After losing to North Carolina, Xavier Booker announced that he’s returning to Michigan State basketball next season.
The Michigan State basketball season came to a crashing end as they lost to North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament 85-69. The Spartans season was a complete disappointment, and many fans, myself included, are sad to see it end.
However, the news isn’t all bad as some positive news came out about the future of a Spartan player almost immediately after the game.
Xavier Booker is back
During the postgame press conference, freshman Xavier Booker said, “I’m definitely coming back next season.”
Booker struggled to see the court most of the season, and as a result, only averaged 3.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. His best game of the season came in the Spartans’ most difficult contest when they played at Purdue late in the season. He scored a career-high 11 points and even hit two 3-pointers over Zach Edey.
Hope for the future
Booker was severely held back this season due to the lack of playing time that I already mentioned. But once he started to get more playing time he really began blossoming as a player. His confidence grew every game, he began showing off his elite moves on offense and even improved on defense. It’s his defense that was still problematic at times, but that all could change next year.
The biggest reason for Booker’s defensive struggles was not being strong enough to go against the Big Ten post players. But now he has a full offseason to bulk up and get much stronger which will help him out immensely. Tom Izzo even recently mentioned that he has gained a lot of weight since coming to East Lansing, so Xavier is already vastly improving on this front.
So even though the season may have ended poorly, the hype going into next season is already building. Some thought Xavier Booker could be someone who might transfer, but that isn’t a worry anymore. Year two Booker is going to be a site to see, and I can’t wait.
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