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Golden: Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes just loves Texas freshman Madison Booker

cedric golden, austin american-statesman
·2 min read
Mar 12, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) handles the ball while defended by Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan (11) during the first half at T-Mobile Center.
Mar 12, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) handles the ball while defended by Iowa State Cyclones guard Emily Ryan (11) during the first half at T-Mobile Center.

Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes makes no bones about it.

She loves Texas freshman point guard Madison Booker.

More: It can't be a two-man show for Texas basketball to survive in the NCAA Tournament | Golden

Swoopes was ESPN’s color analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Brenda VanLengen for Texas’ Tuesday’s 70-53 win over Iowa State, a game which the Big 12 Co-Player of the Year put on an offensive show with 26 points, six rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers en route to Most Outstanding Player honors.

Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes, seen at Alumni Weekend at her alma mater Texas Tech on Jan. 28, was effusive in her praise of Texas freshman Madison Booker during Tuesday's 70-53 win over Iowa State. Booker scored 26 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes, seen at Alumni Weekend at her alma mater Texas Tech on Jan. 28, was effusive in her praise of Texas freshman Madison Booker during Tuesday's 70-53 win over Iowa State. Booker scored 26 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

“Madison Booker is really good y’all,” she said in the second half after Booker knocked down one of many midrange jumpers. “If you haven’t seen Madison Booker in person…she’s way better in person than she is on television.”

Swoopes, a 1993 Naismith Award winner who led Texas Tech to a national title the same year with a record 47 points in the finale against Ohio State, went on to win three Olympic gold medals for Team USA and four WNBA championships with the Houston Comets.

So when she says something, it’s probably a good idea to respect the weight of her words. Now she did draw the ire of Iowa fans earlier this season when she said superstar guard Caitlin Clark, who will be the runaway choice for national Player of the Year and the top pick in next month's WNBA draft, won’t immediately dominate the pro competition as a rookie. But since Swoopes was an elite player on both ends of the court and one of the smartest to ever don a pair of sneakers, I’ll give her the respect and wait and see if she’s right.

As for Booker, she put on a show in her first (and last) Big 12 tourney. Every time I watch her play, she reminds me more and more of hoops legend Maya Moore. She never seems to be in a hurry offensively but remains a step ahead of whoever is trying to defend her. After she answered a late Iowa State run with a 15-foot banker from the left side of the lane, Swoopes gushed with praise again.

“Madison Booker is the truth,” she said.

On that, we can all agree.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Sheryl Swoopes loves Texas freshman basketball star Madison Booker