Hoops: Micah Shrewsberry lays out long-term vision, short-term mission
Micah Shrewsberry doesn't want his team to be backed into a corner by its own composition.
Speaking with the media Tuesday for the first time since becoming Penn State's head basketball coach, Shrewsberry spoke about his desire to develop a team that can do many things well.
"I don't think you can be married to one certain way of playing, and then your players don't fit that way," Shrewsberry said. "I think you need to be able to adjust. I think you need to be able to think on your feet. And I think you need to be able to, on the fly, change things up.
"We want to put our players in our best position to succeed, and whether that means from one game to the next it's different, then it's going to be that way."
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That's an approach that aligns itself with Shrewsberry's experiences at the highest levels of the game.
He was the offensive coordinator under Matt Painter at Purdue for two seasons in his second stint with the Boilermakers, but he had plenty of responsibilities on the defensive side of the ball while coaching with Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics.
On offense, Shrewsberry values ball movement and spacing. He wants every player on the floor touching the ball.
"We'll do a lot of read and react," he said. "We'll do a lot of drilling situations, making the right play, making the right pass. How we want to play, it'll be a little bit free flowing."
In regard specifically to competing in the Big Ten, Shrewsberry cited the importance of creating a defensive foundation.
"To have a chance in the Big Ten, you have to be one of the top defensive teams in our league," he said.
Defense wasn't necessarily Penn State's problem last season. The Nittany Lions were ranked 50th in adjusted defense by KenPom in 2020-21, but, with so many key contributors in the transfer portal, it's unclear whether Shrewsberry will be able to rely on that base again when he takes charge of his first game.
Izaiah Brockington announcing his return last week was a first step toward reconstructing a fractured roster, but Myreon Jones posted on his Instagram account that he doesn't plan to return, and the futures of Jamari Wheeler, Seth Lundy, John Harrar, Trent Buttrick and Patrick Kelly remain up in the air.
Shrewsberry has been active in the transfer portal as well, though he would not comment on specifics.
He emphasized that creating a relationship and building a trust with the roster Jim Ferry and Patrick Chambers left behind will be a priority.
"I talked to every single one of the guys that have entered [the portal], and we are actively trying to get them back," he said. "We are talking about them. We're talking to them. We're having conversations face-to-face, over zoom, on FaceTime. But we are actively recruiting as well. My goal is to have a great team in place when it's time to tip off next season. That's what we're going to do. That's what we're striving to do."
Whichever players end up wearing blue and white come November, Shrewsberry wants to instill an underdog mentality that matches his own.
He played college basketball at the Division III level. He took coaching jobs in Division II, Division III and the NAIA.
"I had to grind it," he said. "As the kids like to say, through the mud is how I got it."
That's a frame of mind that last year's Penn State team can certainly identify with, after using the adversity they faced in the form of Chambers' resignation to fuel their campaign.
Shrewsberry took notice, too.
"I have much respect for coach Chambers and coach Ferry and what they did," he said. "I have much respect for the guys that played last season and how hard they played every single night out. It was under tough circumstances with COVID and everything else, but they gave their all for Penn State, and I'm going to give my all for those guys."
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