Notre Dame men’s basketball had a solid first season of its rebuild under head coach Micah Shrewsberry. But progress for rebuilding teams isn’t linear, and another hole emerged that the Irish will have to fill on Monday when freshman forward Carey Booth entered the transfer portal.
“I’m beyond thankful for getting to wear the blue and gold this year. I’m especially thankful to Coach Shrewsberry and his staff for believing in me and bringing me to South Bend,” Booth said in a statement posted on his Instagram.
Booth was the No. 49 overall recruit in the class of 2023. He originally committed to Shrewsberry when the Irish coach was still at Penn State, where his father Calvin, the current general manager of the Denver Nuggets, was a two-time captain during his playing days. The 6-foot-10, 203-pound forward averaged 6.4 points per game in his freshman season, making him Notre Dame's fifth-leading scorer. Booth led the Irish with 21 blocks and contributed in numerous areas, from rebounding to 3-point shooting.
Senior forward Matt Zona already entered the portal earlier in the offseason. However, Booth is not committed to officially closing his time in South Bend just yet.
“I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to keep all of my options open — including a return to Notre Dame,” Booth said in his statement.
Either way, it's a reminder of the difficulties of trying to bring a program back to prominence.
