Notebook: Micah Shrewsberry talks transfer portal, recruiting and more

Micah Shrewsberry wants every player on Penn State's roster last season back in blue and white next year.

Making his first extensive public comments since becoming the Nittany Lions' new head basketball coach on the Penn State Coaches Show Thursday night, Shrewsberry addressed his ongoing conversation with members of last year's team — several of whom have already entered their names in the transfer portal, including key contributors John Harrar, Myreon Jones, Jamari Wheeler and Izaiah Brockington.

"We've had a chance to have face-to-face meetings and we've had a lot of phone calls, we've had a lot of face time and we're building that relationship," he said. "I'm hopeful. I have my fingers crossed that the guys feel the same way about me that I feel about them. I told them all, I want them all back. I want every single one of you guys back because I know how talented they were, and I know how close knit of a bond that they had.

"I saw up close and personal how hard they played and there's something special. You can't always find that same bond in a different locker room. You might not have that same role in a different locker room, and you know you can have that here."

Not a Subscriber? Join us With Our FREE 30-Day Premium Trial

Thursday provided Shrewsberry with his first opportunity to explain his recruiting philosophies.

High-level talent is a bonus, he said, but players must first and foremost fit his vision for Penn State.

"We don't want to just go and get the most talented kid if he's not a great fit for Penn State," he said. "If we can find the kid who's the right fit for us, then he's going to excel here. And that's who we want."

A major part of finding those fits will be really "digging into" the players and their characters, and, while Shrewsberry is hoping some of that process can take place face-to-face, he's comfortable using the mechanisms that have emerged as alternatives amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We can do it through our Zoom calls to get a chance to do as much face-to-face as we can right now," Shrewsberry said. "A lot of phone calls and a lot of things go into it, and then hopefully things clear up in the fall, we'll get them to campus and get a chance to meet up and see our vision instead of hearing our vision."

As of Friday morning, former Miami assistant and Penn State graduate Adam Fisher is the only staff hire that Shrewsberry has publicly announced.

Shrewsberry was effusive in his praise for Fisher, calling him a "rising superstar" in the coaching business.

"I mean, what a stud," Shrewsberry said. "I was fortunate. When I got this job, I really zeroed in on him.

"I was thrilled to try to get him back, and the bonus is he's a Penn State guy. He loves this place. He has Penn State blue and white blood running through him and he's going to be a huge part of what we do."

Shrewsberry also said he hopes to have an announcement "soon" when it comes to the rest of his coaching staff.

"I want a diverse amount of experience with our group," he said. "The main thing is our values need to all match. We're not going to be all similar personality wise."

Shrewsberry had served as Purdue's offensive coordinator for the last two seasons under Matt Painter, but, while coaching with the Boston Celtics and Brad Stevens, he was responsible for crafting schemes on the defensive end of the floor.

Shrewsberry said he was able to lean on his experience developing defensive concepts when he was designing Purdue's offense.

"It really helped a lot," he said. "You have a great feel for what your own team is doing, but then as you prepare more and more for other teams, you get a chance to see what they do, what's successful. There's 30 great coaches in the NBA, and I would just fill notebooks upon notebooks of things that I saw, things that I liked, things that worked at the NBA level that could work in the college level."

It took a while for him to make the adjustment back to the college level, but eventually he was able to succeed.

"Nobody has a LeBron James," he said. "Nobody has a Steph Curry, but when you play against people like that, and you prepare for them, and you have to figure it out, you can try and tweak things and make it fit your team the best you can. That's what I want to do. I want to put our guys in the right spot to be successful, and that's all I'm trying to do each and every possession."

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook