BOCA RATON — When Frank Booker originally transferred to FAU after two years with the Oklahoma Sooners, the expectation was that he’d be the offensive threat the Owls needed to contend with the big dogs of Conference USA.
Booker’s ability to carry the Owls with his defense was likely unexpected when FAU first looked at their schedule.
Even at 6’4” and 211 pounds, Booker should have been bruised and drained after taking multiple charges on the Owls’ three game road trip. Instead, FAU’s electric guard was nothing but smiles in the days following a three-game sweep of FIU, Charlotte, and Old Dominion.
“I’m good. It gives me energy, gives the team energy, and it gives us the next possession on the offensive end,” Booker said. “We have scorers and the more possessions we get, the more chances we have to score.”
When Booker was playing single digit minutes at the start of conference play, such results from the junior would have seemed unimaginable in a season marred by inconsistency. The offensive monster the Owls thought they were getting, the one who could put up 20 points a night on 12 shots, has often instead been one who scores two points on six shots.
Where other collegiate athletes with such high expectations may have crumbled, Booker has instead fought back and contributed in ways other than scoring. Whether it’s grabbing rebounds – Booker has had three games of three or more boards in his past five – or taking charges, the extra element that was missing from a player everyone thought could only score has been vital to FAU’s winning streak.
Then, there was also a 22 point game against Middle Tennessee last month where Booker went 7-of-14 from the field. Those attending The Burrow for Thursday’s matchup with North Texas may want to keep an eye on Booker, as his two highest scoring games of the season – the 22 against the Blue Raiders and 15 against NAIA Edward Waters – have come at home.
For FAU coach Michael Curry, Booker doing more than scoring is part of a team-wide adjustment to pre-existing problems.
“Guys are moving better – we had a stretch in which I didn’t think we were athletic and we weren’t quick, but now we seem to be moving better,” Curry said. “We’re making more athletic plays; we’ve had more dunks and more charges taken, so all of those things indicate we’re playing at a better pace.”
Booker has yet to find consistency on the offensive end. Thursday’s win over Charlotte was the first time this season where Booker took seven or more shots and finished with a shooting percentage below 25%. Booker went 1-7 for two points, but also grabbed five rebounds.
Rather than beat himself up about the lack of scoring or vow to change that in upcoming games, Booker is looking on the bright side and admitting past faults.
“I see it as growth as a team. We pulled together and we saw that some things weren’t going well when we tried to play individually,” Booker said. “We played more as a team, especially on the defensive end. We knew that we had scorers on the team but if we can play defense and shut people down, we have a chance to win the game.”
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