UCLA Looking to Unlock Xavier Booker's Potential

Sometimes, all you need is a change of scenery to unlock your true potential.

Former five-star recruit Xavier Booker gave it a shot. He had the perfect opportunity to learn under the tutelage of Basketball Hall of Famer Tom Izzo. But the fit just wasn't there.

Booker was one of high school's elite players, earning honors such as McDonald's All-American and Indianapolis City's Co-Player of the Year. Those accolades earned him offers from every powerhouse program you can imagine.

Take your pick: Duke, Auburn, Gonzaga, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State — even his hometown Indiana. But instead, he chose Izzo and Michigan State.

In East Lansing, Booker saw the floor — just not as much as he thought. It was a grind earning those minutes, and in his two seasons, he averaged only 12 minutes per game over 60 appearances.

He even acknowledged how tough it was.

"This is probably some of the hardest times I've ever been through in my life in terms of not getting the playing time that I wanted. ... This builds character later in life."

An introspective thought for someone his age. Booker was renowned amongst his peers — and especially by Izzo. So when it was learned that Booker was entering the portal, Izzo was the first to take the blame.

"Make sure you take this right now. I failed, I failed. I love him, I love Book," Izzo said. "I feel bad for Book because I think deep down, there is one hell of a basketball player in there. And my job is to get that out of him. And I didn't get that done. So, I have to take responsibility for it, too."

Three days after he entered the portal, Booker committed to Mick Cronin's UCLA Bruins.

Facing the Spartans next season will be added motivation as well.

UCLA is awfully familiar with reclamation projects. Just ask Johnny Juzang, who transferred from Kentucky and blossomed into a rotational NBA player.

Early prediction on UCLA’s 2025-26 starting five:

Donovan Dent, Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey, Tyler Bilodeau, Xavier Booker

Bruins are banking that they can resurrect Booker like they did with Johnny Juzang when he transferred from Kentucky. https://t.co/6zZ5w5yu16
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 4, 2025

Booker has all the tools to succeed. He's an athletic big who can dominate the paint but also has the ability to stretch the floor.

Perimeter shooting has long been a concern for the Bruins, and their performance against Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament showed that outside shooting remains a desperate need.

While adding Booker is a calculated risk, the reward could be exponential.

Can Cronin unlock the version of Booker that even the Hall of Famer couldn’t? It remains to be seen.

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