Penn State AD Pat Kraft issues statement on Micah Shrewsberry's departure

After plenty of rumors and speculation, Penn State is officially embarking on a men’s basketball coaching search. Micah Shrewsberry is heading to Notre Dame to replace Mike Brey — and athletic director Pat Kraft has issued a statement regarding Shrewsberry’s departure.

Penn State hired Shrewsberry prior to the 2021-22 season after he spent two years in his second stint at Purdue. This year, he took the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and got them to the Round of 32, where they fell to Texas. Now, he’s returning home to Indiana, and Kraft said the process to replace him is already in motion.

“This afternoon, Penn State Head Men’s Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry called to inform me that he was leaving the University to accept a position at another institution,” Kraft said. “We thank Micah for his contributions to the Penn State community and wish him the very best. We are already moving forward in a search for a new head coach and will identify and appoint a tremendous coach, teacher and person, who will take us to unprecedented heights.

“We are so proud of our amazingly talented student-athletes and all they accomplished this year and will in the future. We are also so appreciative of our student body and our passionate fans who support our basketball program.”

Penn State reportedly made Shrewsberry a significant offer to stay in Happy Valley. Ultimately, he chose to leave for Notre Dame, where he’s reportedly signing a seven-year deal worth more than $4 million annually, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported.

Penn State was Shrewsberry’s first Division I head coaching opportunity, and he totaled a 37-31 overall record in two seasons in Happy Valley. This year, the Nittany Lions went 23-14 overall and 10-10 in Big Ten play.

Micah Shrewsberry is returning home to Indiana by accepting the Notre Dame job

Shrewsberry’s ties to Indiana run deep. He went to Cathedral High School in Indianapolis and played college basketball at Division III Hanover College in Hanover. He also worked as an assistant coach at D-III Wabash from 1999-2000 and DePauw from 2001-03 before becoming the head coach at Indiana-South Bend from 2005-07 — which gives him a direct tie to South Bend.

After the 2007 season, Shrewsberry spent three years as an assistant at Butler from 2008-11 before working at Purdue from 2011-13. From there, he worked for the Boston Celtics from 2013-19 and returned to West Lafayette from 2019-21 under Matt Painter.