Micah Shrewsberry talks dreams and realities during his introduction to ND
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There were hundreds of witnesses.
From Marcus Freeman to Niele Ivey to cheerleaders, to trumpet players to family and friends.
Micah Shrewsberry, in his ultra-welcoming introductory press conference at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday, talked about pursuing “national championships.”
Notre Dame’s new men’s basketball coach dreams big.
Always has.
The 46-year-old said he got that from his father, William, – “My role model“ – a former Jeffersonville, Ind., city councilman who got to see his son check off another dream in person Thursday.
When Micah Shrewsberry was driving around South Bend and past Notre Dame during his three-year run as the first head coach of the Indiana University-South Bend men’s basketball team from 2005-2008, “I always dreamed of what it would be like to coach here,“ he said. “So believing in yourself and those dreams — that’s really come true.”
He has had a way of making big plans ripen.
It was his goal to be a college men’s head basketball coach by age 30. He made it by a few months at IUSB.
So when Shrewsberry dreams big about ND playing for rings — “I truly believe this — you can win a national championship here,” he said — his track record suggests not selling him short. “That's what we're gonna fight for every single day.”
It would seem more pipe dream than reality given the Irish are coming off the losingest season in school history (11-21).
Shrewsberry said previous coach Mike Brey, the winningest coach in Notre Dame history following a 23-year run, left behind a blueprint.
He also knows he’s left with a thin and mangled roster following graduations and departures. Shrewsberry said he has already met with every one of the remaining players individually.
In terms of adding to the roster, Shrewsberry talked often in the near hour-long session about finding players who are good fits, players who are happy to be at Notre Dame. There may be help through the transfer portal, but he won’t rush the process.
“We are not going to skip steps,” he said.
Looking behind him at university president Rev. John Jenkins and athletic director Jack Swarbrick, he said, “I think they expect me to field a team next year. You only need five.”
Shrewsberry spent the past two seasons as head coach at Penn State, going 37-31 overall and 23-14 this past season to lock up a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament — the school’s first appearance in the tourney since 2011. He reportedly signed a seven-year deal with the Irish, and ND paid his reported $4 million buyout to get him out of his contract at Penn State.
“I’m a defensive guy first — though we didn’t always show that this past season,“ he said with a smile.
The Nittany Lions, who finished runner-up to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament, were 118th in the country in scoring defense (68.2) and 131st out of 352 Division I teams in field goal percentage defense (43%).
“We will play with discipline, toughness and we’ll play together,” he promised. “If you do that, you always give yourself a chance.”
A major part of the appeal to joining the Irish was getting closer to family.
He is “an Indiana kid,” having played basketball at Indianapolis Cathedral and Hanover (Ind.) College, followed by assistant coaching stints at, notably, Butler and Purdue.
Swarbrick said Shrewsberry’s hiring “feels almost pre-ordained,” given his background and added “Welcome home to your new home.”
Shrewsberry touched on a few other topics ...
► On recruiting
“Recruiting a lot of Indiana kids will be our goal here. We’ll find some guys (in the state) who can play here.”
He also noted that Notre Dame’s brand opens things up nationally. He wants to recruit high school kids, because he likes developing a relationship over time to get a better feel for how a player fits.
“The transfer portal is like speed dating” and you’re never sure what you are going to get.
But his time spent in the NBA gave him a feel on how to adjust to evolving rosters.
► On the restructure
“There’s time — we’ve got a lot of time before our first game. There’s time to do what we need to do. This won’t be for a quick fix. It’s for sustainability.”
► On NIL and the transfer portal
“You’ve got to adjust (to changes). You get on board or get left behind. And I’m not in the business of getting left behind.”
► On scheduling
“We’ll play anybody. That’s how you’re going to get better.”
He added that he’d love to get (Butler and Purdue) to play in Purcell Pavilion.
► On players’ focus
“You can be really great at two things. You can be great at academics and basketball.
“You probably can’t be really great at three things.”
► On his continued relationship with “great friend“ Brad Stevens, former Butler and Boston Celtics coach and now president of basketball operations for the Celtics.
“What I learned during that time (with Stevens) was the genuineness of who he is, how he treats people, and how he treats staff. How you communicate with players, and how you get the best out of your players. And how to mold a team.
“We still talk … Brad texts me after losses. Nobody wants to text you after you get beat. Brad texts me when we lose — that’s the kind of guy he is.”
► On leaving Penn State
“They took a chance on me. So thank you so much to them, the administration, the players who took me on an unbelievable ride … I'm not here without them. I appreciate everything they did, that we were able to accomplish together in those two years.”
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