Frank Aron Booker

Frank Aron Booker (born 7 July 1994) is an American-Icelandic basketball player[1] who plays for the Úrvalsdeild karla club Valur. In 2019, he debuted with the Icelandic national basketball team.

Frank Aron Booker
Valur
PositionShooting guard
LeagueÚrvalsdeild karla
Personal information
Born (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994
Reykjavík, Iceland
NationalityAmerican / Icelandic
Listed height191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight94 kg (207 lb)
Career information
High schoolWestside (Augusta, Georgia)
College
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019ALM Évreux
2019–2021Valur
2022Breiðablik
2022–presentValur
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Booker was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, to Frank Booker, an American professional basketball player who was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1987, and Icelander Þórunn Jónsdóttir.[2] He grew up in Iceland until the age of 11 when he moved to his father in Augusta, Georgia to attend school.[1] At Westside High School in Augusta, Booker averaged 27.9 points and 4.1 assists per game as a senior.[3]

College career

Booker attended the University of Oklahoma from 2013 to 2015, where he backed up Buddy Hield. On 22 May 2015, he scored 12 points in Oklahoma's victory against Dayton in the second round of the 2015 NCAA tournament.[4] He transferred to Florida Atlantic in 2015 and redshirted his first year[3] while undergoing a back surgery to repair a herniated disc. In 2016–2017, Booker averaged 5.7 points and 16.7 minutes per game for the Owls.[5] Prior to his senior year, Booker transferred to South Carolina for the 2017–18 season.[6][7][8] In 33 games for the Gamecocks, Booker averaged 12.7 points while shooting 40,9% from the three point range.[9]

Club career

In July 2018, Booker signed with ALM Évreux of the French LNB Pro B.[10] In 29 games for the team, he averaged 8.7 points in 21.6 minutes per game.

On 29 August 2019, Booker signed with Úrvalsdeild karla club Valur, the same team his father played for from 1991 to 1994 and led to the Úrvalsdeild Finals in 1992.[11] After a rough debut where he scored 7 points on a dismissal 2 of 14 shooting in a narrow win against Fjölnir, Booker bounced back in his second game, scoring a team high 25 points and connecting on six of his three point shots in a victory against Þór Þorlákshöfn.[12] Booker averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 2019-20.[13]

After sitting out the first half of the 2021–2022 season due to injury, Booker signed with Breiðablik in January 2022.[14] He appeared in 10 games for Breiðablik, averaging 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

In September 2022, Booker signed back with Valur. On 2 October 2022, he won the Icelandic Super Cup with Valur.[15] On 14 January 2023, he won the Icelandic Cup with Valur after the team defeated Stjarnan in the Cup final.

On 24 September 2023, he won the Icelandic Super Cup again after Valur defeated Tindastóll 80–72.[16]

National team career

Booker was invited by Icelandic national team coach Craig Pedersen to attend training camp prior to Iceland's EuroBasket 2015 qualification but could not attend due to commitments to Oklahoma.[17][18][19] In July 2019, he was selected to Iceland's 15-man roster ahead of its games against Portugal and Switzerland in the EuroBasket 2021 qualification.[20][21] He played his first game in a 1-point loss against Portugal on 8 August, scoring 2 points.[22]

References
  1. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (21 February 2014). "Frank Booker ætlar sér í NBA og ekkert minna". Vísir.is. Retrieved 21 January 2018. (in Icelandic)
  2. Bjarni Helgason (6 September 2019). "Slær nokkrar flugur í einu höggi með heimkomunni". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  3. Hans Belot Jr. (18 March 2017). "Men's basketball: Frank Booker's impact goes beyond the hardwood". Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  4. "Frank Aron Booker hugleiðir til að ná betri árangri". karfan.is. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2018. (in Icelandic)
  5. Michaux, Scott (18 December 2017). "Former Westside star Frank Booker finds success at South Carolina". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. Cloninger, David (5 June 2017). "Grad transfer picks Frank Martin, Gamecocks". The State. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  7. Cloninger, David (12 January 2018). "Frank Booker is Gamecocks' take-charge guy on the court". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  8. Faigle, Kevin (21 June 2017). "Frank Booker to finish collegiate career at South Carolina". WRDW-TV. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  9. "Frank Booker - Men's Basketball". gamecocksonline.com. University of South Carolina. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  10. "Frank Booker semur við lið í Frakklandi". karfan.is (in Icelandic). 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  11. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (29 August 2019). "Frank Aron Booker fetar í fótspor föðurs síns og spilar með Val í vetur". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  12. Gabríel Sighvatsson (10 October 2019). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Valur 87-73 Þór Þ. - Valsmenn tryggðu stigin með frábærum 4. leikhluta". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  13. Taylor, Collyn (April 5, 2020). "Gamecocks in the pros: basketball edition". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  14. "Breiðablik fær landsliðsmann frá Val". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  15. Árni Jóhannsson (2 October 2022). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Valur - Stjarnan 80-77 - Valur Meistarar meistaranna eftir spennuleik". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  16. Arnar Skúli Atlason (24 September 2023). "Leik lokið: Tindastóll - Valur 72-80 - Valsmenn meistarar meistaranna eftir sigur á Króknum". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  17. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (17 February 2015). "Frank Booker yngri vill spila með íslenska landsliðinu". Vísir.is. Retrieved 21 January 2018. (in Icelandic)
  18. Tómas Þór Þórðarson (21 February 2014). "Frank Booker að spila sig inn í íslenska landsliðið?". Vísir.is. Retrieved 21 January 2018. (in Icelandic)
  19. "Booker vill spila með íslenska landsliðinu". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 February 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  20. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (24 July 2019). "Landsliðshópurinn klár fyrir forkeppni EM – Hlynur verður með". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  21. Jóhann Ingi Hafþórsson (25 July 2019). "Ég elska að koma heim". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  22. Valur Páll Eiríksson (9 August 2019). "Var svolítið stressaður". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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