UCLA's Cronin, Booker Talk Big Man's Development

Many believe that no one knows his players better than the head coach, and UCLA men's basketball coach Mick Cronin recently added to the argument.

The Bruins beat Rutgers 98-66 on Tuesday night to improve to16-7 on the season, and junior forwardXavier Booker, who had struggled since transferring to the program, broke out with a career night, which can be attributed to a brief pep talk that Cronin gave his team during a recent practice.

"I actually stopped practice yesterday, and I said, 'Look guys. If people don't guard him, instead of taking contested shots, can we just throw it to him?'" Cronin told the media when asked about Booker's performance. "He shoots 41% [from three-point range]. You don't have to be a math major to figure out an open three from Book is better than a contested two from anyone else, from any good shooters."

Xavier Booker's Big Night

Booker notched a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting (4-of-4 from beyond the arc) with five rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes against the Scarlet Knights. It was a big step in the development of the junior former five-star recruit. He's always been considered a high-ceiling player, but he's sturggled to become consistent enough to stay on the floor at both Michigan State and UCLA, but he finally showed more than a glimpse of the player he can be.

"Everything just felt good today, coming from the first shot," Booker said postgame. "My teammates, they knew I was hitting shots today, so they just kept feeding me the ball. Everything just felt good."

Perfect from 3-point range.

A team-leading and career-best 24 points.

Xavier Booker was named the 𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙖’𝙨 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 after UCLA’s win on Tuesday.

✅ 24 points, 5 rebounds
✅ 4-for-4, from 3-PT#GoBruins 🏀🎯 pic.twitter.com/m9OVzDq0DP
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 4, 2026

Booker hadn't had a 20-point game in college before Tuesday, previously scoring 18 against Oakland while playing for Michigan State last season. But his first came at a perfect time.

"It felt great," he said. "I definitely hadn't had a game that good in a while. It felt good. The main thing for me is just staying confident in everything I do, andtrusting the work I put in -- the extra work outside of practice. Just trusting that and being around a great group of guys that always are encouraging me to stay positive and stay confident, too."

ucla big ma — Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) shoots a three-point basket over Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Emmanuel Ogbole (21) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Booker has also been challenged to become a better defender throghout his career, and it was one of the main reasons for his benching from Cronin earlier this season. However, during Tuesday's game, he was noticebaly better, blocking a shot and helping hold Rutgers' five frontcourt players to just 11 combined points.

"I feel like the main thing I've been improving in my defense is just staying low and staying in a stance. The coaches preach that all the time to everybody, but to me, just staying low in the stance and being active and alert to everything in font of the rim and just staying in front of my man [has improved]."

Booker's improvement is a great sign for UCLA. The Bruins have needed players to step up on offense, and an extra lift from the front court could do wonders and open up the floor for Trent Perry, the other guards, and especially Skyy Clark when he's able to return. Plus, getting real defense from a 6-foot-11 rim-protector goes a long way in helping a defense that has been improving almost every game.

Xavier Booker appraently just needed the extra vote of confidence, and his head coach pushed the button at the right time. But the battle with consistency is the next part to overcome.

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