After a weeks-long process, Notre Dame has landed its top target to be the next coach of its men's basketball team: Micah Shrewsberry.
Penn State's coach decided Wednesday morning to accept the Irish's seven-year offer, sources told CBS Sports, and in the process left an enticing contract upgrade on the table from the Nittany Lions. Shrewsberry went 37-31 in two seasons at PSU and just took the program to the second round of the tournament, netting the school its first March Madness win since 2001.
Shrewsberry was formally announced as the Irish's new coach on Friday. Notre Dame will be his second stop as a head coach. He's the first Black head coach in Notre Dame men's basketball history.
"During our two month process, we weekly reviewed our candidate pool and each week he (Micah) stayed at the top of our list due to his fit at the University and his commitment to the student-athlete experience," said Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick in a statement. "Not only do his personal & family values align with the University, but his dedication to the development of each member of his program as well."
Among the many reasons Swarbrick put a premium on the 46-year-old Shrewsberry: The man has deep Indiana roots. Shrewsberry grew up in Indianapolis, played college ball in-state at Hanover College, then coached as an assistant at Indiana-based colleges (Wabash, Depauw; head coach at IU South Bend) in the years following his graduation. Shrewsberry worked his way up in Division I by serving on Brad Stevens' staff at Butler, then joining Purdue under Matt Painter before spending six seasons as an assistant for Stevens with the Boston Celtics from 2013-19.
He returned to college basketball in 2019 and resumed his post on Painter's staff, which led to him getting the Penn State job in 2021.
In addition to his rising reputation as a coach, Shrewsberry's connection to NBA players is also a major selling point for a Notre Dame program wanting to continue bringing in future pros. Shrewsberry has strong relationships with the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward and Rajon Rondo.
Notre Dame's official announcement on Shrewsberry will land on Friday, a source said.
Shrewsberry joins Damon Stoudamire (Georgia Tech) and Adrian Autry (Syracuse) as incoming head coaches in the ACC.
