As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Michigan State basketball’s season-ending loss to Auburn in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, its offseason began. Several questions about the future of the team now need to be addressed. One of the biggest will be about Xavier Booker, the former five-star recruit who has struggled to find minutes this year for the Spartans.
Many fans have openly wondered if Booker will transfer out of Michigan State this year. Transferring is rare for MSU, especially for a player who seems to have bought in as much as Booker has, but it’s easy to see why the questions have popped up. Booker was a high-profile recruit to MSU, but only averaged 12.8 minutes per game this year and barely saw the floor in the NCAA Tournament as he fell out of the rotation.
After the loss to Auburn, Booker was asked about his future, and I think he gave a very mature response to the question:
‘It’s sad to see it end, but we got more work to do over the summer. Right now, I’m kind of just trying to take it in, just take everything in and especially to cherish these last moments with the seniors. It was a long year. We all built great bonds with each other throughout the whole year. So it definitely sucks to see everything end the way it did. You look at it back in a few days or a week from now and can be proud of the overall picture and everything we had accomplished this year.’
To me, that doesn’t sound like someone who wants to transfer. And we all know that Tom Izzo will not force someone to transfer. I’m sure the staff will be talking to him in the next few weeks to determine a path forward that is best for everyone, even if that decision eventually ends in his transfer.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Xavier Booker gives mature response when asked about future with Michigan State basketball
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
