Tom Izzo is a different breed of head coach. Nowadays in college athletics, coaches aren’t always willing to keep tabs on former players and root for them after they leave the program early. Izzo is the exact opposite. He checks up on former players and reaches out regularly.
This is no different in the case of Xavier Booker.
From an outsider’s perspective, Michigan State fans probably saw Booker as an uninterested, yet talented, basketball player who wasn’t willing to buy into Izzo’s coaching. That wasn’t the case.
Izzo spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s battle against Booker and UCLA, and he spoke about the relationship he still has with the former five-star Spartan big man and how he’s still rooting for him to do well. That might come off as coachspeak about a former player that most coaches would also say, but Izzo went a step further, requesting something major from Spartan fans.
The popular thing to do with a former player who decided to transfer away from a program would be to boo them on their return back to the Breslin Center, but Izzo requested that fans avoid that.
Izzo urged that fans welcome him home with open arms and the respect that he deserves.
Tom Izzo on Xavier Booker of UCLA returning to Breslin on Tuesday: "I hope our fans treat him with the respect he deserves. He was a great student. He never caused any problems. He always did his job. I hope our fans welcome him back. I really think a lot of him and wish I could…
— Jim Comparoni (@JimComparoni) February 16, 2026
Honestly, hearing Izzo talk about Booker has to have opened Spartan fans’ eyes. Many probably just expected him to say that he wishes Booker well and leave it at that, but he spoke about Xavier being a great teammate, a fun player to coach, and a good student who never caused problems. He felt it was in his best interest to get a fresh start elsewhere.
Izzo understands that.
It’s slightly surprising to hear how highly he thinks of Booker after the two didn’t always seem to be on the same page and we know how Izzo feels about the transfer portal, but it’s clear that they have a good relationship to this day.
Hopefully fans get this message and take it to heart, welcoming Booker back with open arms and showing some respect for a player who gave two tough years of his playing career to MSU. He tried to stick it out.
I wouldn’t expect a raining down of boos on Tuesday, but I’m curious to see if Booker gets an ovation like Izzo requested.