After loss, Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry vocal over officiating frustration

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry wouldn’t hold back any longer.

Minutes removed from a 76-70 loss at Minnesota Saturday night, Shrewsberry joined Penn State’s radio team for an interview. Lamenting his team’s 13 turnovers, despite 55 percent shooting and a plus-15 advantage on the glass, Shrewsberry urged more discipline from his group.

Shrewsberry also took issue with Penn State’s defensive handling of Minnesota’s complementary pieces. Allowing Eric Curry’s 22 points wasn’t the issue, he said, as much as E.J. Stephens’ 13 and Luke Loewe’s 11. 

But by the time Shrewsberry was asked about the game’s final 3 minutes, 20 seconds of play, tied at 67-67, the Nittany Lions’ first-year head coach let loose. 

“It’s unfortunate,” Shrewsberry told Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi. “Our guys are being aggressive. They’re attacking the rim, they’re catching the ball where we want it, we’re getting into the paint, and they’re getting fouled. So I don’t care how they’re saying this is going to be called. They’ve made up their mind that they’re not going to call Sam’s drives, and that’s not fair. And I’m saying something about it. That ain’t right. 

“Our kids are playing hard as hell. And to allow that to happen, to allow what happened at the end of the game, that doesn’t sit well with me. Somebody is gonna hear something about this because this isn’t right.”

Micah Shrewsberry’s latest objections

At the heart of Shrewsberry’s issues were three empty offensive trips coming out of the under-four media timeout.

A strong take for Sam Sessoms kicked off the sequence, a miss rebounded by Minnesota with contact uncalled by the night’s officiating crew of Rob Riley, Courtney Green, and Edwin Young. Though the Gophers wouldn’t connect on their ensuing possession, Shrewsberry again took issue with a call at the 1:34 mark that Seth Lundy had stepped on the end line. Penn State’s 11th turnover of the game, Shrewsberry argued to officials in the moment, came with contact.

After a Payton Willis layup put the Gophers ahead 70-67, a Penn State timeout set up Shrewsberry’s final beef. Going straight to big man John Harrar in the paint, who’d been on the bench with four fouls, Shrewsberry argued contact that again went uncalled. 

Instead, a clear shuffle of Harrar’s feet drew a travel call and another empty trip for Penn State. 

“It was a foul,” Shrewsberry said. “And he’s always got a lot of excuses, but that’s a foul all day of the week. The guy pushed him when he catches it. Yeah, of course he’s gonna move his feet. But call the foul first.”

Penn State’s officiating issues

Shrewsberry’s complaints weren’t taking place in a vacuum. 

He was four days removed from a loss to Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center in which Penn State didn’t shoot its first free throw until the 3:37 mark in the second half. Claiming his kids’ college funds would take a hit if he said what he wanted to say after the game, Shrewsberry made clear his objections nonetheless.

Saturday night, Penn State’s third close loss in as many tries since the previous weekend, he didn’t hold back.

“It’s the third game in the row where we’ve shot under eight free throws,” he said. “And we were as aggressive as possible, driving the basketball, throwing the ball in the post, doing what we need to do on the offensive glass, and none of those are getting called. And that ain’t right. That ain’t right. And I’m not happy about that.”

Later asked about the small lineup that had managed to claw back from a 9-point second-half deficit, Shrewsberry voiced his displeasure a final time in the four-minute interview.

“That’s something that we haven’t worked on much, but to have five guys that understand what we’re trying to do… and still I thought we should still move it more, still get what we’re looking for in terms of that,” Shrewsberry said. “But, a couple of times we try and cut and they just hold us, right? So they take away the advantages that we’re trying to get. So that was another way that… I’m not very happy right now. 

“We need to play better, hats off to Minnesota, they beat us. But there’s some things that’s not right, man. And these kids are competing, and they’re not getting rewarded for it, and that ain’t right.”