Xavier Booker Commits to Michigan State
Xavier Booker is headed to Michigan State.
“First I would like to thank God, my coaches and all those who helped me on this journey, but I’ll be committing to Michigan State University," Booker said on Instagram Live with ESPN's Paul Biancardi.
Booker announced on July 30 that he'll join Tom Izzo and the Spartans after releasing his top 10 schools on July 25, which included Indiana, Oregon, Purdue, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Auburn, Michigan State and Michigan.
Following his junior year at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Ind., Booker was ranked just inside the top 100 by most recruiting sites, but he's now ranked No. 1 by Rivals and No. 3 by 247Sports and No. 6 by On3. As a junior, Booker led Cathedral to the 2022 Indiana Class 4A State Championship, averaging 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 34 percent from 3.
Playing AAU for George Hill All Indy, Booker has solidified himself as a five-star recruit and one of the nation's top players. Booker is dominant in the paint and has a number of eye-opening dunks this summer, but his 3-point shooting and perimeter skills separate him from other forwards in his class.
Booker was named MVP of the 2022 Pangos All-American Camp, a three-day, invite-only camp featuring some of the top high school basketball players in the country. Past MVP winners at this event include Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Duren, Bradley Beal, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Michigan State is putting together an impressive 2023 class, pairing Booker with four-star point guard Jeremy Fears from La Lumiere School, who is ranked No. 42 in the nation, according to 247Sports Composite.
This commitment represents a missed opportunity for Mike Woodson to secure the state of Indiana's top player, who most recently visited Bloomington on June 15. Indiana heavily recruited the 6-foot-10 forward over the last few months, but instead, Booker will head to a Big Ten opponent.
With this news, Indiana will now shift its recruiting focus to four players in the class of 2023. Four-star recruits Jamie Kaiser Jr., Arrinten Page and DeShawn Harris-Smith all visited the Indiana campus this week, and TJ Power is aiming to visit Bloomington this fall.
Kaiser Jr. is a 6-foot-6 shooting guard originally from Burke, Va., but he recently announced that he will play his senior season for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Page is a 6-foot-9 forward from Marrieta, Ga., giving Indiana another big-man option with Booker headed to Michigan State. Harris-Smith is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Fairfax, Va., and Power is a 6-foot-8 power forward from Shrewsbury, Mass.
Indiana currently has two commitments for the class of 2023 with four-star guards Gabe Cupps and Jakai Newton.
Related stories on Indiana basketball:
- INDIANA HOSTING TRIO OF RECRUITING VISITS: Mike Woodson and the Indiana coaching staff will host official visits this week for three of their top 2023 recruiting targets, Jamie Kaiser Jr., Arrinten Page and DeShawn Harris-Smith. CLICK HERE
- GABE CUPPS TALKS FUTURE AT INDIANA: Gabe Cupps and Reed Sheppard form a lethal backcourt duo for Midwest Basketball Club on the AAU circuit. With Cupps headed to Indiana and Sheppard to Kentucky, the two joined the Field of 68 podcast to discuss each other's games and their college decisions. CLICK HERE
- TJ POWER CONTINUES BREAKOUT SUMMER: Indiana has been heavily involved in the recruitment of 2023 four-star TJ Power, but Mike Woodson and staff will now have to fend off North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and others for the 6-foot-9 forward from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. CLICK HERE
