It is an honor in its own right when a student-athlete goes head-on against one of the NCAA’s legendary coaches and receives high praise from them. Such is the case of Texas’ Madison Booker, when South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said, “Booker is a great player… she was a beast on the boards,” when the Longhorns took over the Gamecocks in their second encounter of the 2024-25 season.

Although a sophomore, the 6-foot-1 wing is emerging as the next big thing on the college basketball landscape. So, let’s explore her early days when she led her varsity team to their first state title.

Madison Booker’s high school career

Born in April 2005, the Ridgeland, Mississippi native is one of Stephanie and Carlos Booker’s three daughters, i.e. Madison, Morgan, and Malia. She played varsity basketball for Mississippi’s Germantown High School situated in Gluckstadt.

Starting off as a freshman, Booker emerged as a standout scorer from the start, posting double-digit points in the sixth game of her high school basketball career. That season, she put out an average of 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game.

As a sophomore, she posted an average of 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. The next year, Booker took her game to another level with an average of 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game.

From freshman to junior year, Booker’s elite playmaking led her team to three consecutive Class 6A semifinals. However, she didn’t break a sweat and clinched the state title in her senior year while averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game. Finally, the Germantown women’s basketball team lifted their first-ever state championship title with a 64-43 win over the Golden Wave.

“I’ve been on varsity for five years. My first year, we came to the final four and got beat. The second year, we made it to the elite eight and got beat by Olive Branch at (Mississippi) Valley. My 10th-grade year, we made it to the state championship and got beat by Olive Branch – again. Last year, we got blown out in the final four. This year, it’s right here. I’ve been waiting for this moment to get a gold ball,” reasoned Booker.

While all this was going on, Madison Booker did have some bigger fish to fry.

Teaming up with USA Basketball

In 2021, playing for the U16 Women’s National Team, the Ridgeland native clinched her first of many golds. Booker would average 6.4 points, 1 rebound, and 2.6 assists through 5 games at the FIBA Women’s U16 Americas Championship in Leon, Mexico to kick off her international stage success.

The following year saw her averaging 5.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists through seven games at 2022 FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary for her second gold medal. A third came her way at the U19 World Cup in Madrid 2023, where she improved to 7.2 points, 5 rebounds, and an assist.

Tick that off alongside McDonald’s All-American, Mississippi Miss Basketball for Class 6A, and Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year honors and Madison Booker had just one box left to check. The state championship title. And well, we know the results.

“It’s the last thing and it’s checked off the list,” she had said.

Rated as a 5-star recruit, Booker then committed to play for Texas over offers from other elite programs like Tennessee and Duke.

Starting her college basketball career with the Longhorns

Entering college, Madison Booker started her career as a small forward who later on moved up to be a point guard. The freshman starter posted some pivotal digits through 37 games in the season.

Averaging 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, while shooting 48% from the field and 91.6% from the free throw line, Booker earned the Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor. But that wasn’t all. In March 2024, she was named the Big 12 Player of the Year, becoming the first ever freshman to earn the title.

In 14 games, she scored 20+ points while she posted double figures through 31 games. She would end up amassing 611 points, which ranks fourth on the program’s all-time freshman list and her 185 assists set a new freshman record.

Associated Press Second Team All-American, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Award, All-Big 12 First Team Unanimous selection, Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year, WBCA All-American, all and more came the 6’1″ forward’s way.

Undoubtedly, it is her on-court skills and conviction that she has achieved success off the court as well.

Booker’s engagement in the NIL

Through her first year, the Longhorns forward has been able to bag a couple of sweet NIL deals. The first one came around before Texas’ first-ever participation in the SEC Championship. Booker alongside multiple student-athletes, joined an NIL partnership with NIL Fanbox.

They signed the deal through Texas One Fund, formed by five separate University of Texas athletics for the NIL collectives; one of the nation’s largest and richest entities pooling money.

Then, a couple of months later, when all the qualifying teams were getting geared up for March Madness 2024, the coffee-maker brand, Keurig started things off with a bang ahead of First Four and signed several student-athletes, both men’s and women’s, along with Madison Booker.

As of February 2025, her NIL valuation remains undisclosed, while her sophomore stats read: 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. A bright path in the waiting for Longhorn #35.