Rejuvenated Blue Demons Take Aim at Notre Dame
1/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHICAGO - Tracy Webster woke up Thursday morning with a smile on his face.
"It did feel good when I got up," said Webster, DePaul's interim coach who won his first game as a head coach Wednesday night.
"How did I celebrate my first win? Well, I stayed around the office a while talking to Tom Kleinschmidt (Director of Basketball Operations) and then I went home and hung out with my wife."
It wasn't exactly Mardi Gras at the Webster household after the end of a 24-game BIG EAST Conference losing streak.
Then again, Webster isn't ready for a walk in the clouds just yet.
"We just wanted to quietly enjoy the moment," he said.
That memorable moment came with less than one second on the clock and Mike Stovall drilling an off-balance, 20-foot fadeaway that lifted the Blue Demons to a 51-50 comeback victory over Marquette at the Allstate Arena.
"We've got to keep this in perspective because we have to go play at Notre Dame on Saturday," Webster said.
For the first time since Dec. 19, DePaul (8-10, 1-5 in the BIG EAST) will be looking to win two in a row.
What was the difference between Wednesday night and the six previous games the Blue Demons had lost?
"All week long, we talked about believing," Webster said. "When you encounter roadblocks, you have to find a way to knock those roadblocks down or jump over them.
"We saw it in their eyes that they were starting to believe."
There was one non-believer who came into the team's huddle while Marquette was ahead.
"(Assistant coach) David Booth saw that and said: 'Don't come over here with that look,'" Webster recalled.
"What does this win mean? It lets the guys know that it can be done. It helps them truly believe in what we've been saying."
One of those true believers is 6-foot, 10-inch Krys Faber, who has been flourishing in Webster's system of playing up the big guys. Faber had a career high 10 rebounds against Marquette and was aggressive in the post.
"One time, Krys was posting up so hard that it created a driving lane for one of our guards. He could be a Rick Mahorn kind of a player," Webster said about the ex-Detroit Pistons power forward and team enforcer.
"This is my lane right here. You can dunk on me once, but be afraid to come in here the second time."
Indeed, Faber committed a hard foul on Marquette's Lazar Hayward as he drove the baseline in the first half loading up for a slam.
"We'd like Krys to improve his stamina because his physical presence anchors our post defense," Webster said.
Will Walker lit up Allstate with 10 points in the final 6 minutes, 35 seconds of the first half and DePaul scored 18 points total in that span. It was the best scoring outburst since defeating Texas State 86-69 on Dec. 19. Walker finished with a game-high 17 points and was on the attack most of the game.
Stovall connected on another crucial shot, a three-pointer with 9.7 seconds left to bring DePaul within 50-49.
"Mike really came through for us, and both of those shots were huge," Webster said. "But don't forget about Jeremiah Kelly hitting a big jumper as well down the stretch.
"Kelly played a lot of minutes (35) and did a good job of leading these guys. It was like he was trying to be a coach on the floor."
Saturday's showdown will be the 100th game between these two Catholic institutions with the Fighting Irish holding a 55-44 edge.
Notre Dame (14-5, 3-3) is led by one of the nation's top players, 6-8 Luke Harangody, who is averaging 24.7 points and 9.8 rebounds. Backing him up are 6-8 Tim Abromaitis (16 points per game) and 6-3 guard Ben Hansbrough (11.5 points, five assists). Playmaker Tory Jackson is averaging nearly six assists per game.