UCLA’s Xavier Booker is going back to Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — There is no grudge, no animosity, no hard feelings.

All Xavier Booker has to do to make sure is check his phone.

That’s where he’ll find friendly text messages from Michigan State’s Coach Tom Izzo. Some light scrolling will reveal congratulatory messages from other Michigan State Spartans staffers after the big man put together the best game of his college career earlier this month.

That he did it for the UCLA Bruins didn’t bother anyone.

Everybody understood that it was time for a new position and a new school after Booker’s two underwhelming seasons as a Spartan.

“It was definitely a little sad,” Booker told the California Post of his departure. “But we kind of all knew what it was and we all came to an agreement.”

Booker will return to the Breslin Center on Tuesday night as a different player, the changes going well beyond a blue-and-gold uniform.

He’s playing center now, starting for the Bruins. That means there’s less lingering on the perimeter and considerably more manning the middle, fighting for rebounds and serving as the last line of defense. Booker still has permission to shoot 3s, his 41.5% accuracy from long-range ranking as the fourth-best percentage on the team.

It hasn’t been the easiest of transitions, with the converted power forward sometimes struggling to hold his own at a wiry 6 feet 11 and 250 pounds.

“Most nights, you are going to play somebody who is just as strong as you or stronger,” said Booker, who is on the way to setting career highs across the board with averages of 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. “It’s definitely been an adjustment, but I have been getting better every day.”

A reminder of his unique talent came when he made all four 3-pointers and 10 of 11 shots against Rutgers, dominating from beyond and inside the arc. His best moments are when he’s super active, using his elite athleticism and 7-foot-5-inch wingspan to protect the rim and snag rebounds. 

“The hardest thing to teach,” UCLA’s Coach Mick Cronin said, “is motor.”

So how has Booker gone about increasing his?

“He’s got a little bald guy chasing him up and down the court in practice,” Cronin cracked, referring to himself, “and I try to tell him every day, ‘You’ll decide your fate in basketball.’”

His future seemed more assured a few years ago, when Booker arrived as the highest-rated high school prospect of Izzo’s three decades at Michigan State. Growing up, he had spent more time on the wing than under the basket before a massive growth spurt in high school.

Even with an almost mythical combination of size and skill, Booker never found a rhythm as a Spartan. On a roster stocked with centers, he mostly played power forward. As a sophomore, he went from starting the first three games to out of the rotation during the team’s final three games in the NCAA tournament.

A departure seemed inevitable.

“We had meetings about it and an almost tearful departure, if you want the truth,” Izzo said at Big Ten media day. “But I just didn’t get his motor going like I needed to.”

Cronin pitched Booker on moving to center as part of a career reboot. The thinking was that this was his most likely path to a spot on an NBA roster. What sparked the idea was Cronin watching Booker produce 12 points and seven rebounds while playing the five during a victory over North Carolina early last season.

“He said the UNC game,” Booker said, “was all he needed to see.”

Many wondered how Cronin could unlock a better version of Booker, given the coach’s similarities to Izzo in terms of a snarling demeanor and prioritization of defense. 

The concerns have proven valid, Booker nearly falling out of the rotation last month. But Booker said UCLA’s coaching staff has continued to back him, even before a revitalizing nine-point, four-rebound, three-block performance during an upset of then-No. 4 Purdue.

“The coaches, they all still instill a lot of faith and they believe in me, so they’re on me every day and I just take it, I don’t ever take anything the wrong way,” Booker said. “I just take everything they say with a positive outlook and just try to get better.”

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Motivation won’t be an issue against the Spartans, even if there figures to be plenty of handshakes and hugs. Booker said he still talks to guard Jeremy Fears Jr., his former roommate, nearly every week.

“Definitely going to reconnect with some of the guys there probably before the game or after,” Booker said. “But the main thing is just coming out of there with a win, that’s what I want most.”

Of course, his old pals want the same thing. This could be one day when his phone doesn’t buzz with pleasantries from his former coach.

“I told him I’ll pull hard for him,” Izzo said, “all but one game a year.”