Notre Dame MBB coach Micah Shrewsberry talks life back home, AD transition
Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry was, in all likelihood, athletics director Jack Swarbrick’s last head coaching hire.
On Thursday, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander published an incredibly well-reported story, detailing Swarbrick’s hiring process and Shrewsberry’s decision to leave Penn State. The second-year Nittany Lions coach considered a number of factors, including a neighbor who called the police on his sons, Braeden and Nick, with a noise complaint for playing basketball in the front yard too loudly at 7:30 p.m.
The driving factor in a tough decision, though, was coming home.
Shrewsberry was born and attended high school in Indianapolis. He played basketball at Hanover College, which is on the Indiana-Kentucky border, a little under an hour northeast of Louisville. His first head coaching job was at IU South Bend, and he’s spent time at Wabash, DePauw, Butler and Purdue as an assistant.
So far, Shrewsberry told Blue & Gold, that decision is paying off.
“It’s been really cool,” Shrewsberry said about being back in his home state. “I’ve had a chance to see a lot of people and talk to a lot of people. I had a high school coach come up and watch practice [July 11] that I hadn’t seen in a while. It’s just really cool.”
The best experience, Shrewsberry said, was one he didn’t get to attend. Indiana holds the Charlie Hughes Shootout, a high school basketball showcase, every year in Indianapolis in late June. His younger son, Nick, participated in it. Shrewsberry himself couldn’t make it, but Nick had plenty of support.
“We probably had 25 people down there watching, between family members, that weekend,” Shrewsberry said. “So that part’s been great.”
Having spent much of his life in Indiana, Shrewsberry is well aware of what basketball — at every level — means to the state.
“Coach [Ryan] Owens on staff, we’re reminiscing about 1995 Indiana high school basketball, and we’re talking about different towns, players, and everything else,” Shrewsberry said. “It’s cool being back here, to experience it.”
When Shrewsberry accepted Swarbrick’s job offer, he was informed that the 69-year-old athletics director was nearing retirement. However, he did not know it would be before his first game.
With Pete Bevacqua stepping in, Shrewsberry is still sure he made the right decision for himself, his career and his family by coming to Notre Dame.
“I’m excited about it,” Shrewsberry said. “I’m so appreciative of Jack, and him giving me a chance to coach here. And now, I’m looking forward to working with Pete and pushing forward, to keep doing big things here.”
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