Fast-rising forward Xavier Booker commits to Michigan State Spartans basketball

Xavier Booker, one of the biggest movers of the spring and summer, told ESPN he’s committed to Michigan State men’s basketball.

Booker trimmed its list to 10 schools earlier this week, leaving Auburn, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Indiana, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Purdue in the mix.

“For a while, I had a sense of where I wanted to be,” Booker said. “My family and I have been talking about it a lot lately.”

He had previously officially attended several schools in the Midwest, including Indiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Purdue — and also made several unofficial trips to the Spartans’ East Lansing campus.

“They offered me in September 2021,” Booker said. “They were consistent all the time. After bad or good games, they had advice for me. I trust the coach [Tom] Izzo and the staff. Coach [Mark] Montgomery played a big part. I also heard from the coach [Doug] Wojcik a lot too.”

Booker, a 6-foot-11 forward from Cathedral High School (Indiana), was an unranked four-star contender prior to the start of the AAU spring season. But a string of elite appearances with the George Hill All-Indy Grassroots program, followed by a dominant performance at the Pangos All-American camp (where he earned MVP honors), has Booker as one of the top tall men in the 2023 class established .

He will be ranked as a top 10 prospect in ESPN’s next update of its rankings later this summer.

Booker is an extremely versatile forward, bringing tremendous length and wingspan to the apron. It was recently measured at a wingspan of 7ft 5. He has big strides and big hands that allow him to run effectively and land over the rim. Booker’s open play with a capable reach to the bow coupled with the ability to drive to the basket is what makes him so special.

As a left-handed shooter, he likes to go inward to his right block sweet spot to get from the center of the floor to his jump hook. Defensively he brings rim protection and rebound. Booker may have the greatest potential of anyone in the Class of 2023.

Booker is Michigan State’s second engagement in the senior class, joining ESPN 100 guard Jeremy Fears. Fears, ranked 42nd in class, signed with Overtime Elite earlier this week but retained his NCAA eligibility.