Xavier Booker, Jamar Brown, Steven Jamerson II to join the Bruins in 2025-26.
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men’s basketball program has received signed grant-in-aid agreements from transfer students Xavier Booker, Jamar Brown and Steven Jamerson II, as announced on Friday by Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach.
All three student-athletes will join the Bruins’ program for the 2025-26 season. Brown and Jamerson II have one remaining season of eligibility, while Booker has two years of eligibility. Booker, who will be a junior next season, spent the past two years at Michigan State. Brown and Jamerson II will enroll as graduate students. Brown spent the past two seasons competing at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). Jamerson II played at the University of San Diego (USD) for the past three seasons.
A 6-foot-11, 240-pound forward/center, Booker averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 60 games over two seasons at Michigan State. As a sophomore in 2024-25, Booker averaged 4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game. He graduated from Cathedral high school in Indianapolis in 2023, prior to enrolling at Michigan State. Booker was ranked as the No. 11 recruit by 247Sports.com, nationally, in his high school class and was a finalist as a high school senior for the Naismith high school Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award. He secured McDonald’s All-America acclaim and was also selected to compete in the 2023 Iverson Classic.
“We are thrilled to have Xavier coming to Westwood,” Cronin said. “Xavier is a great young man who has won at the highest level, and he has been coached by a Hall of Fame coach. We evaluated him in high school and played against him last season when he was at Michigan State. He’s a great athlete and with his length, at 6-foot-11, I believe that Xavier is ready for a breakout season. He is on the cusp of realizing his potential. We really wanted an athletic big man with size and length to run the floor, alongside our guards, and he provides us with shot blocking at the rim.”
Brown will join the Bruins’ program after having spent the past two seasons at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard enrolled as a junior in 2023, after having excelled during his first two years at Phoenix College (Arizona). A second-team All-Summit League honoree in 2025, Brown has averaged 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game through two seasons at UMKC, playing in 62 games and making 61 starts. He earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC) in 2025 and was a unanimous Academic All-Summit League selection. He was an all-region selection in high school on the basketball court and as a defensive back on the football team at Hamilton high school (Chandler, Ariz.).
“Jamar’s development has been a great story, and he is exactly what we need at his position,” Cronin said. “He’s a lights-out shooter who competes with great toughness, can rebound the ball well, and plays hard. Jamar has great character and has really earned everything in basketball the hard way, having never been a ranked prospect. He also excelled as a football player in high school. I love that Jamar is hungry and wants to prove himself. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and that is apparent when you watch him on film. We are very excited to welcome him to Westwood.”
Jamerson II, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from Los Angeles, played the past three seasons at the University of San Diego. He will enroll as a graduate student at UCLA with one remaining season of eligibility. Last season, Jamerson II averaged 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game, competing in 31 games for the Toreros. Over the past three years at San Diego, he averaged 8.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game. Jamerson II graduated from Crespi high school in Encino, Calif., in 2021.
“Steven is a 6-foot-10 grad student who is still improving,” Cronin said. “Analytically, he was among the best rebounders in the nation the last two seasons, when you look at rebounds per minute. He has good hands and some versatility on offense with good shooting touch. He’s from Los Angeles and I know that he is very excited to be part of UCLA’s program in every way. We need his size and experience, and we are very happy to bring Steven back home.”
Booker, Brown and Jamerson II join a four-person incoming class that also features transfer guard Donovan Dent, who will be a senior in 2025-26. UCLA announced the signing of Dent earlier this month (news release here).
INCOMING STUDENT-ATHLETES, AT A GLANCE
Xavier Booker
Hometown: Indianapolis, Ind.
High School: Cathedral HS
Previous School: Michigan State University
Height, Weight: 6-11, 240
Position: Forward/Center
Jamar Brown
Hometown: Chandler, Ariz.
High School: Hamilton HS
Previous School: University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
Height, Weight: 6-5, 205
Position: Guard
Donovan Dent
Hometown: Riverside, Calif.
High School: Centennial HS
Previous School: University of New Mexico
Height, Weight: 6-2, 170
Position: Guard
Steven Jamerson II
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
High School: Crespi HS
Previous School: University of San Diego
Height, Weight: 6-10, 210
Position: Forward/Center