{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1948)}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Kenny Booker | image = Kenny Booker vs Kansas (cropped).png | image_size = | caption =Booker with UCLA in the 1971 Final Four | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 185 | birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1948|11|20}} | birth_place= Los Angeles County, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | highschool =Long Beach Poly<br>(Long Beach, California) | college = *Long Beach CC (1966–1968) *UCLA (1969–1971) | draft_year = 1971 | draft_round = 14 | draft_pick =213 | draft_team = Phoenix Suns | career_start = 1975 | career_end = 1977 | career_position = Guard | highlights = * 2× NCAA champion (1970, 1971) }}
'''Kenneth Arnold Booker''' (born November 20, 1948)<ref>{{cite news|last=Rausch|first=Gary|title=Booker's Heroics Seal Injuns' Doom|date=March 7, 1971|newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram|page=S-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2275805/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.californiabirthindex.org/birth/kenneth_arnold_booker_born_1948_3586479|title=Kenneth Arnold Booker was born on November 20, 1948 in Los Angeles County, California|website=californiabirthindex.org|publisher=California Birth Index|access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref> is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1969 to 1971, winning a national championship in each of his two seasons of play. He played two seasons professionally in Europe.<ref name=lbcc>{{cite news |title=Kenny Booker |publisher=Long Beach City College Vikings |url=http://www.lbccvikings.com/hallofchampions/2006/booker_kenny |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613150815/http://www.lbccvikings.com/hallofchampions/2006/booker_kenny |archivedate=June 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
After helping his high school team win two championships, Booker went to junior college at Long Beach City College. He was an all-conference player for the Vikings, and was later inducted into their Hall of Champions. He transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a defensive specialist. Booker was a key reserve player in his first year of play. He moved to the guard position and became a starter as a senior, when he won his second national title with the Bruins, part of a run of seven consecutive championships by UCLA coach John Wooden. After college, Booker had a brief stint playing professionally, and also coached for a year in high school. He later became a realtor, and has also been a high school basketball official for over 30 years.
==Early life== Booker grew up in Long Beach, California,<ref name=sun_02051971>{{cite news|title=It's the Big One for L.A. Basketball Fans|date=February 5, 1971|newspaper=The Sun|location=San Bernardino, Calif.|page=D-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2275285/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> and went to high school at Long Beach Polytechnic, where he won two California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) basketball championships.<ref name=lbcc/> He was named to All-Southern California Board of Basketball all-star team as a center in 1966.<ref>{{cite press release |title=LEWIS BROWN, VERBUM DEI JUNIOR CENTER, IS "AAAA" BASKETBALL PLAYER OF YEAR FOR 1972 |date=March 22, 1972 |publisher=United Savings Helms Athletic Foundation |url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/HELMS/Basketball/HelmsBasketballAnnual1972.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072214/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/HELMS/Basketball/HelmsBasketballAnnual1972.pdf |archivedate=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
He went to Long Beach City College for two years, and changed to playing forward. As a freshman, he broke into the starting lineup in late December, and was named the team's Most Promising Freshman after helping the Vikings to a conference title in 1967.<ref name=lbcc/><ref name=rausch_04051967>{{cite news|last=Rausch|first=Gary|title=Bailey Reaps Top Honor at Viking's Cage Banquet|date=April 5, 1967|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2305440/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 27, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> Booker received honorable mention for the All-Metropolitan Conference team that year, before being named to the second team in 1968.<ref name=rausch_04051967/><ref>{{cite news|title=Mayer, Reid Win All-League Spots|date=March 1, 1968|newspaper=The Van Nuys News|page=17-A|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2307220/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 28, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> He was inducted into the Vikings Hall of Champions in 2006.<ref name=lbcc/>
==College career== Booker's play earned him a full scholarship to play for Coach John Wooden at UCLA. While he was among the leading scorers on his high school and junior college teams,<ref name=schrader_01211971>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Bruins' Loaded Deck Gives Ace To Booker|date=January 21, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2272649/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> Booker was a defensive specialist with the Bruins,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kirkpatrick |first=Curry |title=It's More Fun Without Lew |date=February 2, 1970 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1970/02/02/554039/its-more-fun-without-lew |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807115115/http://www.si.com/vault/1970/02/02/554039/its-more-fun-without-lew |archivedate=August 7, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=csulb/> and helped them win their fourth and fifth out of seven consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles under Wooden.