(Xavier Booker after an April evaluation period game)

 

This high school season, junior center Xavier Booker played an integral part in Cathedral winning the 2022 IHSAA 4A title. His development and production helped the Irish hit their stride in the postseason and roll to the championship.

 

Booker made the 2022 IBCA/Franciscan Health Underclass All-State Supreme 15 after averaging 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Those numbers don’t pop off the page, but Booker only played 18.9 minutes per game, and his numbers increased dramatically in the second half of the season and postseason.

 

He had an excellent 4A title game with 13 points, ten rebounds, and three blocks in 17 minutes. Cathedral rolled to a 65-31 victory over the previously unbeaten Chesterton Trojans.

 

From the outside, it seemed like Booker from the Bosco Institute game on February 8 on. The 2023 center agreed with that assessment.

 

“I definitely felt that,” Booker said of his game clicking. “It was mainly because the guys I’m surrounded by at Cathedral. They push me every day – players, coaches, managers. They push me to play harder. Also, I started to play with a more consistent motor and play hard on every possession. That really helped a lot.”

(Garwey Dual at the NY2LA Swish N Dish)

 

Carmel’s Garwey Dual (2023) generated as much buzz as any Indiana prospect through two weeks of club basketball. Dual played great at the NY2LA Sports Swish N Dish in Milwaukee, then turned heads with his performance against Mid-Pro Academy on the opening night at the Ohio Basketball Spring Extravaganza.

 

Dual moved to Carmel before this season from Houston, and he played for the Houston Hoops organization before moving to Indiana. However, for Carmel, Dual did not play much this season. Dual averaged 2.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals in ten Carmel games that Indiana Basketball Source tracked.

 

Advanced stats can tell a different story for a player who does not play significant minutes, and that was the case for Dual. His rebounding and defensive advanced stats were great – 10.8 percent offensive rebounding rate, 16.2 defensive rebounding rate, 12.3 block rate, and 5.5 steal rate. Plus, he drew a lot of fouls due to his slashing nature and had a 51.9 true shooting percentage.