BASKETBALL

Penn State must capitalize on this opportunity with basketball

With all of Penn State’s recent success, the Nittany Lions need to use this momentum to turn PSU into a basketball school.

Published

1 week ago

March 13, 2023

Shane Lunnen

Dec 8, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; A detailed view of the Penn State Nittany Lion logo on a set of basketballs prior to game against the Wagner Seahawks at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State’s run through the Big Ten tournament was fun to watch over the past several days; in fact, the Nittany Lions have basically been playing for their NCAA tournament lives since mid-February. While the close loss to Purdue in the final stung, a berth in the NCAA tournament is super exciting for the Penn State basketball program.

Penn State basketball has magical run to the NCAA tournament, breaking tournament drought

This has been a run we typically do not see for the men’s basketball team. Let’s take a brief trip down March basketball for Penn State based on my own fandom. I became a Nittany Lion fan in 1991 and it was football that drew me in — naturally. But, I have always kept an eye on a lot of Penn State’s athletic programs.

My first recollection of Penn State basketball success was in 1996 when they made the NCAA tournament. It would be another five years before they made it again, a remarkable run to the Sweet Sixteen lead by Joe Crispin.

Another decade passed before the Nittany Lions would earn another trip to the Big Dance. And here we are another 12 years later finally getting back into March Madness. Sure, there have been two NIT championships along the way, and the Nittany Lions would have been an entrant in the 2020 tournament had it not been canceled by a global pandemic.

But, I believe I’m speaking for most of the fanbase when I say it is inexcusable for a school like Penn State to have a second-rate basketball team. The program should not go a decade (or more) between NCAA tournament appearances.

The time is now for Penn State to show love to its basketball program

Nittany Lion basketball has always lived in the shadow of the football team, and past administrations have never treated it right. Never forget in 2011, with the team contending for a NCAA tournament berth, practices were pushed out of the Bryce Jordan Center to the IM Building due to a Bon Jovi concert.

Penn State University now has a fairly new administration. President Neeli Bendapudi and Athletic Director Pat Kraft seem like they are on the same page — Kraft especially is very engaged at Nittany Lion sporting events and says all the right things.

Yet, words are just words if they do not come with action — Penn State has a deep pocketed alumni base and NIL is becoming a big thing across all of college sports, not just in football. In order to compete at a high level, Penn State first and foremost must retain Micah Shrewsberry at all cost. The second-year coach has done wonders so far and Penn State basketball needs to keep the momentum of this season going into the future.

It is not just about giving Shrewsberry an extension and raise, there needs to be more money for assistants. There also needs to be a commitment to the basketball program by the university that has never been shown in the past. There’s no time like the present.

Personally, I would love to see more games return to Rec Hall. The more intimate environment leads to a huge home court advantage that just cannot be replicated at the BJC. Of course, winning consistently can also bring more people to games at the BJC, even mid-week contests.

Football will always be king at Penn State. It overwhelmingly pays the bills of the athletic program; however, there is no reason for Penn State to not have a great basketball program to pair, just as many other big schools (like Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State) do. The ball is in Kraft’s and the university’s court to deliver.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Managing Editor at cjmangum29@gmail.com. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

Up Next

Micah Shrewsberry: ‘We’re sitting on something special right here’

Don't Miss

Penn State basketball gets tough draw for NCAA tournament seed

Click to comment

BASKETBALL

REPORT: Penn State Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry Decision Coming ‘in Next 36 Hours’

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry is expected to decide on his coaching future in the coming days, according to reports.

Published

18 hours ago

March 21, 2023

Matt Thomas

Penn State basketball, Micah Shrewsberry

Mar 18, 2023; Des Moines, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry reacts during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

State College — It’s been a whirlwind month inside the men’s basketball facility at the Bryce Jordan Center. In February, it looked like Penn State basketball was in for a post season letdown. But then, Micah Shrewsberry led the Nittany Lions on a 5-1 run to close out the regular season. Penn State made it all the way to the Big Ten Tournament Championship, and won the program’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2001.

All the while, tension built as to Shrewsberry’s future in Happy Valley. Reports surfaced Monday that Shrewsberry was in talks with Notre Dame. Speculation swirled as to AD Pat Kraft’s push to keep Shrewsberry as the Penn State basketball coach.

And after all the reading of tea leaves, it appears that an answer is coming soon.

Penn State Basketball Coach Micah Shrewsberry Decision Imminent

According to a report from ESPN on Tuesday afternoon, Micah Shrewsberry is expected to decide on his future “in the next 36 hours or so.”

The article notes that Shrewsberry has also emerged as a candidate for the Providence job, after the Friars’ coach Ed Cooley took the Georgetown job on Monday. However, headlines quickly pinpointed that Shrewsberry was either considering staying at Penn State or going to Notre Dame.

It is widely believed in Penn State circles that the university made as good of a push as it could to retain Shrewsberry after the season ended in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Saturday. Now, Penn State must wait and see what Notre Dame can offer and if the opportunity to counter exists.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey left the program after going 11-21 this season. He is expected to become the new head coach at South Florida.

