Texas Longhorns’ Madison Booker Named Finalist For National Award
As just a sophomore, Texas Longhorns’ star guard Madison Booker has already racked up a long list of accolades and honors, including two-time conference Player of the Year, once in the Big 12 and again in the SEC, and back-to-back First Team All-American Honors. Now, she’s a finalist for another major award, the Wooden Award, the award for college basketball’s most outstanding player.
Booker is just one of five players named a finalist for the award, alongside UCLA’s Lauren Betts, UCONN’s Paige Bueckers, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and USC’s Juju Watkins.
She leads Texas in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game, and in the NCAA tournament, averaging 18.8 points per game. Not only has she led Texas in scoring, but she’s stepped up in other aspects of her game, rebounding and playing tougher defense.
On a team full of veterans, Booker has established herself as one too, despite being just a sophomore. Last season, when Rori Harmon went down with a torn ACL, she seamlessly moved into the point guard role, leading the Longhorns to the Elite Eight. This year, she helped Texas end its 22-year Final Four drought, leading her team to a win over former conference opponent TCU.
She’s no stranger to the spotlight, and stars in a new NCAA series about her star-studded sophomore class. She wasted no time reaching certain career milestones and has already scored 1,000 points in her young career, an accomplishment she reached midway through SEC play.
Booker has earned praise from several of the best coaches in the country, including South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, whom the Longhorns will face for the fourth time this season in the Final Four.
The award will be announced on April 11, but Booker has one goal first: leading her Longhorns to a national championship. South Carolina stands in the way first, and the Longhorns currently have a 1-2 record against the Gamecocks this season.
The two SEC teams will face off at 6 p.m. on Friday from Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL for a chance to play for the National Championship. The game will be aired on ESPN>
