FORT WAYNE — Every year, the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam is one of the pre-eminent events of the spring grassroots season, this year being no exception.

Here are a few takeaways on Purdue recruiting from Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's games in Fort Wayne.

Midway through the high school season, Xavier Booker was looking the part of an elite prospect, but would admit to the fact that he wasn't always playing and producing like one.

Things turned for him late in the season, though, a key element to Cathedral's eventual run to a state title, and now this spring, the multi-skilled 6-foot-1l forward/center has picked up where he left off in the state tournament.

Booker seems to be playing with more aggressiveness, more of an edge to him than he was back in December for Cathedral, and that demeanor has amplified the skills that made him a really highly regarded prospect virtually at first sight for numerous high-end college programs and talent evaluators alike.

Currently ranked 38th nationally in the 2023 class by Rivals.com and top 100 by other services, Booker could be poised to maybe even move up. Young men who push 7-feet tall, with infinite length and the ability to dribble and shoot threes have a way of sweet-talking the rankings, especially when they're rock-solid, smart and likable people, as Booker is.

Booker would seem to be the focus of Purdue's narrow search for a 2023 big man. He said this weekend he'll make an official visit, likely in the fall. Booker took an official visit to Michigan State, which is pushing for him with all its might, earlier this month. He also mentioned an official visit to Notre Dame being in the works.

His play this spring has brought attention from Gonzaga, Duke and Kentucky, he said.