Xavier Booker Early life
Booker grew up in Indianapolis , Indiana, and attended Cathedral High School .[ 1] [ 2] 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) center , he averaged 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a junior as Cathedral won the Class 4A state championship.[ 3] 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game .[ 4] [ 5]
Booker was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[ 6] [ 7] Michigan State over offers from Auburn , Duke , Cincinnati , Gonzaga , Indiana , Michigan , Notre Dame , Ohio State , Oregon and Purdue .[ 8]
College career
Booker enrolled at Michigan State University shortly after graduating high school in May 2023.[ 9] starts , averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[ 10] [ 11]
On April 1, 2025, Booker announced he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal ,[ 12] University of California, Los Angeles , with two years of college eligibility remaining.[ 13] Bruins earned a No. 7 seed in the 2026 NCAA tournament . In UCLA's opener, Booker started in place of an injured Tyler Bilodeau , the team's leading scorer, and he scored 15 points along with eight rebounds and four blocks in a 75–71 win over No. 10–seed UCF .[ 14]
References
↑ Austin, Kyle (October 4, 2022). "Michigan State hits recruiting trail to extend more offers in 2024 class" . MLive.com . Retrieved February 23, 2023 . ↑ Witz, Billy (July 6, 2022). "Xavier Booker Shows the Shoe Recruit Circuit Isn't the Only Path" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 22, 2023 . ↑ Crawford, Kirkland (January 24, 2023). "Michigan State's Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears: McDonald's All-Americans" . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved February 21, 2023 . ↑ Neddenriep, Kyle (January 24, 2023). "McDonald's All American game: Xavier Booker makes boys roster" . Indianapolis Star . Retrieved February 21, 2023 . ↑ Neddenriep, Kyle (February 27, 2023). "IHSAA basketball: Booker, Briscoe share City Player of the Year honors from coaches" . Indianapolis Star . Retrieved February 28, 2023 . ↑ Ankony, Jack (June 15, 2022). "Five-Star Cathedral Forward Xavier Booker Visits Indiana Wednesday" . SI.com . Retrieved February 21, 2023 . ↑ Jardy, Adam (June 10, 2022). "Xavier Booker: Top-5 recruit camps at Ohio State, talks Buckeyes" . The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved February 23, 2023 . ↑ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (July 30, 2022). "Fast-rising forward Xavier Booker commits to Michigan State Spartans basketball" . ESPN.com . Retrieved February 21, 2023 . ↑ Linsner, Cory (May 31, 2023). "LOOK: 5-star Xavier Booker has arrived to East Lansing" . Spartans Wire . USA Today . Retrieved June 6, 2023 . ↑ Moore, Brendan (April 1, 2025). "MSU forward, former five-star Xavier Booker enters transfer portal" . Spartans Illustrated . Archived from the original on April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025 . ↑ Kahn, Andrew (March 31, 2025). "Future uncertain for Michigan State sophomore, a former 5-star prospect" . MLive.com . Retrieved April 11, 2025 . ↑ "Future uncertain for Michigan State sophomore, a former 5-star prospect" . NBC Sports . April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025 .↑ Shockley, Ben (April 4, 2025). "Former Michigan State forward Xavier Booker announces his next team" . WILX.com . Retrieved April 11, 2025 . ↑ Marks, Jon (March 20, 2026). "Without Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA edges Central Florida to advance at NCAA tournament" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 21, 2026 .
