Carey Booth has found a home in Fort Collins.

The Colorado State men’s basketball forward transferred to CSU from Illinois prior to last season and put up career numbers en route to becoming a Rams fan favorite. After finding success in the green and gold, Booth made the decision to stay with the team for his senior season.

After struggling to find a program that could utilize his abilities, Booth’s transfer to CSU in 2025 tallied his third school playing collegiate basketball in as many years.

The 6-foot-10 athletic phenom’s road to collegiate basketball began when he was young, growing up with his father Calvin Booth, a former NBA player.

“It was great,” Carey Booth said about growing up with a father in the NBA. “Obviously, you soak up a lot of information. You kind of get a blueprint to how to approach things to get to where you want to get. Everything that I’m trying to do, he’s done before, and he’s been around guys that have done it at a higher level.”

Carey Booth was born in 2005, right as his father entered his seventh season in the league. Calvin Booth played for seven different teams during his 10 years in the league, which Carey Booth said gave him first-hand experience to a lot of memorable NBA moments.

Carey Booth grew up in Colorado and attended Cherry Creek High School. In his time as a Bruin, he played along some big-time names on a stacked roster, like current Ole Miss defensive lineman Blake Purchase and former Colorado Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III.

“It was my first experience playing varsity basketball,” Carey Booth said. “Getting to be around other college-level athletes and a lot of football players, … the physicality aspect came in a lot for me there, and it was a good experience.”

After his playing days, Calvin Booth took on the role as the general manager of the Denver Nuggets in 2020. Calvin Booth served as GM until 2025 and was the architect of the 2022-23 championship-winning Nuggets team.

Carey Booth said being around the game at the highest level proved helpful in navigating early career pressures.

“I got to be in the facility and work out,” Carey Booth said. “It was really cool, especially how magical the run was. … Being around that was definitely a lot for me and (I learned) knowing what it takes to win, know what high-level players do.”

Going into his senior year of high school, Carey Booth was recruited by a number of prep schools, including Brewster Academy, where he played his final year of high school ball.

Carey Booth said the biggest factor when it came to picking Brewster Academy was its location in New Hampshire, hoping to help his college recruitment by getting his name out there.

He said that is exactly what happened.

“It’s kind of like going to college a year early,” Carey Booth said. “It prepared me for a lot of things — how it’s like to be around other high-level guys, what it’s like to play a role, play with a college 3-point line. … It was just a great experience. (I) lived in a dorm a year early, so I got really close with the guys, which was really cool.”

Carey Booth initially committed to Penn State — his father’s alma mater. When the program’s head coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame, however, Booth followed him. 

“(The move) impacted me a little bit,” Carey Booth said. “For me, it was mostly about basketball, like, just that experience and getting to play, which I played more than a lot of (first years) in the ACC. It was definitely an up and down year, … but I learned a lot about the game playing with a really good X’s and O’s coach in Shrewsberry. So getting ahead IQ-wise and basketball IQ-wise was definitely good.”

Playing just under 20 minutes per game at the time, Carey Booth said he did not see Notre Dame as a long-term fit and entered the transfer portal, committing to Illinois for his sophomore season. He said he was met with disappointment once again: He 5.1 minutes per game and struggled to fit into the program’s system. 

“I wanted a faster pace that I could show my game more in,” Carey Booth said. “And then I get to Illinois, and it was an OK experience. Obviously, not what I expected playing-timewise, but, you know, I’m a positive person. I always try and find the good in things, so I got a lot of good experiences (at Illinois). … (I’ve) got to be grateful for every experience.”

After the season ended, Carey Booth yet again hit the transfer portal. This time, newly hired head coach Ali Farokhmanesh called up the forward and made a pitch Carey Booth had been looking for.

Carey Booth said he came to CSU with the knowledge this could be where he proved his superstar potential — he did just that.

“I was pretty confident in the move (to CSU),” Carey Booth said. “I never really had any doubt about myself. I knew I was a good player; I knew I could play and help people win. So I knew when I got the opportunity, I couldn’t go back, and I had to play every game like it was my last because I couldn’t go back to being a guy that’s not playing, a guy that’s on the bench.”

Solidified as a starter and averaging 14.5 points on 55% shooting and 5.5 rebounds through two games, Carey Booth said he knows it’s his time to prove he is a true star player.

“I just want to prove that I’m a winning player,” Carey Booth said. “Last year, we didn’t make the (NCAA) tournament, and that’s the ultimate goal: to win games in the postseason. But to prove that I’m a player that can be trusted with the ball in his hands, a player that can impact the game defensively and offensively, a two-way guy. And a guy that can play in the NBA.”