Latest news with #Booker
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Longhorns star Madison Booker earns special invitation from USA Basketball
Following another stellar season, Madison Booker has received a prestigious honor. The Longhorns star has been selected for the USA Basketball Women's AmeriCup team. Her latest achievement comes after three days of trials in Colorado Springs. Booker and the rest of Team USA will compete at the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, which starts later this month on June 28th. Booker will get to play alongside some of the best players in the country. That includes Raegan Beers, Mikayla Blakes, Audi Crooks, Joyce Edwards, Hannah Hidalgo, Flau'jae Johnson and Gianna Kneepkens. While this is a unique honor for Booker, it is not the first time the Longhorns forward has gotten an opportunity to shine on the world stage. Before starting her college career, the Germantown High School product won multiple gold medals with USA basketball. She was part of teams that won gold at the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup, 2022 FIBA U17 Women's World Cup, and 2021 FIBA Women's U16 Americas Championship. Booker is poised to add another medal to her trophy case. To many in Austin, Booker's latest accomplishment comes as no surprise. In 75 games for the Longhorns, she has averaged 16.4 points and 3.8 assists. The talented sophomore has also been dangerous from three-point range, with a 35.5 shooting percentage. With Booker leading the offense, Texas has been hard to stop. Due to her play, Booker has added to her trophy case. Just a few months ago, she earned First Team All-America honors. The Longhorns star was also named the SEC Player of the Year for the second time. Now, she will get to show the world why she is one of the best at her position in the nation. The tournament, which will be held in Santiago, Chile, will last until July 6.
Metro
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Iconic WWE star's twins, 15, are being 'groomed for family business'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is well versed in training the stars of the future, and his teenage kids could be next. The 60-year-old retired wrestler and current NXT commentator is a mentor on US network A&E's LFG reality show – which returns for a second season this weekend – and it's no surprised his 15-year-old twins are primed to follow in his footsteps. He exclusively told Metro: 'Never say never. My son, he loves professional wrestling. My daughter, she's very, very athletic. I never knew what I was going to do until I got into it, you know?' However, Booker – whose wife is fellow WWE Hall of Famer Sharmell – admitted he might be happier if they work behind the scenes instead, taking over his Reality of Wrestling promotion. 'I'm grooming them to be able to take over the business one day,' he said. 'From a behind the scenes perspective. That's where the money is! Less bumps as well [laughs]. No man, never say never!' If the twins did decided to get into wrestling, they'd have the best coach, with Booker having trained rising star Roxanne Perez, while there have been plans for him to work with Travis Scott to help him prepare for an eventual match. However, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching someone the ropes. 'The first time I got in the ring, it was like deja vu. It seemed like I had been in the ring my whole life,' he recalled. 'Being in the business for 35 years, I got so much like wasted knowledge in my head, I could just pull it up, boom. 'I expect for them to be able to do it as well, and it's just not like that. Everybody is so different as far as the learning curve… When I teach it, I try to have so many different philosophies.' For WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats), that variety is on full display as Booker joins Bubba Ray Dudley, The Undertaker and Michelle McCool on the panel for the second season in search of WWE's next megastars. Last series, Bubba Ray clashed with his loudmouthed protege BJ Ray, who showed a lot of fire and overconfident. 'It might work out for them on the show, but it's not going to work out in the long run,' Booker said, arguing the need for 'great matches' as well as a strong personality. He added: 'If you can figure that out – BJ Ray, he might have a chance, but if he doesn't figure that part out, he has no chance in hell of making it in this business.' Booker knows his stuff, as his protege Jasper Troy was the men's winner, and has already impressed in the ring with NXT Champion Oba Femi. 'I hate to use the old cliche from from Rocky Balboa, but he had that 'eye of the tiger,'' the veteran chuckled. 'He took it very, very serious. And that's what a lot of these guys don't do.' He explained: 'They're not looking at it like this could be a lifetime job… [or a] once a lifetime opportunity… But Jasper, I'm so proud of that kid.' That's not to say Booker doesn't embrace the larger than life characters, as he noted how the theatrics are the beating heart of the business. 'I'm always performing. It's Shakespeare, it's Romeo and Juliet, it's Phantom of the Opera,' he smiled. 'That's I think about when I think about professional wrestling.' That drama will certainly shine through on the new season of LFG – which is only available in the US, with clips being shared on X worldwide, and the winners already appearing on weekly NXT TV. What can fans expect? 