While the Texas women’s basketball signee has not yet made her way to the Forty Acres, Madison Booker has proved herself as a force to be reckoned with against other incoming freshmen. The No. 12-ranked recruit, according to ESPN, joined the long list of Longhorns to play in the McDonald’s All-American game and has already acquired various awards. 

Booker, a 6-foot-1-inch forward from Ridgeland, Mississippi, has racked up an impressive list of honors throughout her high school career. In her senior season, the five-star recruit was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American. She was selected to play in the Nike Hoops Summit and received the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game MVP. 

According to Booker, the McDonald’s All-American game, one of the most prestigious honors for high school basketball players, was a dream come true. 

“To play in (the McDonald’s All-American Game) was a blessing,” Booker said. “To calculate my career and to play games with other people who have worked so hard to get to the same place I’m trying to get to, it just felt like I belonged.”

Booker’s play showed that she belongs with the best of the best, helping the West team to a 110-102 victory over the East. In the inaugural Nike Hoops Summit, she dropped eight points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and snatched three steals for Team USA. 

As the top recruit from Mississippi, Booker appropriately won MVP of the Mississippi vs. Alabama High School All-Stars game and has won two gold medals with Team USA. Out of all of these achievements, Booker said the ones she will carry with her are the relationships she formed. 

“I’ve met my people,” Booker said. “It felt amazing knowing that the other people also know what it took to get there, and I’m going to keep those relationships with me when I get to college.” 

From early on in the recruiting process, Booker knew she wanted to play for Texas head coach Vic Schaefer. When he was at Mississippi State, Schaefer saw Booker’s potential and started recruiting her from a young age. 

“Coach Schaefer started recruiting me when I was in eighth grade,” Booker said. “That lifelong bond carried over when he got to Texas and I knew that this would be the place for me.”

When Booker arrives in Austin in the fall, she will join an already-established Texas roster. While her role on the team is unclear for now, with four starters returning and several other players coming back from injuries, she is excited to find her place.

“I’m hoping to learn some new things about my game and expand on them,” Booker said. “Next season is the time for me to come in and see what I need to do for the program.”

Booker said she is looking forward to being able to call Austin home and follow her dreams at UT this upcoming 2023-24 season.