In 1993, when Keith Booth became the first player from Baltimore to commit to the Maryland men's basketball program after legendary Dunbar coach Bob Wade left his post as Maryland's head coach in 1989, it was because College Park, Md., was where Booth's heart was.
One of the people who encouraged Booth to follow his heart was none other than Wade, who coached at Maryland from 1986-1989 following the death of Len Bias and resignation of Lefty Driesell. Wade compiled a 36-50 record as the Terps' head coach and resigned amid an investigation into the program regarding NCAA rules violations.
"As a high school kid, people think you'd be bitter about what happened and things like that, but no, Coach Wade was one of my biggest supporters from day one," Booth said on Glenn Clark Radio May 24. "As a high school kid, he told me, 'You make the decision that's best for you,' because he watched me grow up as a player, as a youngster when I first started playing the game."
