Keith Booth Wants Long Career In Coaching

Keith Booth Wants Long Career In Coaching

ALL-MET ELITE

BALTIMORE MD.

Keith Booth is back on a Maryland basketball court.

Booth, who spent the last seven seasons as an assistant on Gary Williams' staff in College Park, has moved on to become an assistant basketball coach for the Loyola University women's program. It didn't take long for Booth to decide he wanted to remain in coaching after last year's announcement of Williams' retirement.

"I knew right away I wanted to be involved in the game of basketball," he said. "I've been involved with basketball since age 8. Over the last couple of years, I have had the opportunity to help out with my 15-year-old daughter's AAU team and an opportunity here at Loyola presented itself.

I had the opportunity to meet with coach Joe Logan over lunch. His philosophy and the way that he develops players is how I was brought up and taught to play the game. So when he offered me the position, I accepted it right away."

Booth, a high school star at Dunbar, a college All-American at Maryland and an NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls, has had his share of career highlights on the court, but his most recent standout memory comes from his coaching days with Williams.

"The 2010 year," he said, "to not be picked in anybody's top three, to win the ACC championship, that whole overall experience that year. To watch guys come in as freshmen like Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne, those guys, Eric Hayes. To watch those guys develop and to go out with an ACC championship, really stands out overall."

Booth, who came back to Maryland to coach in a program he helped Williams build during his playing days, was just as shocked as everyone else to learn the Williams era was coming to an end following the 2010-11 season.

"When you think about University of Maryland basketball, coach Williams has been the face of Maryland basketball for the past 22 years," Booth said. "When he decided to retire, it was definitely a shock to everyone, when you can be in a program that long and have the success he's had."

Booth is on a one-year deal at Loyola and is looking forward to a bright career and, maybe one day, a head coaching position.

"Every assistant coach wants to be a head coach one day," he said. "If you don't want to be a head coach, then you should get out of the game."

Booth, who played for Pete Pompey at Dunbar and Phil Jackson on the Chicago Bulls, preached the philosophy that "every day is another day to get better, from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint. That is the enjoyment you get from coaching, to develop players and watch them mature."