and someone to answer to. He’s responsible for more than being the fearless guy. He’s more Ben Wade than Charlie Prince in 3:10 to Yuma (that’s more Russell Crowe than Ben Foster if you’re unfamiliar with the characters).
Awhile back I called Booker “the hero Colorado deserves and the hero it needs right now.” Right now I’m feeling pretty good about that line because it holds truer now than ever. Last weekend he demonstrated he’s prepared for that role. And I’ll be the first to note that this is a wildly small sample set. Conclusions cannot and will not be made from this. But if we needed any semblance of encouragement, a promising glance into possibility, Booker gave us that.

I’ve always said – and I did about the very challenge the Buffs are facing now – it’s how you respond not what happened that defines you. Two games into the response, Askia Booker is telling us a lot about what he’s made of. The kind of stuff you’re proud of.

You can Find Adam on Twitter @PacHoopsAB or PacHoops_Feeder

 

[Goose]

Rumblin said it best on Saturday during the game - "Can you imagine how good Ski is going to be next year? It's going to be scary".

Kid is going to go down as one of the top 10 scorers in CU history and honestly could find himself in the top 5 if everything falls perfectly (long tourney runs, a few more career highs, etc)

 

[Shldr2Shldr]

Ski is going to be one of those kids that a GM takes a chance on after a few years in Europe, and the rest of the Association wonders how they missed him.

 

[Darth Snow]

Rumblin said it best on Saturday during the game - "Can you imagine how good Ski is going to be next year? It's going to be scary".

Kid is going to go down as one of the top 10 scorers in CU history and honestly could find himself in the top 5 if everything falls perfectly (long tourney runs, a few more career highs, etc)

if this is how he consistently plays as top dog on the team... yea.