Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
M A Y 2 0 2 2 47 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F inally, the temperature has lowered just a bit for Micah Shrewsberry and his Penn State staff. Following the conclusion of his first season leading the Nittany Lion basket- ball program, Shrewsberry's list of con- cerns is considerably shorter than it was last spring when he was newly arrived at Penn State. For one, he doesn't have to worry about re-recruiting his entire roster. He doesn't need to pull five names out of the transfer portal just to field a competitive team. Penn State's efforts on the recruiting trail can go forward at a less-frantic pace. But a less-chaotic schedule doesn't mean a drop in intensity. For Shrewsberry, it simply provides him more time to ham- mer away at his program's foundation. "You take a little bit of time to decom- press from the season, but then you im- mediately jump back into what changes you want to make, what you can do bet- ter," he said. "I think that's the process right now, and the phase of what I'm in is what we can do better as we start head- ing into next year." Speaking to the media following the conclusion of Penn State's season, Shrewsberry expressed a desire to build his program conventionally. The Nittany Lions will not be a revolving door of a program, raiding the transfer portal for four or five players every offseason. Instead, Shrewsberry wants the Nit- tany Lions to recruit effectively. And they certainly got off to a good start with their 2022 class. Penn State signed three of the top 200 prospects in the country in Shrewsberry's first recruit- ing cycle in charge. That group is headlined by guard Ja- meel Brown at No. 135 overall in the On3 Consensus. Forward Kebba Njie follows at No. 142 and wing Evan Mahaffey comes in at No. 181. Rounding out the five-man class are point guard Kanye Clary (No. 201 overall) and center Demetrius Lilley (No. 271). "They fit everything that we're look- ing for," Shrewsberry said. "I truly be- lieve that Penn State is going to fall in love with these guys just based on who they are." In 2022-23, the Nittany Lions are set for a second beginning. The roster construction in Shrews- berry's first season makes it a bit of a one-off. The Nittany Lions will lose four seniors, including star forward John Harrar. Dynamic point guard Sam Ses- soms entered the transfer portal follow- ing the conclusion of the season, too. The Lions did get a lift in late March when guard Myles Dread, who shot 41 percent from three-point range last sea- son even though he was playing with a shoulder injury, announced his plans to MEN'S BASKETBALL Micah Shrewsberry's first Penn State recruiting class includes three players who rank among the top 200 prospects in the On3 Consensus. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Penn State is about to undergo a transformation, changing from one of the most experienced teams in the country to one of the youngest D A V I D E C K E R T | DAV I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M