Penn State formally introduced new men’s head basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry to the public on Tuesday with an introductory press conference. Shrewsberry touched on a number of topics as he gets settled in for his first head coaching job in the Big Ten and showed he understood the challenges facing the program he now takes over.
Fortunately for Shrewsberry, he feels as prepared as you can get for the task at hand. In his press conference on Tuesday, Shrewsberry thanked those who helped to get him to where he is now, including two of his most recent bosses, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens and Purdue head coach Matt Painter.
“I couldn’t say enough about those two guys as friends, as people, before bosses,” Shrewsberry said as he gave thanks to Stevens and Painter. “They never treated me as a boss and as an employee. It was always as a great man.”
That kind of working relationship is a characteristic that should be expected of Shrewsberry with his new staff, as well as his players. It is only a small glimpse into Shrewsberry as a head coach, but that kind of understanding of how strong relationships can be should carry an encouraging message to the Penn State basketball program and its fans moving forward.
New @PennStateMBB coach @Coach_Shrews has learned from a lot of great coaches.
Brad Stevens and @BoilerBall's @CoachPainter highlight the list.
"I've worked for two of the best coaches you could ever be around and work for. . . . I'm forever grateful for their friendships." pic.twitter.com/49TrPGlWRT
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 30, 2021
“I have to be myself but they taught me how to run a successful program,” Shrewsberry said.
Shrewsberry has indeed been on some successful programs with Stevens and Painter. Shrewsberry was on the Purdue staff for the Boilermakers’ 2019 Big Ten championship regular season. With Stevens, Shrewsberry was on the Butler coaching staff that took the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011.
What Celtics coach Brad Stevens had to say about new Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry
The relationships Shrewsberry has with both Stevens and Painter have been well documented already, and both coaches have offered their best wishes to their former assistant and friend as Shrewsberry becomes the head coach of the Nittany Lions. It will be comforting to know that if Shrewsberry does run into a problem, help may only be a phone call away.
“I have worked for two of the best coaches you could ever be around and work for in a short amount of time in those two guys. I’m forever grateful for their friendships. They still take my calls to this day.”
Yes, that includes Painter, who continues to be the head coach of one of the programs Penn State hopes to challenge down the line.
“Coach Painter is in our league and he’s still trying to help me with the struggles that I go through in these last nine days,” Shrewsberry said. “I know I have those two guys to reach out to.”
Penn State basketball is quite a rebuilding project, so Shrewsberry may need to make a few phone calls.
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