Keeping Shrewsberry must be Penn State’s priority
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Tourney opener
Who: Penn State (No. 10 seed) vs. Texas A&M (No. 7 seed)
When: Thursday, 9:55 p.m.
Where: Des Moines, Iowa
Region: Midwest
TV: TBS
Oddsmakers: Nittany Lions are 3.5-point underdogs
As Penn State was storming its way to the Big Ten championship game -- punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament in the process - a sidebar was developing.
Micah Shrewsberry, the Nittany Lions' second-year head coach, was being linked to other jobs.
Shrewsberry's name had been mentioned in connection with the opening at Notre Dame ever since Mike Brey announced in mid-January that he was leaving South Bend.
But when Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing was relieved of his duties on Thursday, Shrewsberry quickly emerged as a leading candidate according to national reports.
He deflected the subject in Chicago.
"You know me: (When) basketball season's going, I'm completely tunnel vision on our team and State High basketball, right," Shrewsberry said. "But that's all I'm focused on. I'm happy to be here. Nobody wanted me a few years ago. I love our guys."
The likable Shrewsberry took it in stride and kidded about State College High School, where his son Braeden is a standout and a commitment to Penn State for next season.
But he also didn't deny interest.
Which shifts the ball right to the Nittany Lions' court.
Penn State basketball has forever existed in the football program's shadow -- been dwarfed by it -- and the school's administration has never been accused of having the same commitment to excellence.
Now is the ideal time to dispel that and button down a contract extension to sustain this momentum.
In just two years -- and after having the roster he inherited in 2021 basically gutted by transfers -- Shrewsberry is 35-30 with a trip to the Big Ten final and has the program dancing.
If you look back at Penn State history, rarely has a coach had this level of success in two years. OK, Dutch Hermann was 26-3 from 1919-21.
Dick Harter actually went 35-20 in years two and three, but during that time it was already being mutually decided he wasn't the right fit.
Bruce Parkhill had four losing seasons in his first five years - in the Atlantic 10 and then two more in his first two seasons in the Big Ten, but he won the A-10 in 1991, decked fourth-seeded UCLA in the dance and set Jerry Dunn up for success.
Thanks to Parkhill's late (September) resignation and a stable roster, Dunn went 21-7 in his first season, but as a No. 5 seed, ran into a brutal draw and lost to Nolan Richardson and defending national champion Arkansas in the NCAA first round.
Dunn made two NCAA trips in his first five years - including beating second-seeded North Carolina, still the school's greatest win, for a Sweet Sixteen trip in 2001.
But then the program careened off a cliff.
On came Ed DeChellis, who had only one .500 season in his first five before winning the NIT in his sixth year and going to dance in his last year, 2011, before heading off to coach at Navy.
Pat Chambers arrived during the Sandusky scandal -- as if selling the basketball program wasn't tough enough -- and lost at least 16 games in his first six seasons.
When Chambers finally got to .500 in the Big Ten, in 2018, the Lions won their second NIT, and they were 21-10 in 2020, tourney worthy but COVID had other ideas.
The history lesson shows Penn State has never been an easy job. It didn't dominate in the Eastern Eight, let alone the Big Ten.
All the aforementioned were good coaches who had their moments.
Now, however, Penn State may have a great coach. That's still to be proven, but Shrewsberry is definitely doing an excellent job in short order.
After years of wearing its coaches down or eventually showing them the door, it clearly appears Penn State has its man and needs to keep him.
Shrewsberry is reportedly making in the $2 million range (PSU doesn't list salaries). He was hired by Sandy Barbour, but new athletic director Pat Kraft, during a December availability, called him "my man" and appears to be quite supportive.
"Micah is a great coach," Kraft said. "Now ... It's not just about paying the coach. The great coaches know that. It's about keeping the staff, being able to hire staff that if you lose staff, which is part of the process. It's also about putting the infrastructure behind them to be successful ... That infrastructure, which I think has lacked for a lot of our sports, is where I think we have to invest in now. We started already doing that. So paying the coach is great, but the great coaches understand it's all the other stuff that helps you eventually win a national championship."
That includes addressing its NIL commitment beyond football, whether anybody likes it or not.
So now the watch begins -- on the Nittany Lions and their coach, who will be invited into conversations with other schools once the dance music stops.
As other dominos fall, Shrewsberry's name will come up. He grew up in the Midwest so Notre Dame is appealing. Georgetown has a legendary brand for the right person.
This could boil down to how much Penn State has grown on him, how much loyalty he places in a school that gave him his first job -- remember his quote "nobody wanted me a few years ago" -- and how much, or if, he believes the two can take the next step together.
For Penn State, March Madness is bringing opportunity in more ways than one.
Rudel can be reached at 814-946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.