Micah Shrewsberry has taken the rocket jet that was attached to his back and decided to take off for Notre Dame despite Penn State doing its best to match the offer.
After taking the Penn State job in 2020, Shrewsberry turned the program around quickly by utilizing the transfer portal to obtain senior leadership. All of that turned into their first NCAA tournament win in over 20 years and now a head coach job at Notre Dame.
Turning the page for Penn State is the next step as they look to reassemble themselves and find a coach who can take advantage of the momentum they have. This should be a fun job for someone looking to move from another power five school looking for a breath of fresh air or a coach at a lower school who is riding a wave of momentum of their own.
Here are 10 names that Penn State fans should get to know as their head coaching search gets underway.
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In a move that would be the most seamless, Adam Fisher is apart of Micah Shrewsberry’s staff and has already received a vote of endorsement from Jalen Pickett. The move could keep the system they built in place as well as any momentum this current staff has established.
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Having attended Indiana, he is no stranger to Big Ten basketball and the passion behind it. May is riding a major momentum wave of his own as his FAU Owls are set to face off with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixten after securing two upsets in this year’s tournament.
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While Colgate lost in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament, they had a major success this year and in years prior. He has been at Colgate since 2011 but before that, he coached at both Temple and his alma mater of Penn. He is familiar with the state and it’s recruiting ability in the state.
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Ironically, Ingelsby is a former Notre Dame assistant and has led the Blue Hens to the NCAA tournament since taking over in 2016. He is from the state as well and has ties to top transfer portal target Jameer Nelson Jr. who would be a major addition to the Nittany Lions and allow him to get a jumpstart on his tenure in State College if he could deliver.
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Greg McDermott has built up Creighton to be a very well-respected program and a yearly bracket buster by being able to play up to stiffer competition. That would be a perfect fit for Penn State within the Big Ten and his previous work at Iowa State backed up by Creighton tenure should make him a top candidate.
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This is the biggest shot-in-the-dark candidate that honestly won’t work out but could be a fun hire. Sam Cassell has been interviewed by NBA teams for head coaching spots for years but never hired. He is well worth giving a shot to in the NBA but if they won’t then why doesn’t Penn State call him up with a chance to prove himself in college first before making a jump back into the league?
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Having previously coached in the Big Ten and had major success at Ohio State. Matta has gone back to his alma mater of Butler so getting him to leave may be tough but wouldn’t it be fun to have a previous Ohio State coach then sit on a Nittany Lion sideline?
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Another coach already at his alma mater, Mitch Henderson has shown he can build a program even at the Ivy League level. His team plays tough defense and has shown they can play up to the stiffer competition as they upset both Arizona and Missouri as they are now in the Sweet Sixteen.
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Penn State has had success hiring former Vanderbilt coaches right? Drew has been at both Vanderbilt and Valparaiso prior to his tenure at Grand Canyon which has resulted in conference titles and NCAA tournament births in two of his three years on their sidelines.
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Luke Walton is the son of famed college basketball announced Bill Walton who was an okay college and pro basketball player as well. Luke Walton wasn’t the player his dad was but he has proven to be a much better coach. He has two head coaching stints in the NBA previously and he is currently on the Cleveland Cavaliers staff waiting for his next head coaching opportunity.