'A lot more drama,' he laughed. 'We're trying to work with these young guys and get them where we need them to be. It's not as easy as one would think.' He added: 'The physical side is is relatively easy, but the mental side of the business is very, very taxing. And I think you guys will see a lot of lot of that this season.' In light of that, Booker shared the best piece of advice he was given by Escape From New York actor and wrestler Ox Baker. More Trending He recalled with a smile: 'He said, 'Kid, you got a lot of talent, but you're going to come up against a lot of obstacles in this business.' And I think he was talking about me being a young black man in the business. 'He didn't say that, but he said, 'You got to figure out a way to go over, around, under, and sometimes you have to go straight through those obstacles.' 'Wow. That was the best advice I've ever could have gotten as a young kid getting into this business.' View More » WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats) returns to A&E on Sunday, June 22. Fans in the US can tune in from 10pm ET/PT. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: How to watch 'captivating' true crime series A Body in the Snow after Karen Read's trial MORE: Netflix drops all 8 episodes of dark TV series 'compared to Ozark' MORE: Disturbing documentary about 'most evil reality show ever' now streaming on BBC
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
When words are toast, and grockles go on holiday
Nabokov used the word 'mauve' at least once in all of his books. From this, many assume that was his favourite word. Jane Austen used 'civility' often, while unsurprisingly, Agatha Christie had more 'inquest' than others. I think it's quite a leap to conclude these were the favourites of the respective authors. A better way of finding out would be to ask the authors the question: What is your favourite word? Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, when asked, said his favourite word was 'cinnamon'. His explanation: 'It derives from visiting my grandma's pantry when I was a kid. I loved to read the labels on spice boxes; curries from far places in India and cinnamons from across the world.' For novelist and twice Booker winner Hilary Mantel, the word was 'nesh'. I had to look it up. It means 'unusually susceptible to cold weather', and suggests weakness or infirmity, or as Mantel described it, 'fragile, a bit sorry for yourself.' Author Rebecca Mead's is 'grockles', another word I had to look up. It is, I learnt, a mildly derogatory term for visiting tourists and holidaymakers. We know such people, and now we know what they are called. Beautiful words tend to be a combination of something of personal significance, sound, memory, and possibilities. My own is 'zephyr', a soft gentle breeze, and when I hear it (which, admittedly is not very often), it evokes the visual of a casual wave of the hand over the shoulder which I once saw an actor do in a play. I don't know why, but such things are not susceptible to logic. However, you can see how the combination of the 'z' and the 'f' sounds suggest something soothing and calm. Like the line in that Simon and Garfunkel song: '…freshly fallen, silent shroud of snow…' My wife's word is 'quintessential', while a dear friend puts it down as 'velvet'. Surveys that have been done over the years give us a list of much-loved words: murmuring, tranquil, gossamer, melody, ailurophile (cat lover). There are many more, of course. In a 2004 survey conducted by the British Council among non-English speaking people, it emerged that 'mother' was their favourite word. That is easy to understand for Indians for whom 'ma, 'amma', 'mataji' and variants have become sacred, thanks as much to what they imply as to the power of our cinema. The hero attributing his strength and power to his mother has been a Bollywood trope for decades. Another favourite seems to be 'beautiful'. That too is easy to understand, if unimaginative. But what if we used a synonym instead? Like 'pulchritudinous'. The guttural sound in the middle might ruin it for some, but it means 'beautiful' – surely an ugly word for a beautiful one. Sometimes it is not the sound or the association that words conjure up that matter but dexterity. The novelist Jeanette Winterson's word is 'toast' because 'it does so much: a noun; a verb; a description of the Tory Party; the celebration we'll be having on 5th July…'
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Spartan Xavier Booker is reportedly making a big change with new team UCLA
