DePaul's Webster will stress 'crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy defense'

Now Tracy Webster knows how it feels to be recruited by Billy Gillispie, his former boss at Kentucky.

Virtually from the moment Webster, 38, became DePaul's interim coach in the wake of Jerry Wainwright's firing, Gillispie hasn't stopped trying to help Webster with his first go as a head coach.

"I mean, he's big-time," Webster said with a smile. "Coach Gillispie contacted me. Sent me a couple text messages. Called me again. Sent me a couple text messages.

I know he really wants it to happen. Not just for me. He knows the other guys on the staff as well.

"He's trying to just say, 'Hey, have fun with it. Have as much fun as you can with it. Don't change. Be yourself.' "

In Webster's case, that means the former Wisconsin standout point guard (and Illinois and Kentucky assistant) must remain even-keeled for his debut Thursday against Providence at Allstate Arena.

"I'm excited," Webster said. "I'm sure I'll be nervous. At the same time, you've just got to roll with the flow."

Webster recognizes "laid-back" is his default setting, but that's not how he wants his players to play.

That's been apparent since Webster started controlling practices on Friday.

"We're doing a lot more drills, going at each other a little more," said sophomore forward Eric Wallace. "The pace of practice is a lot higher."

What can DePaul fans (and a national ESPN2 audience) expect to see when the Blue Demons host Providence on Thursday?

"We're going to try to play crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy defense," Webster said. "And let everything else take care of itself."

In Wainwright's final game, DePaul surrendered 99 points last Wednesday at No. 6 Villanova. How do Webster and assistants David Booth and Billy Garrett turn that around in their bid to snap the Demons' 22-game Big East regular-season losing streak?

"It's called taking care of business," Webster said. "We have not been taking care of business. What I mean by that is, we showed film of our first three conference opponents scoring against us. And they watched it. And they saw that they weren't diving on the floor for loose balls and weren't hustling in spots."

"You've got to play 35 seconds of defense if necessary," Wallace said. "And 70 seconds of defense if you have to."

If the Demons do that, then Webster plans to reward them by turning them loose.

"Then once you get it, we're going," Wallace said. "We have enough talent to finish on the other end of the court. A lot of big wings, a lot of quick guards. I think he's really going to utilize them."