It’s all academic
By Mike Beas
Aidan Booher’s influence on the Plainfield boys basketball program is merely the textbook lob pass when attempting to paint a complete picture of the senior guard.
His academic achievements are the rim-abusing slam dunk.
Ranked ninth in his class with a better-look-twice grade-point average of 4.81, the 6-foot-4-inch Booher brings a cerebral element to a Quakers squad that was 18-1 and ranked fifth in Class 4A prior to last weekend’s games against Franklin and Silver Creek.
Coach Andy Weaver’s roster contains no shortage of athletic talent, including 6-foot-8-inch senior post Ian Scott dominating down low and 6-foot-4-inch junior wing Cael Vanderbush using his wingspan and vertical leap to benefit Plainfield at both ends of the floor.
Binding these and other skill sets together is Booher, who averages 10.8 rebounds, 2.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and is able to play either the point or 2-guard position. His season-high of 24 points took place in the Quakers’ 64-49 defeat of Mooresville in January, a game in which he was 8 of 14 from behind the 3-point arc.
Booher has also scored 18 points on three different occasions this season and delivered nine assists in a win against Terre Haute South earlier this month. He’s been a fixture in the Quakers’ starting lineup since Game 13 of his freshman season.
Weaver, now in his ninth season, feels Booher’s biggest improvement this season has been on the defensive end.
“Aidan played varsity as a freshman, and I think we’ve had him in the starting lineup ever since,” said Weaver. “He is such a high-IQ basketball player. Aidan is an excellent student, and it carries over to the basketball court. He’s a guy who can take care of the basketball, and his decision-making is really good.”
Booher did a Q&A with ICON:
Q: Your team won 18 of its first 19 games, including a dozen by 10 or more points. Are you surprised by the success the Quakers are having this season?
A: We definitely expected to be really good. It’s something we’ve been building the past couple of years. We have six seniors on the team, and I think in the higher-pressure situations, it helps having that experience.
Q: What do you remember about being in the starting lineup for the first time during the 2017-18 season?
A: It was at Mooresville, and I was probably more excited than nervous. It was actually the game I scored the most (11 points) during my freshman season. It was a big conference game and we won.
Q: What are your plans after graduating from Plainfield High School in the spring?
A: I’m still undecided, but I definitely want to play basketball. I plan to major in mathematics. I’m interested in going the pre-med route and becoming a sports medicine doctor or working in the front office for a professional sports franchise.
Athlete of the Week