Blue White Illustrated

October 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 43 of 67

4 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M MEN'S BASKETBALL T here were two things that Calvin Booth didn't want his son, four- star 2023 power forward Carey Booth, to think about during the re- cruiting process. First, the elder Booth didn't want his connection to the Nittany Lions' pro- gram to influence his son's decision. A second-team All-Big Ten pick as a Penn State senior in 1999 and the confer- ence's Defensive Player of the Year, Cal- vin felt that 16-year-old Carey would be better served by concentrating on his own basketball career and how PSU coach Micah Shrewsberry might help him further it. "During a lot of the process, I felt like it kind of [complicated] things that I went to Penn State," Calvin said. "It was more about Coach Shrewsberry's ap- titude and his plan for Carey and the upside he has as a coach, and the upside the program has because he's running it. "Whatever school [Shrewsberry] was at, Carey in all likelihood would have followed where he's at. But now that it's Penn State, I think it's big time. It's a great college, a great place to go to school, and great people around there." Next year, Carey Booth will be im- mersed in it. Announcing his decision at an Aug. 24 news conference, Booth will join the Nittany Lions ahead of the 2023-24 season. Standing 6-foot-10, 195 pounds, he's rated as the No. 79 overall prospect in the 2023 class ac- cording to On3, as well as the No. 15 power forward. The process that delivered him to Penn State had everything to do with his father's second point of emphasis. Calvin Booth urged Carey, who attends Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., to ignore the noise of the recruiting pro- cess and the allure of committing to a program simply because of its name or reputation. "You try to just identify things that work for him," Calvin Booth said. "The biggest message was to just find some- place that fits for you. Don't chase the name. Make sure the team that you end up committing to really, really wants you. "You know that by knowing how many times the coaches were at your games, and who are you talking to in the recruiting process? Do they know who you are? Do they know how to describe your game? It was a lot of those types of things, so he doesn't get caught up in just playing the name game, which is easy to do when you're involved in the recruiting process." The third prospect to join Shrews- berry's second full recruiting class — three-star guards Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes are the others — Booth has made the biggest splash of any prospect that the coach has landed in his tenure with the program. As On3 national basketball analyst Jamie Shaw has noted, he's an inside- outside threat with the ability to post up in the block or knock down 3-pointers. "Carey Booth is a high-upside player who is just starting to come into his own," Shaw said. "You watch him play, and you see the shooting touch with the developing confidence. He also has great length and natural timing on the defensive end. "There will still be a learning curve when it comes to figuring out his own game and how he can be most effective on the offensive end. Strength will be a thing, too. However, there is a load of upside here, and a player you can see taking big strides year over year in col- lege as he continues to develop." In addition to Penn State, Booth re- ceived offers from Florida, USC, Ari- zona State, Ohio State, Missouri, Texas Tech, Colorado State, Xavier, Wake For- est, Northwestern, Marquette, Okla- homa State, Iowa and Cal. He did not announce a set of finalists. In his father's estimation, Booth has barely begun to scratch the surface of his potential. Acknowledging that he's been "super hard" on Carey as a loving NAT E BAU E R | NAT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M Here Comes The Son Four-star forward Carey Booth is much more than a 'legacy' recruit to the Nittany Lion basketball program CLASS OF 2023 COMMITMENTS NAME POS HT WT RATING HOMETOWN SCHOOL Carey Booth PF 6-10 195 HHHH Denver, Colo. Brewster Academy (N.H.) Logan Imes PG 6-4 175 HHH Zionsville, Ind. Zionsville Braeden Shrewsberry SG 6-2 170 HHH State College, Pa. State College Area "People will find out over time, but it was way more of a logical basketball decision than a legacy decision. I think people will assume it's a legacy decision, but I just wanted the best situation for Carey." C A L V I N B O O T H

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue White Illustrated - October 2022