Penn State is โprepared to make a significant, long-term financial commitmentโ to basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported late Friday afternoon.
Per Rothstein, this commitment is expected to take place โas soon as the Nittany Lions conclude their season.โ
Source: Penn State is prepared to make a significant, long-term financial commitment to Micah Shrewsberry as soon as the Nittany Lions conclude their season.
Shrewsberry has been linked to other high profile jobs.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 17, 2023
This report comes less than 24 hours after Penn State handled Texas A&M, 76-59, for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. It was the first tournament game Penn State had played since 2011, when it lost to Temple in the first round.
After Penn Stateโs win, Rothstein tweeted that the school should do what it could do keep Shrewsberry around.
โIn the past five days, Penn State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 22 years and nearly won the Big Ten Tournament,โ Rothstein tweeted. โIf the school likes winning, it should get a long-term deal done with Micah Shrewsberry ASAP.โ
In the past five days, Penn State won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 22 years and nearly won the Big Ten Tournament.
If the school likes winning, it should get a long-term deal done with Micah Shrewsberry ASAP. https://t.co/xSR1RCk8ta
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 17, 2023
Itโs hard to argue with Rothsteinโs logic.
When Shrewsberry took the Penn State job in 2021, the program was coming off a losing season and in the middle of a decade-long tournament drought. In the 2020-21 season, Penn State didnโt have a full-time coach.
Jim Ferry ran the show after Pat Chambersโs sudden resignation amid a pandemic.
It took Shrewsberry just two seasons to get Penn State back to winning.
But one of the downsides to Shrewsberry and Penn Stateโs success is that other more basketball-rich schools want him.
Shrewsberry has been linked to the open positions at Notre Dameย and Georgetown.
Notre Dameโs job is open for the first time since 2000 due to longtime coach Mike Breyโs resignation.
Georgetown finished 7-25 this season and fired Patrick Ewing after six seasons as a result.
Reports about Shrewsberryโs future will ramp up even further after Penn Stateโs season ends, whenever that may be. But for now, Penn State is still playing. Its next game is Saturday night against second-seeded Texas in the Round of 32. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 on CBS.
