Devin Booker’s season ended in a playoff loss yesterday but John Beilein and Bacari Alexander were both in attendance to watch him play for the second time this season. The 6-foot-4 guard has developed a strong relationship with Bacari Alexander over the last few months and Michigan is well established in his recruitment. Booker grew up in Grand Rapids and his father Melvin, a former All American at Missouri, is an assistant coach on his prep team. I caught up with Devin earlier tonight to discuss his recruitment, an upcoming visit to Ann Arbor and much more.
Can you talk a little bit about your relationship with Coach Bacari and how that’s developed in recent months? Bacari is kind of one of the first major college coaches to get in touch with me and actually had me out to one of their camps. I went to one of their football games. He’s just an outgoing guy.
How was the visit to the football game? We came up for their homecoming game (on Oct. 29 vs. Purdue). I went and saw a practice before, then toured the campus. I went to the academic center and stuff. I got to talk to a few of the players after they were done practicing, and I got to see all of the new stuff they were doing to Crisler.
What’d you think of the renovations to Crisler? It’s amazing. It was just really awesome.
You went to the Michigan College Practice Camp over the summer, where you met Coach Beilein for the first time. What’d you think of the camp, and what was your impression of Coach Beilein? Growing up in Michigan, I’ve always been a fan of Michigan. So just to meet him and get a chance to talk to him, it was kind of a dream come true. He was just saying that he was going to keep in touch with me and come to my games and things like that. He was showing interest. They (Beilein and Bacari) came down to the first game of my season and my last game (last night).
What does it mean to you to have both these coaches come multiple times during your sophomore year to see you? For any college to do that, especially to come all the way from Michigan, it says a lot.
What other colleges have been recruiting you? All of the Mississippi schools – Mississippi State, Ole Miss. We’ve talked to Florida, Missouri, Michigan State has called, Georgetown.
Have you gotten any scholarships yet? No, just interest right now.
What are you looking for in a college? A place where I could play my first year, the people I’ll be with, the people that already committed and obviously the people that are already there, what position and who’s in the position that I’ll be playing.
Your dad also mentioned you might be visiting this weekend for the Ohio State game. Is that going to happen? Yeah, I’ll be there. It’s going to be an unofficial visit.
And speaking of your dad, how much does it help to have somebody like him, who has been through everything you’re going through, to help with this whole process? Well he does so many things that other kids don’t get to see. Obviously he’s not going to tell me the wrong thing. He’s been there and experienced it all and is just trying to get me to do what he did, and to be better than him.
Any idea when you’d like to make a decision? I’m just feeling the process out.