Micah Shrewsberry reflects on first season at Penn State, what's ahead for Nittany Lions
Micah Shrewsberry’s first season at Penn State was full of highs and lows. As a first-time head coach, the Nittany Lions may not have finished with the record he wanted, but there were plenty of positives to take away from the 2021-22 campaign.
Penn State closed out the year with a 14-17 record, finishing 7-13 in league play. The Nittany Lions had a nice run in the B1G Tournament, defeating Minnesota in the first round and upsetting Ohio State in the second to advance to the quarterfinals.
Despite a hard-fought effort, Penn State fell 69-61 to Purdue in the quarterfinals, ending its season.
On Tuesday, Shrewsberry reflected on his first season at the helm in State College and looking ahead to the offseason. One of the biggest bright spots? Penn State defeated 5 of the B1G’s 9 tournament teams (Indiana, Rutgers, Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State) and played several others close.
Of the 17 games the Nittany Lions dropped, 11 were lost by 8 points or less. Even in just one year, Penn State appears to be close to doing some really promising things in the B1G.
Here’s what Shrewsberry had to say while meeting with reporters on Tuesday:
Shrewsberry on the unexpected challenges Penn State faced this year: "The whole season was such a learning process…you have to figure it out on the go, you've got to trust the people who are around you."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Big Ten sent 9 teams to NCAA Tourney. Penn State beat 5 of them and played 3 close.
"We were right there. That's the part where you get a little disappointed. You're close, but don't take steps back to take steps forward. We need to build off what we did this year"
— Max Ralph (@maxralph_) March 15, 2022
He added that Pickett is a good "cornerstone" for next season, especially with a year of Big Ten play under his belt.
"He got better as the season went on…he's at the top of the scouting report and everything."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry said he "was pleased with some of the parts of our season."
He emphasized that Penn State finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in defensive scoring and controlled pace of play all year.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry said he "was pleased with some of the parts of our season."
He emphasized that Penn State finished No. 1 in the Big Ten in defensive scoring and controlled pace of play all year.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
He added that Penn State does not know yet if they're coming back next year.
"They were really professional and mature…we'll get into that in the next couple of weeks."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry: "I hate losing, and more than that, I hate watching people play. So, the NCAA Tournament is not very enjoyable during this time."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry in his opening statement: "You never want [the season] to end…but you immediately jump into what changes you want to make and what you want to do better."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry on Seth Lundy: "I talked to him about different players in this league who've made a leap and went from one play to a different play in a year's time."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
Shrewsberry said Lundy was hurt after his poor performance in Penn State's final game.
"I told him that means he cares…That kid cares, man. He cares about his teammates, he cares about the team."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 15, 2022
