Five-Star Center Xavier Booker Places UC in Top-10 Schools

CINCINNATI — One of the best prospects in the 2023 class just put UC in his top-10 schools. Cathedral's (Indiana) Xavier Booker eyeing the Bearcats.

The five-star Center placed UC in a group with IU, Purdue, Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Auburn.

According to On3 consensus, Booker is the 19th-rated prospect in the 2023 class and the fourth-ranked center. On3 gives Michigan State an 80.3% chance of landing Booker, while Cincinnati is viewed as having less than a 1% chance of signing Booker.

The do-it-all center averaged 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocked shots, and 1.4 assists per game for Indiana Class 4A state champion Cathedral as a junior. He would be the ninth-highest-rated player in the 247Sports era if he chooses to play for Wes Miller.

“With coach (Wes) Miller, I really like his coaching style and playing style too," Booker told On3. "I like how he lets his bigs bring the ball up the court and just let them rock out and shoot the ball. They’re free to put the ball on the ground, make moves, and just create for themselves and your teammates.”

Length, on length, on length.

That's what Booker punishes teams with every time he's on the floor. The center is a walking double-double who has great rebounding awareness and the wingspan to make up for questionable angles. He turns those boards into punishing, high-efficiency dunks and layups near the rim on the other end.

Booker oozes efficiency and projects as a player that can be impactful at each stage of his development. He is a stellar shot blocker and knows how to clean up and get his points even when a play/the ball isn't in his hands. Add in the foundation of an enticing jump shot, and it's no wonder why many major recruiting services view Booker as a top-20 player.

UPDATE: Booker is committing on July 30 at 2 p.m. ET. We’ll see if the MSU prediction holds true around that time.

He has taken official and unofficial visits to six of the 10 schools, and UC is on the unofficial visit list.

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