<ref name=csulb>{{cite web |title=Remembering Coach John Wooden |publisher=California State University, Long Beach |url=http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/nss/102810.php |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620202939/http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/nss/102810.php |archivedate=June 20, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He sat out his initial season with UCLA in 1968–69, redshirting to preserve his remaining two years of eligibility.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=A Real Romance: L.A. Loves O.J.|date=November 18, 1968|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2305353/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 27, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Big Test For Lew: the Bruins|date=November 22, 1968|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2272797/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> In his first year of play in 1969–70, he came off the bench to curb Geoff Petrie of Princeton and Paul Westphal of USC, who were going off against the Bruins.<ref name=schrader_01211971/> Petrie had scored 26 points in 28 minutes before Booker entered the game and held him to two free throws in the final 12 minutes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Bruin Tackle Road|date=January 15, 1970|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2305478//|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 27, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> Booker played significant minutes late in the season and was a top reserve.<ref name=schrader_12041970>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Bruins Begin Exams|date=December 4, 1970|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2263568/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=UCLA '5' Opens Title Defense|date=December 4, 1970|newspaper=Progress-Bulletin|page=C-1|location=Pomona, Calif.|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2265261/|accessdate=April 22, 2015|via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref>
thumb|upright|left|Booker (right) was a defensive specialist for the Bruins As a senior in 1970–71, Booker was converted from forward to guard to replace the graduated John Vallely in the starting lineup.<ref name=schrader_12041970/><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Reed |first=Billy |title=The Top 20 Teams |date=November 30, 1970 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1970/11/30/611870/the-top-20-teams |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529050800/http://www.si.com/vault/1970/11/30/611870/the-top-20-teams |archivedate=May 29, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wooden, Boyd Agree—UCLA Again|date=November 25, 1970|newspaper=The Sun|location=San Bernardino, Calif|page=D-2|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2263612/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> He was the lone new starter from the 1970 championship team, getting the nod over Andy Hill and Terry Schofield. At {{convert|6|ft|4|in|m}} and {{convert|185|lb|kg}}, Booker was the team's best perimeter defender, and was called "a fine defensive and team player" by Wooden.<ref name=sun_02051971/><ref name=schrader_12041970/><ref>{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Seth|title=Wooden: A Coach's Life|page=343|publisher=Times Books|year=2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXLWAAAAQBAJ&dq=%22kenny%20booker%22%20basketball&pg=PA343|isbn=9780805099416|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> The Bruins started the season 14–0 before losing 89–82 to Notre Dame. Booker began the game defending the Fighting Irish's Austin Carr, who finished the game with 46 points, but Wooden then used Schofield and Larry Hollyfield instead. The coaching staff had instructed Booker to overplay Carr and expect help on defense if Carr drove to the basket. However, Wooden absolved Booker, declaring that he never received the help from the inside that was expected.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stellino|first=Vic|title=No Secret Plans Needed In Irish's Win Over UCLA|date=January 25, 1971|newspaper=Raleigh Register|page=7|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2265572/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wooden: Our Big Men No Help On Inside|newspaper=Herald-Journal|page=B-1|agency=Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19710124&id=gzMsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xMsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5109,3535114&hl=en|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}</ref> Though the loss ended a 19-game winning streak,<ref>{{cite news|title=Wooden Taking Loss In Stride|date=January 25, 1971|newspaper=Raleigh Register|page=7|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2265604/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> UCLA proceeded to win their next 88 games, an NCAA record.{{#tag:ref|UCLA did not lose again until January 19, 1974, when they were defeated again by Notre Dame, 71–70.<ref name=bonk_03261991/>|group=lower-alpha}}
