Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry spills on why he left for Notre Dame

South Bend, Indiana - In the latest college basketball coaching carousel shocker amid the NCCA March Madness Tournament, Notre Dame has officially hired Penn State's Micah Shrewsberry to become the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's next head coach!

In the latest college basketball coaching switchup amid March Madness, Notre Dame officially hired Micah Shrewsberry as the next Fighting Irish head coach!
In the latest college basketball coaching switchup amid March Madness, Notre Dame officially hired Micah Shrewsberry as the next Fighting Irish head coach!  © QUINN HARRIS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

Shrewsberry's time at Penn State was very short, but still undeniable impactful.

In his two seasons with the Nittany Lions, Shrewberry led the program to their best record since 2018 and first NCAA tournament appearance in over a decade.

So many were left wondering: why up and leave the program after such success?

The Indiana native revealed in a new statement released by Notre Dame that the decision was a "combination of top-notch academics, plus a long storied history of success on the basketball court."

Shrewsberry will have big shoes to fill as he replaces longtime coach Mike Brey who spent 20-plus seasons with the Irish.

Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick revealed that the school was eager to bring Shewsberry on board in Brey's place because his values on and off the court "align with the University."

"We are so excited to have Coach (Shrewsberry) join the Notre Dame family," Swarbrick added as his coaching post was confirmed on Friday.

"Throughout this process, it reaffirmed for me that this job was among the best in the country as we had many great candidates express interest."

Micah Shewsberry remained Notre Dame's top candidate

Micah Shrewsberry will address Notre Dame fans as the new basketball head coach next week.
Micah Shrewsberry will address Notre Dame fans as the new basketball head coach next week.  © Michael Reaves / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Shrewsberry has proven himself to be a worthy candidate, and has stood out from the pool of potential coaches for the job.

"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," Swarbrick said.

Shrewsberry captured national attention with Penn State this season by garnering six Quad 1 wins en route to the 2023 Big Ten Tournament.

There, the Nittany Lions defeated No. 7 Illinois, No. 2 Northwestern, and No. 3 Indiana to reach their second ever conference tournament title game in program history.

Shrewsberry will now become the 18th head coach at the University of Notre Dame and its first ever Black head coach.

Shrewsberry will address Notre Dame fans as the new basketball head coach for the first time on Thursday, March 30. The event will be broadcast on Notre Dame Athletics' YouTube page.

Cover photo: QUINN HARRIS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

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