Tom Izzo lauds PSU Hoops' Micah Shrewsberry, John Harrar after upset win
First-year Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry and 27th-year Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo shared two unique interactions next to the Bryce Jordan Center scorers’ table Tuesday night.
Before the Nittany Lions tipped off against the No. 19 Spartans, Izzo, in search of his 662nd Big Ten win to tie former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s all-time record, told Shrewsberry that Penn State was going to win a close game one of these days — he just hoped it wouldn’t be Tuesday night.
The Nittany Lions have certainly gone through it this season. In Shrewsberry’s inaugural campaign, they’ve lost seven games by single digits, including four by five points or less.
On Tuesday, Shrewsberry’s team clawed back from a 14-point second-half deficit to top Izzo’s Spartans, 62-58, and give Shrewsberry the first ranked win of his young career.
As they stood at the scorers’ table for the second time, the 67-year-old Izzo — still with 661 wins — told the 45-year-old Shrewsberry that he was proud of him.
“Good coaches just keep on banging, and that's what he did. He'll be the right coach for this place,” Izzo said following the loss. “I thought he did a hell of a job getting his kids up night after night after night. He's had 20 of these games it seems like.”
Pride is a relative term. Your friends might sarcastically tell you they’re proud of you when you complete a simple task. It doesn’t always mean much.
It meant plenty to Shrewsberry on Tuesday.
He’s watched Big Ten basketball his entire life as a native of Indianapolis, Indiana. He said before the season started that Izzo and Michigan State had long laid out the blueprint of how to win in the conference.
Izzo will almost certainly pass Knight’s record before the 2021-22 season ends. It’ll be a poetic, full-circle moment after Izzo topped Knight’s Indiana team back in 1996 for his first Big Ten win.
Penn State beat Indiana in early January for Shrewsberry’s first conference win. The Nittany Lions beat Michigan State for his first ranked win.
Shrewsberry spent the first two minutes of his postgame press conference complimenting Izzo and the Michigan State program.
And yet, the soon-to-be conference leader in all-time wins had to give it up to the new head man in Happy Valley. Shrewsberry said it meant a lot to him to hear the praise from Izzo
“There's almost times where you just look down there and [think] 'Man, that's Tom Izzo,'” Shrewsberry said. “It's an honor for me to coach against Tom Izzo. He gives a model for how we build our program and what we do…
“If I can be half the coach he is, I’ve had a successful career.”
Izzo had a second postgame conversation at the scorers’ table, this time with fifth-year Penn State senior John Harrar.
Harrar had undoubtedly one of the best games of his career in the upset win. He scored 16 points to go along with 16 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
The big man collected his own rebound with his team up one late and subsequently converted an and-1 to help put the game on ice. He grabbed another offensive rebound one possession earlier, which led to a Seth Lundy jumper to grab the lead. Together, Harrar and Lundy seemed to will their team to victory.
Once again, Izzo told Harrar he was proud to have him in the Big Ten. He said he’s the kind of player you want representing your league.
Izzo highlighted his Spartans’ struggles with Harrar’s rolls to the rim throughout the night, something the longtime coach labeled as the difference maker.
“There's no question John Harrar was the difference in the game,” Izzo said. “He's gotten better every year. [He] doesn't complain about what he's doing. He just keeps getting stronger and better. And tonight, he was the hero.”
In Penn State and Michigan State’s first meeting, the Spartans won by 16 points. Izzo’s team destroyed the Nittany Lions in transition, scoring 31 of their 80 points on the fast break.
Shrewsberry made sure his game plan didn’t allow for that to happen again on Tuesday night. He sent four players back on defense and left just one man, Harrar, to fight for offensive rebounds.
If it weren’t for Harrar’s ability to single-handedly control the glass, Penn State may not have been able to walk out of the BJC with a win.
Shrewsberry labeled his veteran leader as a “warrior.”
“He gives you everything he has," Shrewsberry said. "There is no, ‘Did John play hard tonight?’ Yes. John plays hard. That’s probably a Twitter thing. I always see that: 'Did the Celtics win tonight? Yes.' ‘Did John play hard?’ Of course John played hard.
“He was in there battling by himself. We sent four guys back in transition, and John fought. We could do that because there wasn't a fear of John not sprinting back on defense every single time.”
Harrar’s postgame expression was one of relief. He was probably tired of sitting through single-digit losses.
“We put ourselves in position every one of the last couple of games we played,” Harrar said. “Coach was saying in the locker room [that] we earned this win. We deserve this win.”
Along with his first ranked win, Shrewsberry secured another first on the night against the Spartans. He picked up his first technical foul off the back of a no-call on a Harrar layup.
Harrar congratulated his new coach for the “big-time” milestone, but it’s just another reason why Harrar came back to Penn State for a fifth year and why the Nittany Lions haven’t quit on the campaign despite so many agonizing losses.
“We're all following Coach Shrews,” Harrar said. “We're following him, and we're showing up every day and just trying to fight with him.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Talk about it inside The Wrestling Room Board