BOULDER — When star point guard Spencer Dinwiddie went down with a season-ending knee injury Jan. 12, Colorado needed to make adjustments. No one was asked to transform his game more than junior guard Askia Booker.
“My whole life, I’ve been a scorer; now I have to do more,” Booker said as the Buffaloes prepared for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game against Pittsburgh in Orlando, Fla.
Going on three years, Booker and Dinwiddie were a juxtaposition in Colorado’s backcourt. At 6-foot-6, Dinwiddie has the body of a shooting guard but is a natural point guard. Booker, generously listed at 6-2, has the build of a point guard but plays the “two guard” or shooting guard.
That unconventional combination often confused opponents and forced awkward switches. Booker and Dinwiddie could play the two-man game for all it was worth. Dinwiddie might drive toward the lane but instead dish out a sweet assist to Booker. Or Booker, while riding a hot shooting streak, might draw two defenders into a corner and toss a pass to an open Dinwiddie at the top of the key.
The L.A. guys had it going.
“Spencer would know what I was doing,” Booker said. “And I’d know what he was doing.”
Once Dinwiddie went down, coach Tad Boyle’s first move was to insert the team’s sixth man, 6-5 freshman Jaron Hopkins, into Dinwiddie’s spot. Hopkins wasn’t ready. He played tight and a step behind, which threw off the offense’s timing and led to turnovers.
Boyle’s next move was promoting 6-2 sophomore Xavier Talton to a starting role. Something clicked.
After losing three of four games following the Dinwiddie injury, the tandem of Booker and Talton – with sophomore Eli Stalzer ready to give either a breather – got the offense humming.
“Ski and I just look to make plays for the team and for each other,” Talton said. “He’s so fast, I don’t think anybody in the country can stay in front of him. That makes it easy for him to set his teammates up.”
Boyle prefers to refer to perimeter players as guards, rather than typecast them into roles such as point guard and shooting guard.
Booker and Talton are beginning to understand. Each needs to shoot. And both must look for others. Boyle wants his guards to do it all.
Booker has always had a shooter’s mentality, and sometimes fell into the trap of playing the game with tunnel vision. He’s had to learn to play with more of a feel for his teammates, and see the game from a different perspective.
“You have to distribute the ball to guys that you know can score, and get them into positions to score,” Booker said. “With that comes a lot of studying. I’m watching film to see where our guys are best when they get the ball. Since I was always looking to score, I had to slow the game down. I have to see the whole floor. I just can’t see the rim.”
Boyle wants the opposition to get the sense that with Talton and Booker, there are two point guards out there. Or perhaps they’re two shooting guards.
They are, however, far different players. And in Boyle’s eyes, that’s OK.
“X Talton runs the team a little bit more when he has the ball,” Booker said. “When I have the ball in my hands, I’ll look to shoot, but I’ll also look for him. He knows to spot up (for an open jumper) when he sees me now.
“I’m always going to be attacking when I have the ball. I want to score. That’s what I do. But if his man drops off him and tries to help stop me, then I have to get Xavier the ball. That’s been a change for me.”
The expanded responsibilities have not hampered Booker’s effectiveness. On the contrary, he has become more productive and valuable to the team.
“People can say Askia has a new role,” said CU assistant coach Jean Prioleau, who works with the guards. “But really it’s just evolving as a basketball player.”
Since Dinwiddie’s injury, Booker has improved his scoring average from 13.1 points per game to 14.1. His assists per game have grown from 2.1 per game to 3.4. Known as a streak shooter, he’s at 39.2 percent from the field for the season.
“Ski has become a facilitator and a playmaker for us,” Boyle said. “He gives us an aggressiveness and a scoring threat that we need. I think he has grown up a lot since Spencer got injured.”
So has the team.
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or twitter.com/tomkensler
