USC weekend is always a huge recruiting weekend for Notre Dame football and this year the Men's Basketball staff will also host a high level visitor and one of their first of the 2023 class. That visitor would be top 100 recruit and Indiana native Xavier Booker.
The 6'10 big man was Notre Dame's second offeree in the 2023 class and seems to be an early priority for the Notre Dame staff. Booker has already taken visits to Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, and Ohio State but will be on Notre Dame's campus for the first time (albeit unofficially). Although this will be Booker's first time on campus, the Notre Dame staff has seen him in person multiple times, once at an AAU tournament this summer and once in early September at his high school. It seems to be early in Booker's recruiting process but the Irish staff has already made their interest known.
As for his game, Booker is a 6'11 do it all big man who has a wingspan of 7'4. The high school Junior can score with his back to the basket, can stretch the defense with his shooting, can run the floor well enough to make plays in transition, and can handle the ball at a high level for his size.
On the defensive end, Booker has the potential to be an unbelievable shot blocker at the next level but will need to bulk up a bit before contributing at the college level. As a Junior in high school, the Cathedral high forward still has a ways to go in his development, but it's easy to see that his ceiling is nearly unlimited because of his athleticism and coordination with the ball in his hands.
It doesn't seem like Booker is going to make a decision anytime soon, but the Irish staff will have a nice opportunity to make an impression on one of their top targets. As Booker progresses he will likely pick up other suitors but like JJ Starling, he seems to be exactly what the Irish staff is looking for on and off the floor. To get the program back to where it was a few years ago the staff needs to hit on guys like that. Bringing in Booker this early is a nice place to start in his recruitment but there is still a ways to go after Today.
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