Xavier Booker

So now next thing I want to get into is, is more roster coverage, I guess.

But this is about one player in particular and why I think he's ready for his next step, and that is UCLA's Xavier Booker, the starting center.

Now, when we're talking about players on the verge of breaking into their best years in college basketball, Xavier Booker is one of them.

He's right on that doorstep.

I think this could be a year we really see him take the next step.

He's coming off of a year where he averaged about seven points a game, but he didn't play a ton, a f- a ton for a, a center with his size.

He played around 20 minutes a game, sometimes less, sometimes more.

Um, but if you look towards the end of the year, I think he showed his real true upside and potential, and I think there's few players on this roster that have a higher true upside than Xavier Booker.

But to make the impact now, that's what Kutsuritsa, Perry, and company need to do.

Now, there's already been plenty of talk about X Factor with Xavier Booker.

We've got EDJ, new roles to fill, and plenty of guys to take opportunity with it.

But man, November 2nd is an opportunity like none other against Arizona.

And that, to me, will ultimately determine whether this team is an NCAA tournament team who could maybe flirt with the Sweet 16 or a team that can maybe legitimately be a second weekend team.

Xavier Booker is back in the pivot for UCLA.

Had an up and down first year in Westwood.

You know, started his career at Michigan State.

McDonald's All-American.

Now, when Tyler Bilodeau was out last year during the NCAA tournament, Xavier Booker was one of UCLA's two best players.

Average 14-7, two and a half, threes, did all that.

That's who he has to be every single game.

Yeah, I don't know.

Xavier Booker, I'm looking for him to step up.

I'm not a huge college stretch big guy, but I'm going to be convinced this year.

You got to

Right.

Uh, but the fact that he wasn't able to retain guys and look, Desmond Claude was, you know, obviously they look at what happened when he went to Washington and he was Xavier before he was at USC.

He was a wild card.

I don't necessarily fault him for losing that guy, but you know, losing Wesley Yates back to Washington, that was a blow.

We got to be careful.

We get back to this, the same issue that's cropped up at USC from time to time.

Baker Mazzara was coming from a very good team, but you know, the year before Desmond Claude came from a Xavier team that was not good.

And he put up numbers at USC, but did the, did those numbers lead to winning? Not really.

UCLA transitioning a little bit.

Under Mick Cronin, despite having five guys back from last year's team that lost to UConn in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Trent Perry, Eric Daly, Xavier Booker, Eric Freeney, and Brandon Williams.

UCLA, to me, and the biggest question surrounding UCLA entering the 26-27 season is what it's going to get out of the five spot.

Xavier Booker.

who started his career at Michigan State, showed real flashes of being a good player in the NCAA tournament.

Remember, Tyler Bilodeau was out with a knee injury.

And you've got Trent Perry who's been there for now, too, going on to his third years.

Xavier Booker, if he wants to, he's got to get tougher.

Eric Daly Jr., working the three-on-three circuit hard today.

trying to do something very good with ucla in his third year at the bruins and could still have an extra year but one time oklahoma state cowboy and you mix in jojo phylan if you look at those ricos runs you look at his athletic build he could be one of those tougher players that you bring in you're like okay this guy could roll with corona as a freshman this is a roster you bring in with Perry, Petty, Stink Robinson, they have an identity.

Filip Jovic and Xavier Robinson from Auburn and from Butler, respectively, are really good defenders, smart players.

if i had any faith that xavier booker would be any level of beyond bad they would probably be a top seven eight team in the country for me

i like trent perry a lot i like jalen petty a lot i don't like them more than i liked the roster last year And last year was, I think a disappointment compared to at least my preseason expectations for UCLA was, and I know there were some weird like Mick Cronin stuff happening there as well.

I don't know if that's gone.