Tuesday was a scary day for the future of Michigan State basketball.
First, the Spartans found out that they would be losing junior guard and "glue guy" Tre Holloman to the transfer portal surprisingly. And then Gehrig Normand followed his lead amid rumors that Jase Richardson, too, would be leaving the program (he'd be gone for the NBA, though).
And then Xavier Booker provided the news that we had all been expecting since the season ended on Sunday: he, too, would be transferring.
The Booker news was the least surprising of the trio of departures, however, as he saw his minutes dwindle throughout the season and it culminated with a three-minute showing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the Spartans made it to the Elite Eight. He saw action against only Bryant as he had just one rebound and a foul in three minutes.
Booker hadn't played more than four minutes in a game since the season finale against Michigan and hadn't play more than 10 minutes since Feb. 26 at Maryland.
While this move was expected and had been talked about since his freshman season, it just doesn't get any easier to hear. He had a world full of potential at his fingertips and it just felt like he lacked confidence and it really did a number on his play over the past two seasons. He always said he understood Tom Izzo's decisions not to play him as much, but he wasn't willing to stick around to create a legacy for himself as one of the most improved players on the team.
Give it up to Booker, though, he did give it two full seasons and it just didn't work out. Spartan fans would love to have him back, but they'll be rooting him on wherever he goes.