When Xavier Booker came to Michigan State, everyone just assumed that he would grow and become a star in a year or two. Tom Izzo made sure to temper everyone’s expectations for him, admitting that he was going to be a bit of a project because he came in raw.
After two years, Michigan State fans grew frustrated with the former five-star big man from Indianapolis, and he decided to get a fresh start elsewhere.
Booker entered the portal and transferred to Big Ten foe UCLA.
The decision to transfer wasn’t all that surprising, but deciding to pick a coach like Mick Cronin who is also fiery and expects a lot from his players and doesn’t hide his emotions was interesting. Many expected Booker to choose a program where he didn’t risk getting screamed at for mistakes every couple of minutes, but he chose off-brand Izzo.
In his first year at UCLA, he’s seen some improvements to his game, but there’s still a long way to go.
Izzo knew he would be a work in progress and was hoping that he was going to be the coach to get that elite play out of him. He admitted during his pre-UCLA media session that he wishes he could’ve done a better job with Booker, expressing regret that he didn’t get him to reach his full potential.
Izzo said he thinks a lot of Booker and wishes he could've done a better job. "He just needed a couple of years." Hopes he gets to where he wants to and envisions him as a future pro.
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) February 16, 2026
Izzo went on to say that he believes that Booker is a future pro, which is high praise from a Hall of Fame coach who has helped get dozens of players NBA opportunities.
It’s interesting to hear Izzo basically say that he has regrets in regards to Booker’s development.
Xavier Booker and what could’ve been at MSU
When Booker committed to Michigan State, he became the gem of a loaded class that included Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Gehrig Normand. He was expected to be somewhere in between Marcus Bingham Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr., but no more and no less.
Unfortunately, he never lived up to the hype in East Lansing.
Booker averaged a little over four points per game over his Michigan State career as well as around two rebounds. He had flashes of superstardom, but he just wasn’t consistent enough and he seemed to fold when Izzo really dug into him.
If Izzo was able to develop him a little quicker, he could be the perfect floor-stretching big man for this year’s team. Michigan State doesn’t exactly have a wealth of shooters on this year’s squad, so adding a guy like Booker who’s making over 41 percent of his threes this season would’ve been nice.
Having Booker either start or come off the bench to spell Carson Cooper or Jaxon Kohler for long stretches would add a much-needed element to this year’s team.
Izzo is right to have some regrets. Booker will be one of the bigger “what ifs” in the Izzo era.