Inside the Den: What we're hearing on Micah Shrewsberry

Penn State basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry is fresh off of one of the most successful four-week stretches in program history. Backs against the wall, riding a losing streak into Valentine’s Day, the Nittany Lions strung together five wins in six games to close the regular season.

Determined to not just secure an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but also make a run at a Big Ten Tournament title, Penn State executed its vision. Three upset wins in three days set up a Sunday heartbreak loss to Purdue, a first-round date with Texas A&M in March Madness, and ultimately, a loss to Texas in the Round of 32 last Saturday.

But, in the aftermath of so much success, Shrewsberry has quickly become a sought-after name in the coaching carousel world. Monday morning’s news of Georgetown coming to terms with Providence’s Ed Cooley put to rest one of the potential suitors for Shrewsberry. But, by Monday afternoon, reports of Notre Dame entering the picture for Shrewsberry gained traction.

We’ve been tracking every move of this rollercoaster through the season and, more specifically, over the past eight days. To get all of the inside scoop and insight into what has led to this moment, including the latest intel, join us on our premium message board, The Lions Den.

Inside the Den: The latest on where things stand

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Building a monster

Much of Penn State’s success this season was made possible by the groundwork set during the 2021-22 debut of Shrewsberry and his staff. Welcoming a conference Player of the Year in Jalen Pickett, the move paid dividends when the right additions, and right transformations, were developed around him.

All the while, as Penn State and Shrewsberry took a shot at the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011, the realities of the past, present, and future of the Nittany Lions came into focus from a holistic perspective.

And, though Shrewsberry is admittedly not a “pound the table” guy, many improvements were available to be achieved. At the top of that list, during a podcast appearance with Blue White Illustrated in December, the issue of name, image, and likeness became clear as Shrewsberry indicated Penn State was last, or next-to-last, in the Big Ten for NIL infrastructure and available resources.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I would say of 14 teams in the Big Ten, we’re probably 14. Maybe 13,” Shrewsberry said. “So it’s just about who we want to be as a program. What are we willing to say is going to be our standard? 

“Because, I can be as good of a coach in the world, but if you don’t have as good of players, it doesn’t matter. Or, if you do a great job with your development, you find a kid, you develop him, and then somebody comes in and they have something for him, that’s kids, that’s life right now, and that’s what’s happening.”

Creating sustainable success

Given Shrewsberry’s potential exit, the question of his perception toward the program becomes paramount. With some steps taken to improve areas of deficiencies, what would the path look like toward sustainability for its successes this season?

Following the 71-66 second-round loss to the Longhorns, Shrewsberry insisted that’s what he wants for the program and something the work this season would need to build upon for the future.

“Yeah, I mean, you want it to be sustainable, right? Like, we’re not going to be satisfied with this,” Shrewsberry said. “(It’s not), 10 years from now let’s go back to the tournament. No, we worked for it every single day. There’s a lot that goes into it. You gotta have the right people, you gotta have the right mix of guys, you gotta have the right work ethic, and then things can fall into place.

“That’s what we’re gearing up to do and that’s what we’re trying to do each and every year. These guys aren’t satisfied, the young guys aren’t satisfied with being here one time and setting a bunch of school records and everything else. We’re all competitors. You want to win.”

Whether that’s at Penn State or anywhere else, we’ll continue to closely monitor Shrewsberry’s role in that for the Nittany Lions moving forward.

Inside the Den: Where things stand