Top-3 junior Xavier Booker discusses recruitment, game
I made a trip down to Indy on Jan. 24 for the Indianapolis City Championship, thinking it was going to be headlined by Top-100 junior Xavier Booker. Unfortunately, Booker saw limited minutes in the win for Cathedral Prep, recording just seven minutes played.
But man, in the limited minutes for the 6’10, 210-pound forward, his major potential and freak athleticism were put on display. I watched the Indiana big man on multiple occasions including last Spring and this past Summer, and most recently after seeing his limited minutes in that championship game, Booker has also made some huge physical improvements.
With that being said, I left that game under the impression that this kid is a five-star one way or another. Not many were built and skilled like Booker, making him a highly sought-after recruit.
With Cathedral being very balanced this year, Booker has seen 19.4 minutes of game action per game and is still putting up very nice numbers which include 12.5 points and nearly 6.5 rebounds per game. College coaches are extremely interested in the dynamic four-man and the list of schools continues to grow.
It took just a handful of EYBL sessions and Pangos for outlets to determine that Booker is amongst the Top-six juniors in the nation, a spot I don’t think is his to lose. He’s got pretty much his choice of which school he wants to attend if he opts to go that route.
Booker sat down with Stockrisers.com to discuss his recruitment, his game, and the pro route.
Which schools are heavily involved?
“For the schools heavily involved, I got Ohio State, Kentucky, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame, Duke, Oregon, Gonzaga, Michigan, Michigan State, and others.”
Any new schools?
“Not really. I mean not other than the schools I have offers from. Kentucky and Gonzaga, those are two schools that I’d look forward to offering me.”
Duke’s pitch?
“They haven’t really compared me to anyone. When I talked to Jon Scheyer, obviously they have a really good offense and he’s building on what Coach K started. He would run a five-out action with me, I probably wouldn’t be around the rim too much if I went there, he’d probably have the floor spread out. I like them.”
Michigan State?
“I really like Michigan State. I really love the coaching staff, love Izzo, and Coach Montgomery, I talk to him a lot. I really like their coaching style, and playstyle, I like the campus too and the academics there. I could see myself there.”
Commitment timeline?
“No commitment right now. I don’t really know when. It’s hard because whenever I wanna cut down my schools, new schools come on. So, it’s rough.”
Visits?
“I have one planned for Ohio State the weekend of September 3rd officially. Then I go to Indiana on Wednesday unofficially.”
Considering the Pro Route?
“Yeah for sure. I’ve had the G-League reach out to me, so I’m definitely considering that.”
Break down your game.
“Really I’m just an all-around big, I can provide anything for the team. Shooting, being aggressive around the rim, defense, playmaking. Whatever it takes to provide my team a win, I can perform on high levels.”