Carey Booth, an ESPN 100 Prospect, Commits to Penn State
Carey Booth, an ESPN 100 prospect who carries quite a Penn State legacy, committed to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. Booth announced his decision live on 247Sports, marking one of the most important recruiting moments for Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry.
Booth, a 6-10 forward who will play this season at prep powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, chose Penn State over a final list that included Texas, Ohio State and Stanford. ESPN ranks Booth as the No. 96 player in the 2023 recruiting class, and Booth is a consensus four-star prospect across the recruiting sites.
Booth's father is legend at Penn State. Calvin Booth is one of Penn State's leading all-time players and holds the school record for career blocked shots (428). He led the Big Ten in blocks four times, and his total ranks second in conference history.
The 1998 Big Ten defensive player of the year, Booth was a three-year starter and two-time captain at Penn State. He helped Penn State to the 1996 NCAA tournament and had a triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 blocks) in the 1999 NIT against Dayton.
The Washington Wizards selected Booth in the second round of the 1999 draft, making him (at 35th overall) the highest-drafted player in Penn State history. After a 10-year NBA career, Calvin Booth moved into scouting and the front office. He became the Denver Nuggets general manager in 2020.
Interestingly, Booth said during his 247Sports announcement that his father's Penn State legacy could have pushed him in the opposite direction. But Shrewsberry and his staff recruited Booth well, showing him the blueprint of his success in State College.
"I just want to pave my own way," Carey Booth said. "Obviously a lot of times I’m known as Calvin booth’s son — it’s in articles a lot — but really I was just really impressed with how the Penn State coaching staff did a good job recruiting me and the high-level coaching they have there and the opportunity I have to succeed there. That's what drove me there."
Carey Booth blossomed into a national prospect at Colorado's Cherry Creek High and on the Under Armour Association basketball circuit, where he played for KC Run GMC. Cherry Creek coach Kent Dertinger told the Denver Post that Booth's size, frame and 3-point shot drew a flurry of interest from college coaches.
"We had many [Division 1] coaches through our open gyms and fall workouts, specifically to look at Carey. It’s just gone up from there," Dertinger told the paper this spring. "I think what schools are seeing is the potential. Carey has got a frame that still can be developed. He’s a young junior. He’s only 16 years old. … His greatest strength is probably his perimeter shooting. Having a 6-9 kid behind the arc who can shoot it? There aren’t too many high school kids that are going to be able to alter or defend his shot."
At Brewster Academy, Carey Booth will play for the seven-time national prep champ that has had 11 alumni drafted since 2010 and has sent more than 170 players to Division I programs since 2001.
Carey Booth's offer list included Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and Marquette, among many others. If he signs with Penn State, Booth would give Penn State ESPN 100 players in back-to-back classes.
Freshman Kebba Njie was 100th in ESPN's 2022 rankings, making him Penn State's highest-rated recruit since Tony Carr in 2016.
Read More
Penn State focused on defense last season. Micah Shrewsberry wants to upgrade the offense in 2022
How Penn State plans to make the Bryce Jordan Center more intimidating
The Lions lands a seventh-year senior from the NCAA Transfer Portal
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