Notre Dame could be an appealing job to Shrewsberry, an Indiana native who has spent much of his professional career coaching in the state. Shrewsberry was the head coach at Indiana University-South Bend from 2005 to 2007 before coaching at both Butler and Purdue.

We will provide updates as the situation evolves.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

BASKETBALL

Regardless of the outcome, Penn State needs to go down swinging for Shrewsberry

The Nittany Lions need to prove that the school is ready to take hoops seriously.

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2023

CJ Mangum

Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry

Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry reacts off the bench during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Yesterday, we reported that Penn State’s head basketball coach is currently in talks with Notre Dame for their coaching vacancy. This is bad news for Nittany Lion basketball fans; however, regardless of the outcome, Penn State University needs to fight to keep Micah Shrewsberry in town. If nothing else, the school needs to show fans, players, and its potential next head coach that they are ready to take Penn State basketball seriously.

Penn State basketball sees a marvelous turnaround in just two seasons

Since 2001, the Penn State basketball team had appeared in the NCAA tournament twice (2001, 2011) and won a tournament game once (2001). That all changed when Micah Shrewsberry was introduced as Penn State’s new basketball coach. In just two seasons at the helm in State College, Shrewsberry took Penn State from a doormat program to the Big Ten title game, an NCAA tournament berth, and even a tournament win over Texas A&M.

On top of Shrewsberry’s on-court success, he also managed to pull two of the best recruiting classes that Penn State basketball had ever seen, and used the transfer portal to bring in some of the team’s best players (such as Andrew Funk). If the 2022-23 season proved anything, it is that the Nittany Lions should be ready to go all out to keep Micah Shrewsberry in town.

Notre Dame might be an offer that Micah Shrewsberry cannot refuse

Micah Shrewsberry has spent the majority of his life in Indiana — many of his coaching jobs have been in IN as well. While State College is still in the midwestern area, it is not truly home for Shrewsberry, which is something that has been cited as possibly being a reason that he eventually leaves for a school in Indiana. Notre Dame is also willing to spend good money on basketball and has very nice facilities to work with; if you want to build a winner, the Notre Dame job likely looks more appealing than Penn State does right now — for basketball, that is.

If Notre Dame puts a solid offer on the table for Shrewsberry, offers him enough to pay his staff well, and gives him a chance to coach in a place that he calls home, there might not be much that Penn State basketball can do. Still, Penn State needs to go down swinging even if this is the case.

Penn State University needs to go down swinging

Pat Kraft is a fantastic athletic director, and right now, he is facing his biggest test to date. Even if Micah Shrewsberry decides to leave, Kraft and the administration need to go all out in keeping him around — if nothing else, it sends the right message for whoever is next.

If the Penn State basketball program ever wants to be successful, they need to find someone that is willing to put the work into building a winner — if the school goes down swinging trying to keep Micah in town, it shows the fans, recruits, and even the next head coach that Penn State is ready to become a contender. PSU has the money to put into hoops, now its time to find a coach that wants to build something special in State College. If that person is Micah Shrewsberry, that is great news; however, even if it’s not, it is time that Penn State takes the program seriously.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.

BASKETBALL

Micah Shrewsberry reportedly in talks with Notre Dame

According to reports, the Nittany Lions’ head coach is in talks with Notre Dame.

Published

2 days ago

March 20, 2023

CJ Mangum

Mar 18, 2023; Des Moines, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry signals to his players during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

STATE COLLEGE, PA — On Monday, Penn State fans got some news that they likely did not want to hear. According to David Jones of PennLive, Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry began talks with Notre Dame for its head coaching vacancy. Jones also claims that the Nittany Lions have likely already made their pitch to Shrewsberry, so the ball is in his court.

Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry reportedly in talks with Notre Dame

Micah Shrewsberry has done magical things with the Penn State basketball program over the past two seasons, so it comes as no surprise that he is a top target for many major schools like Notre Dame. Before the Shrewsberry era, the Nittany Lions had not made a trip to the NCAA tournament since 2011, and had not won a tournament game since 2001.

In just two seasons at the helm, Micah Shrewsberry turned Penn State basketball into a tournament team — the Nittany Lions went 23-14 in 2022-23, and made an appearance in the Big Ten title game. Penn State also beat Texas A&M in Round 1 of the NCAA tournament; the program’s first tournament win in over two decades. If that was not enough, Shrewsberry also pulled the two best recruiting classes in Penn State history during his two seasons in State College, and is already working on a brand new transfer and freshman class that could be just as special.

Right now, the Penn State basketball program needs to do everything that it can do to keep Shrewsberry. If the Nittany Lions are to lose out on an incredible head coach like he has been, the program will lose all momentum and begin to regress back to the state it has been for decades now. Assuming Jones’ report is accurate, Penn State basketball fans need to cross their fingers that Pat Kraft’s offer is better the what the Fighting Irish are putting on the table.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics.