Penn State hoops stacks top recruits with Class of 2023

Micah Shrewsberry and the Penn State men’s basketball staff were in the thick of their recruiting efforts for the Class of 2023 this summer. But, meeting with the media in July, the head coach made one point plain.

Coming out of a debut season in which they had to scramble to field a roster, the accomplishments of the first year would not be the standard for the program moving forward. 

“We should have optimism in terms of what we’re doing. That’s what I’m building towards,” Shrewsberry said. “Now. I still say at the same time, we haven’t accomplished anything. Playing hard is not accomplishing anything. Going 14-17 is not accomplishing anything. How we went about it, yeah, it was cool, and we played close games, but I want to win them. And I want those expectations to be that every single year. 

“I’m excited about the optimism. Now we got to follow through with it. Getting good players, getting a good recruiting class, now do something with it. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to stack good class after good class together of good basketball players, good people, good students, and people you want to root for. So there should be an optimism every single year of, ‘What can they do next?’”

Penn State’s steps taken

On Monday and Wednesday this week, the Nittany Lions were able to demonstrate Shrewsberry’s point. Welcoming a top-30 ranked recruiting class into the fold according to ESPN and 247Sports, all signing and submitting their national letters of intent Wednesday morning, Penn State has now signed back-to-back high-level groups under Shrewsberry.

First firing on all cylinders in a 93-68 win over Winthrop to open the season, Penn State’s talent acquisition was on full display. Right out of the gates, three transfers over the past two offseasons started for the Nittany Lions, with preseason All-Big Ten point guard Jalen Pickett (23 points), Bucknell’s Andrew Funk (22), and Drexel’s Camren Wynter (9) all shining. Meshed with a talented group of true freshmen from the Class of 2022, Penn State saw immediate contributions and playing time for big man Kebba Njie, Jameel Brown, Evan Mahaffey, and Kanye Clary. 

The five-man class, wrapping up the cycle ranked 16th by ESPN, 21st by 247Sports, and 27th by Rivals, was considered one of the program’s best collections of talent to come in at once. 

Wednesday, Shrewsberry and his staff stacked upon it with a three-man Class of 2023. The group consisting of stretch-four Carey Booth, combo guard Logan Imes, and shooting guard Braeden Shrewsberry represents another influx of highly rated, skilled players set to join the program in the summer.

Carey Booth’s big addition

The jewel of the class, Booth (6-10, PF) is the No. 50-ranked prospect in the class according to On3 and carries a four-star rating. Checking in at No. 64 in the On3 Consensus, none of the major services have the son of Penn State legend Calvin Booth ranked lower than No. 90 nationally. 

A focal point of the staff’s efforts for nearly two years, the addition is one Shrewsberry acknowledged as big for the program moving forward.

“I was thrilled to land the commitment of Carey Booth after his outstanding summer. He is someone who we targeted very early on in the recruiting process, and his decision to come to Penn State immediately elevated our program,” Shrewsberry was quoted in the program’s press release announcing the additions. “Carey is just over 6-foot-10 now and is still growing. With his ability and his bloodlines, there is no doubt in my mind that Carey can be a game-changer for us and a cornerstone of what we are building.”

Logan Imes

He’s not alone, though. 

The program’s first commitment of the cycle last November, point guard Logan Imes (6-4) checked in as a four-star by ESPN and three-stars for all of the other services. His On3 Consensus rank is No. 202, but even upon his verbal to the Nittany Lions a year ago today, Imes said he wanted to be part of what was building in the program.

“They’ve got a great recruiting class coming in before me,” Imes told BWI. “I just feel like the way they run stuff — Coach Shrews is a great coach. He knows what he’s talking about, he’s been at all levels. Same with the other coaches.

“These dudes, they came to Penn State to build a winning culture. So I know they’re going to do what it takes to do that. I’m believing in them and I believe in my abilities to help them do that.”

Braeden Shrewsberry

A big contributor to that for Imes was his teammate from Indiana who’d recently moved to State College, Pa. In this case, the son of the head coach was set to commit to the Nittany Lions shortly thereafter, creating a one-two foundation for the class.

In the younger Shrewsberry, ranked No. 207 in the On3 Consensus, the Nittany Lions are adding a skilled shooter with the pedigree and work ethic of his head coach father. 

Now checking in at 6-3, 180 pounds, Shrewsberry is finishing out his senior season at State College Area before embarking on his college career with the Nittany Lions.

“Today was a special moment for our family because we got to celebrate Braeden accomplishing one of his goals,” Shrewsberry said. “I’ve watched him work extremely hard to become a good player. He earned the opportunity to play basketball at Penn State and in the Big Ten. 

“He is a great shooter who is adding more elements to his game that will be helpful with how we want to play on the offensive end of the floor. I’ve never had a chance to coach him before at any level, so this will be a unique experience for us.”

Wrapping up Penn State’s Class of 2023

Summarizing the class as a whole, Shrewsberry acknowledged that the grouping fits all of what the program is hoping to fulfill with its personnel. 

Crediting their “great families” and “tremendous character,” the result is one Penn State can continue upon the trajectory Shrewsberry hoped to establish from the onset. 

“There will always be a focus on skill and versatility as we continue to build this program and all three of these prospects bring that,” Shrewsberry said. “They can all dribble, pass and shoot at a high level and have good positional size, which allows us to do a lot of different things on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. 

“I couldn’t be more excited for the future of our program, and we have high hopes for what this class will bring both on and off the court during their time in Happy Valley.”

Penn State’s recruiting efforts for the Class of 2023 are likely concluded with Wednesday’s signings.