Former Spartan Xavier Booker is reportedly making a big change with new team UCLA It appears former Spartan Xavier Booker will be making a position change with his new team next season. College basketball insider Jon Rothstein shared an interesting tidbit on Booker on Tuesday, which may come as surprising to many who follow Michigan State basketball. According to Rothstein, Booker will transition from playing power forward (four) to center (five) with UCLA next season. This is notable because Booker had primarily played power forward for the Spartans during two seasons at Michigan State, with some (including myself) believing he had no desire to play center. Booker -- who was a former five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American -- transferred out of Michigan State in April following the season and quickly landed at fellow Big Ten squad UCLA. Booker's addition, along some other notable transfer portal gets, has Rothstein and others pegging UCLA as one of the preseason favorites in the Big Ten next season. Booker appeared in 60 games (including five starts) during his two seasons at Michigan State. He averaged 4.3 points, 2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks across 11.2 minutes per game with the Spartans. Included below is the full video from Rothstein breaking down the upcoming position change for Booker and how he believes Booker will be the game-changer for the Bruins to hit their ceiling next season: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys' 1st-round rookie working to flatten learning curve of life in NFL
Cowboys' 1st-round rookie working to flatten learning curve of life in NFL To go from college ball to the NFL, there is famously a huge learning curve. But Cowboys first-round draft pick Tyler Booker is working to do to that curve what he's done to defensive linemen throughout his playing career. Flatten it. With teams still in the obligatory non-contact phase of their offseason program, though, the massive six-foot-five guard has had to rely on something other than his 320-pound frame to get himself acclimated to playing at the professional level. "The more you know football," the just-turned-21-year-old said this week, "the slower the game becomes." Booker is getting crash-course tutoring these days from his offensive linemates in Dallas. "I couldn't ask for a better room of vets," he explained. "We're a younger room, but there's still a lot of experience within there." That part is debatable. The presumed starting five all obviously have more playing time under their belts than Booker, but the overall youth clearly stands out. Undrafted right tackle Terence Steele is 28 years old and suddenly the group's elder statesman, with 74 career starts. Tyler Smith, Tyler Guyton, and Cooper Beebe are all 24 and have 47, 11, and 16 starts, respectively. Put another way, the front five's combined 148 starts (to date) are still shy of the just-retired Zack Martin's 162. The Cowboys O-line is indeed a young bunch, and they're still very much figuring out how they'll gel. Booker may be the fresh-faced rookie, but he's making sure he's not the weak link. "We're building great chemistry," he said. "If I ever have a question right before the snap, they're able to help me out and lead me in the right direction. But I'm trying to make sure that that doesn't become a habit. I'm very prideful in knowing the offense, and I want to make sure I'm not holding this room back by any means." Booker believes his collegiate tenure at one of the country's most rigorous football programs gives him something of a head start in that regard. He said that the Cowboys' minicamp last week- although notoriously challenging for some rookies, given the hands-off rules that severely limit what linemen can do- was not unlike what he experienced in Tuscaloosa, explaining, "We were still out there going against each other without helmets." And the first-team All-American pointed to a lengthy list of mentors he's been exposed to along the way, dating all the way back to high school. In addition to Nick Saban, Kalen DeBoer, and Crimson Tide assistants Eric Wolford and Chris Kapilovic, Booker rattled off names like George Hegamin, the former Cowboy who was a key backup during the Super Bowl dynasty days, and three-time Pro Bowler Tra Thomas, who, he noted with a knowing smile, "played for another team in the NFL." Both O-line veterans coached him at IMG Academy in Florida. He also shouted out JC Latham, his linemate in both high school and college, who was a first-round draft pick last year for the Tennessee Titans. Booker called Latham his "best friend" and said he's helping him adjust to his first offseason in the pros. Picking up little things from all of them," Booker allowed, "has definitely contributed to my football IQ." Which brings us back to the original problem: flattening out that rookie learning curve so he can make an immediate impact with the new-look 2025 Cowboys. For now, it's a challenge that Booker, who graduated from 'Bama in just three years, is happy to attack mentally, with a little help from his (slightly more) experienced teammates and his formidable Rolodex of football mentors. "The speed of the game, it's so sped up from college to the NFL," he said. "So, them telling me to see the whole picture and be like, 'Okay, obviously you have to see the three-technique or the two in front of you. Well, where's that linebacker aligned? Where's that safety aligned? What's going on on the other side? How is that end playing Those are all things I have to take into account pre-snap, and the more reps I get during minicamp and OTAs, the more I start to see the whole picture, and that's definitely helped me improve to this point." But just wait until the pads go on in Oxnard and the linemen can actually hit each other. That's when the gargantuan Booker can start physically wrestling that sizable learning curve into submission. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
