More than a day after Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry agreed to leave Penn State for Notre Dame, the school’s top-rated ‘23 signee, Carey Booth, has requested a release from his scholarship.
Due to the recent coaching change at @PennStateMBB, Brewster Academy senior forward Carey Booth has requested his release. pic.twitter.com/AvrNwPLQ8m
— Jason Smith (@BrewsterHoops) March 24, 2023
Booth’s head coach at New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy, Jason Smith, tweeted this Thursday night and specifically said it was due to the coaching change, although that seemed to be a given.
This hurts big time for Penn State on multiple levels.
For one, Booth, a four-star, was not only the crown jewel of Penn State’s 2023 Class but also the second-highest rated signee in school history behind Tony Carr.
It also hurts because Booth is a Penn State legacy.
His father, Calvin, starred for Penn State in the 1990s and is now the general manager of the Denver Nuggets.
Booth was one of three Penn State signees from this past recruiting cycle, with three-stars Braeden Shrewsberry (State College) and Logan Imes (Zionsville, Indiana) being the other two.
It seems like a good bet based on logic that Shrewsberry, Micah’s son, won’t be coming to Penn State next season. Imes, on the other hand, told Nittany Sports Now that he isn’t sure what he’s going to do.
“Throughout the whole recruiting process, I’ve loved Coach Shrews and the staff,” Imes told Nittany Sports Now via text message Wednesday. “They were a huge role in me coming to Penn State.”
“I also love Penn State University as a school,” he said. “So with all this news breaking, I’m just going to take some time to think about my decision and talk about it with my family and those close around me.”
Less than a week ago, Penn State was playing Texas for a chance to go to the Sweet 16. Now, it feels like everything is falling apart, and Booth’s impending departure adds to that feeling.
Whoever succeeds Shrewsberry as coach is going to have a lot of work to do.