On February 6, 1971, Booker helped key a 64–60 comeback victory for No. 2 UCLA over No. 1 USC. He had three steals in the final minutes as the Trojans were held to one point in the final 9:35, helping the Bruins rally from a 59–50 deficit. Booker also scored 14 points in the game, making seven of 10 field goals.<ref name=bonk_03261991>{{cite news |last=Bonk |first=Thomas |title=Losing Never Came to Mind |date=March 26, 1991 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-26-sp-929-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606080408/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1991-03-26/sports/sp-929_1_close-calls |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Bruins Begin Exams|date=February 7, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=S-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2265147/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> For the season, Booker averaged 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, as the Bruins finished 29–1 and captured their seventh national championship in eight seasons.<ref>{{cite press release|title=1971 Men's Basketball Team Celebrates 40th Anniversary|date=February 26, 2011|publisher=UCLA Athletics|url=http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&ATCLID=207904960|accessdate=April 23, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529070053/http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&ATCLID=207904960|archivedate=May 29, 2015}}</ref>
==Professional career== After college, Booker was selected in the 14th round of the 1971 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, as well as in the eighth round of the American Basketball Association draft by the Indiana Pacers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=NCAA downgrades junior colleges|date=May 10, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2272823/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2014–15 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide |page=157 |year=2014 |publisher=UCLA Athletic Department |url=http://www.uclabruins.com/fls/30500/pdf/MBKB_15MG_148_167.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30500 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226024949/http://www.uclabruins.com/fls/30500/pdf/MBKB_15MG_148_167.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30500 |archivedate=February 26, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> He tried out with Phoenix, surviving multiple cuts before being released in September 1971.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Sir Sidney pied piper of Portland|date=June 28, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2272826/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pro Cage Briefs|date=September 22, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2272829/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 23, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> In October, Booker was appointed as the head coach of Verbum Dei High School's basketball team, who were the defending CIF Southern Section 4-A Division champions.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title='Tis a season for USC, UCLA to forget |date=October 11, 1971|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2265230/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref name=waters_03261995>{{cite news |last=Waters |first=Sean |title=State Crown Signals Verbum Dei's Return to Glory |date=March 26, 1995 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-26-ci-47276-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306120208/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-03-26/news/ci-47276_1_verbum-dei |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> He coached the school for one season before quitting, leading them to a Del Rey League championship in 1972 as well as their second-straight CIF 4-A title;<ref>{{cite news|last=Pivernetz|first=Ken|title=Verbum Dei rally edges Millikan; frolic for Wilson|date=January 8, 1972|newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram|page=C-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2263472/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Bruins to muddle through in '72–73|date=April 3, 1972|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2263377/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> it was also the school's fourth-straight CIF championship at any level.{{#tag:ref|Verbum Dei won a 2-A championship in 1969 and a 3-A in 1970.<ref name=waters_03261995/><ref>{{cite news|last=Pivernetz|first=Ken|title=Verbum Dei wins 4th CIF cage title|date=March 12, 1972|newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram|page=S-2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2264979//|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 22, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} In 1975 he went to Italy,<ref>{{cite news|last=Schrader|first=Loel|title=Vermeil Makes Good on Pledge|date=December 15, 1975|newspaper=Independent|location=Long Beach, Calif.|page=C-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2263306/|via=Newspapers.com|accessdate=April 21, 2015}}{{open access}}</ref> and played professionally for two years in Europe.<ref name=lbcc/>
In 1988, Booker became a realtor in Long Beach with Coldwell Banker. {{as of|2010}}, he has been a high school basketball official in Southern California for over 30 years. He was named Referee of the Year by the Orange County Sports Association in 2009, and he has officiated high school volleyball matches as well.<ref name=csulb/>
==Notes== {{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{basketballstats}}
{{1970 UCLA Bruins men's basketball navbox}} {{1971 UCLA Bruins men's basketball navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booker, Kenny}} Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball coaches from California Category:Basketball players from Long Beach, California Category:Guards (basketball) Category:High school basketball coaches in California Category:Indiana Pacers draft picks Category:Long Beach City Vikings men's basketball players Category:Phoenix Suns draft picks Category:UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Category:Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni Category:20th-century American sportsmen