Madison Booker, a junior on the Texas women’s basketball team, didn’t slow down this summer.
Rather, the 6-foot-1 forward headed to Santiago, Chile, to assist Team USA in defeating Brazil 92-84 in Sunday’s championship game, which helped them capture the gold at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
Her victory was her first on the senior AmeriCup level and her fourth gold medal with USA Basketball.
After the triumph, squad USA coach Kara Lawson remarked, “What a performance by our team.” We ended our three weeks together with the goal of taking home a gold medal.
In the final, Booker played 25 minutes and finished with five rebounds and seven points. Despite not being the top scorer, Team USA overcame a two-point disadvantage at halftime and held Brazil off in the closing minutes because to her rebounds, composure, and defensive presence.
On a roster packed of NCAA studs, Booker established a regular, reliable position throughout the week. She scored 12 points to assist her team win the semifinal matchup over Canada. In the quarterfinal matchup with the Dominican Republic, she tied a USA AmeriCup record with 13 points, three assists, and a tournament-high six steals.
In a match against Puerto Rico in the group stage, her effort on both sides of the court was evident. Booker scored seven early baskets in the third quarter to ignite a 17-3 surge after the game was knotted late in the second quarter.
I enjoyed that we had to solve some problems when we went into halftime. “We needed to reorganize,” Lawson added. Maddie and the group that began that third quarter played a significant role in that.
Booker had one of her most comprehensive efforts of the tournament, finishing with nine points, five assists, three blocks, and two steals in just twenty minutes.
It was a challenge for us, like the coach stated, Booker remarked after the game. We must evolve as a team and take lessons from this experience.
Ten national teams from the Americas competed in the competition, and Team USA went undefeated with a score of 7.0.
In addition to her prior victories from the U16 Americas Championship in 2021, the U17 World Cup in 2022, and the U19 World Cup in 2023, this triumph marks Booker’s fourth gold with USA Basketball. She also participated in the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit, when she set a record for most rebounds among all players.
With yet another honor under her belt, Booker now heads back to Texas. She will return to a Longhorn team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2024 with hopes of winning a title after winning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and first team All-American recognition as a sophomore.
“She’s as humble as American pie and a First Team All-American,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer stated in an interview with KVUE on June 9. She is really a wonderful child. She was raised correctly by great parents, but I have a full staff of that.
