Purdue’s run in the tournament didn’t last nearly as long as it would’ve liked. The Boilermakers were bounced from March Madness in the first round, falling in overtime to 13-seed North Texas on Friday evening.

The loss marks the end of Micah Shrewsberry’s time in West Lafayette, as he’s now headed to State College to become the next head coach at Penn State. He spent the last two seasons with the Boilermakers and was also on Purdue’s staff from 2011-13.

But before he heads off to Happy Valley, Shrewsberry sent out a message to Purdue.

“I can’t say enough good things about my time here at Purdue. Thank you to [athletic director] Mike Bobinski and the rest of his administrative staff for everything that went into allowing us to play this year,” Shrewsberry wrote. “I’m going to miss our guys. You guys sacrificed a lot this season to try and keep yourself safe. We were all hurting because of how it ended, but that just shows how much you care about your teammates and about Purdue. I know you guys will come back even stronger, because I’ve seen the work that you put in on a daily basis. GREAT things are ahead!

“Finally, I want to thank Coach [Matt] Painter and the rest of the staff. I couldn’t ask for a better person to learn from than Coach. He has treated me and my family like we are part of his. And we forever will be. Purdue, you not only have a great coach, you have a great man, who care about his players and treats them with respect. The rest of you guys know how I feel about you. …It’s been a great ride in West Lafayette and I’ll always root for the Boilers (except 2-3 times per year). Paint Crew please take it easy on me next year!”

Shrewsberry accepted the position at Penn State once the Nittany Lions’ 2020-21 campaign came to an end. He will replace Jim Ferry, who was the interim head coach, stepping in for Pat Chambers who resigned just before the start of the season.

This will be Shrewsberry’s first job as a head coach at the Division I level.