To say this has been a challenging week for Penn State’s men’s basketball program would be an understatement.
After losing head coach Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame and seeing a pair of players enter the transfer portal, Penn State’s top commitment in the Class of 2023 has asked for a release from his national letter of intent. [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag], one of the top recruits to commit to Penn State in program history, wants to explore anew his opportunities to play college basketball.
The news of Booth asking to be released from his letter of intent was first shared by his high school basketball coach, Jason Smith, via Twitter. The development has since been confirmed by multiple reports.
Booth, the son of former Penn State basketball star [autotag]Calvin Booth[/autotag], committed to the program in August 2022. The legacy commitment was considered a major recruiting victory for Shrewsberry, and the future of Penn State basketball was looking pretty bright with Booth coming in. But as so often happens in the world of college sports, a coaching change can happen at the worst possible time for a student-athlete.
With Shrewsberry moving on to Notre Dame, Booth has every right and reason to contemplate if Penn State is still the best spot for him. Without knowing for sure who the head coach will be for the Nittany Lions, it makes sense for Booth to want to step back and monitor the situation before going all in for the program his father played for. Maybe Penn State will still end up being the place Booth chooses to play for, but the cloud of uncertainty is ominous.
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
Penn State is continuing its search for a head coach to take over the program. No timeline has been announced for when a hire will be made.
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