By Robert Wilson
Germantown’s Madison Booker added another award to her already crowded trophy case when she was named the Mississippi Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year this week.
Booker won the award for the second time, also winning it as a sophomore, and became only the sixth girlsbasketball player in Mississippi history to win the award twice since the award began in 1985.
The 6-foot-1 senior guard and Texas signee adds the award to her other accomplishments in her brilliant high school career: a McDonald’s All-American, two-time USA Basketball gold medalist, MHSAA Class 6A Player of the Year, Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and two-time PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Metro Jackson Player of the Year, leading Germantown to the first state championship in its 12-year school history.
Booker joins Myah Taylor of Olive Branch (the only one to win the award three times, 2015, 2016 and 2017), Victoria Vivians of Scott Central (2012 and 2013), Valencia McFarland of Raymond (2009 and 2010), April Sykes of East Oktibbeha (2007 and 2008) and LaToya Thomas of Greenville (1998 and 1999) to win the award twice.
“I’m excited for Maddie to receive this honor for the second time in her career,” said Germantown coach Jamie Glasgow, the only coach in school history. “It shows that she not only had a great season this year, but also played at a high level during her entire career. She had an outstanding senior season and turned it up a notch in the playoffs to lead us to the state championship. I’m very proud for her success and all the honors she has received.”
Booker finished her senior season averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game for Germantown, which finished 29-2, won its last 18 games and won 23 consecutive games against Mississippi teams. Germantown’s only Mississippi loss was a 57-56 decision to defending MHSAA 4A state champion Choctaw Central. Germantown’s only other loss was a 59-49 decision to Hoover, Ala., 33-1 and ranked No. 13 in the country by Maxpreps.
Booker was one of 24 players in the country named to the McDonald’s All-American Game, the first Mississippi female to make the team since 2008 and only the fourth since the game began in 2002.
She started every game for USA Basketball for the past two summers and helped the team to two consecutive gold medals without losing a game.
She was the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Player of the Year for the past two seasons as a sophomore and junior and has been a member of the Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team this year and last year.
Booker averaged 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals and led Germantown to a 24-7 record and a MHSAA Class 6A state tournament semifinal finish last season. She scored a then career-high 30 points against Arlington, Tenn., last season.
Booker – whose father, Carlos, was a 6-10 center for Southern Miss in the 1990s – made official visits to Duke, Tennessee, and Texas. Recruited by the best programs in the country, Booker narrowed her college choices down to nine schools – Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Connecticut, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Oregon, and Texas entering her junior year.
Booker averaged 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocked shots and led Germantown to a 13-4 record and the MHSAA Class 6A runner-up finish as a sophomore. She was first team on the All-Metro Jackson team as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
