PSU Hoops HC Micah Shrewsberry talks COVID Pause, prep for Big Ten slate
A long pause is finally over for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are set to take the court this Wednesday against Delaware State at 6 p.m. for the first time since the Dec. 11 loss to Michigan State.
Penn State previously canceled a pair of nonconference games against VCU and Quinnipiac due to coronavirus issues within its program.
Micah Shrewsberry addressed the media on Monday for the first time since the pause began. He hit on how his team is preparing this week for Delaware State and the start of Big Ten play, which begins with a home matchup against Indiana on Sunday.
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Returning from COVID
Shrewsberry acknowledged that the pause was difficult for a number of reasons, among them that he has a brand new team still trying to gel together in his first year as the head coach.
His team also was unable to complete a Christmas charity event, where he and his players were going to go shopping with members of underprivileged communities. They were still able to donate money to the families.
Shrewsberry said his team is all back now from the pause, but not every player has been cleared for competition, which is just another hurdle before Wednesday’s game.
“Once we get word from [our doctors], we'll go with whoever they clear,” Shrewsberry said. “I can't anticipate anything… We’ll just go with who’s available.”
Shrewsberry said getting out of rhythm can be a concern for some guys who were finding their groove before the pause hit, but he’s been happy with what he’s seen in practice so far.
Transfer forward Greg Lee, who was slated to be a starter before suffering a preseason injury, had just made his return to the lineup against Michigan State. Shrewsberry doesn’t expect any hang ups for the big man, and he should be ready to rotate heavily this week.
Another transfer forward in Jevonnie Scott, who has yet to play this season thanks to ramp-up time after NCAA eligibility issues, has been helped by the break because it allowed him to get some more practice time. He’s still fighting for minutes, though, and is currently slotted behind Jalanni White in the lineup.
Preparing for Big Ten play
With Delaware State ending the Nittany Lions’ tumultuous nonconference slate, they’ve got a Big Ten schedule looming in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
The pause gave Shrewsberry an opportunity to watch a lot of film, and there’s a few things his team needs to fix offensively.
While they’ve shot the ball at a pretty high rate, the Nittany Lions aren’t getting nearly enough opportunities on the offensive end, according to Shrewsberry.
Shrewsberry likes the shots his team is getting, but chronic turnovers and a general lack of offensive rebounding need to be fixed before he’s totally happy.
“Let's try to get better shots, but let's get more shots,” Shrewsberry said. “Things like that are things that you go back, you look at, you evaluate [and] now you try and correct as you go in the Big Ten play.”
Defensively, Penn State will have to face a hard-nosed brand of Big Ten basketball with a lot of post-scoring threats.
The Big Ten is known for having strong big men throughout the conference, but Shrewsberry said guys like Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis and Brad Davison can post you up from the wing spot and score, too.
Shrewsberry said it’s an area of his defense that has to get better, and it starts by keeping the ball out of the post in the first place with active hands from on-ball defenders.
“The best post defense you can play is no catch. Don't let them catch it down there,” Shrewsberry said. “That's where we have to be better: at fighting to keep it out of the post early on.”
The Nittany Lions have doubled in the post at times and mixed up their defense, but Shrewsberry said he still has some different looks up his sleeve for the conference slate.
He also knows there will inevitably be times his guys have to go one-on-one in the post with someone like Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, who Shrewsberry said will almost always work over his right shoulder. Then, it all comes down to scouting and toughness on the Penn State end.
“We're gonna work on it,” Shrewsberry said. “It's at the top of the list of things that we're going to do because you're gonna see it.”
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