Add one of the more intriguing class of 2023 in-state prospects to the June visitor list.
Indianapolis based Cathedral High School forward Xavier Booker has scheduled a June 23 unofficial visit to IU his AAU coach Mike Saunders notified The Daily Hoosier on Thursday evening.
The Daily Hoosier caught up with Booker on Saturday at the George Hill Invitational in Greenwood, Ind., and he talked about what he was looking to get out of visits this summer.
“Mainly just to look around the campus and see the facilities and see where I can fit in,” Booker said.
To this point Booker said he has had some preliminary high level contact with IU including a brief call with Mike Woodson, and the staff has let him know they have been keeping an eye on his spring film. Booker said he looks forward to learning more about the coaching staff and the program.
The 6-foot-10 Booker said he also has visits scheduled at Louisville, Ohio State and Kansas State. With his combination of length and versatility, Booker’s stature in the 2023 class has grown substantially since AAU play started.
“The thing that really stands out to college coaches is his length,” Cathedral head coach Jason Delaney told The Daily Hoosier about Booker in April. “He’s so long and he’s able to block shots and get different places on the court, and he’s able to elevate over other people because he’s got that length.
“The other thing is his shooting. He can knock down an open jumper from the outside,” Delaney added. “The taller you are, the more things you can do, the more attractive you become to college coaches.”
Watching Booker play on Saturday with the George Hill All Indy U16 team, his length really stood out. Booker blocks a lot shots that appear to be open looks, and he can finish with thunderous dunks after taking off from areas on the floor where most can’t get to the rim. He couples that with a nice looking lefthanded jump shot that he is comfortable shooting out to the 3-point line.
Booker told The Daily Hoosier that he is focused on improving his ball handling, attacking the basket, and lateral quickness this summer.
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