When it comes to the state’s top sports prospects in Michigan as of late, few are more intriguing than Devin Booker. The 21-year-old phenom plays for Division II side Northern Hills University on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET in Ann Arbor.
He was recognized by USA Today Sports as one of the country’s most promising young players last fall. And he’ll get an opportunity to live out that promise when he takes the court against North Hills in front of 516 fans on Aug. 9.
But will Booker be able to pull off another impressive performance this weekend? According to USA Today, there is no guarantee he can meet or even surpass his best game of 2019. It depends if coach Ryan McGovern getting him into a better position. “Devin looks like he had a really good freshman year,” said MHS head basketball coach Ben Hamer.
But “I don’t think anything changes for him. His IQ (IQ) is going to remain pretty high. He’s got room to grow and improve. There’s always going to be some things that he needs to work on.” On the other hand, Hamer noted that there could be issues if “he doesn’t get involved at home on certain nights and he feels isolated inside.
If we know what night you need your energy focused on, I think that’s very important to Devin coming into college and having a strong schedule early in the season.” That may help Booker avoid any bad habits he’s made during his off-season workouts.
Booker has spent most of his time at North Hills participating with D1 Menzies in camps off campus. Since finishing 8th overall in Class A for two years in high school, Booker won four division titles.
Two years after dropping out, he joined up with GVSU for two seasons before transferring back to Northwestern after the 2018–19 season. In his first full year at Northwestern, Booker averaged 16.6 points and 12 rebounds per game over 14 games.
After making 17.9% of his three-pointers and 36% from long distance, Booker ranked second on Northwestern’s team and earned All-Big Ten First Team honors in all three categories.
Notable stats he posted in 2021 included a career-high 19 points in a loss to Illinois, 20 points vs. Iowa State, 29 points vs. UAB, and 20 points vs. Wisconsin.
At 6’7″ and 200 pounds, Booker might not have the tools to handle being the face of both GVSU and Northwestern. But the Ivy League powerhouse will look to challenge some NBA bigs who are currently in our area as well.
We’ll keep an eye out on how many minutes Booker does play for North Hills this week and whether he’s worth considering another transfer to join our local squad. Be sure to listen for further interview updates throughout the game!
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