Micah Shrewsberry did his greatest Dennis Inexperienced impression late Sunday night time. However his insecurities revealed he might not grasp the realities of his job.
Shrewsberry is now 24-34 in two seasons as the top coach of Notre Dame, together with 11-14 this season. The Combating Irish have misplaced 4 of their final 5 video games and are hanging out close to the underside of the ACC standings, in peril of lacking this yr’s convention match in the event that they maintain shedding.
Louisville staff went to Notre Dame and beat the Irish 75-60, and Shrewsberry was apparently upset not about his staff’s efficiency however concerning the composition of the gang.
He was requested a benign query about what he felt had been the staff’s greatest points on this shedding stretch, and for the following 2:40 he took off on a hard-to-watch rant.
After declaring that his gamers received’t give up, Shrewsberry stated, “I perceive that lots of people have give up on us, and well-deserved. In case you hate me, completely. Completely, man. Nice. In case you assume I suck, should you assume I can’t coach, I’m with you, man. Good. Good for you since you’re allowed to have opinions. In case you assume I must be fired, good for you. You’re allowed to have opinions, proper? Lots of people have given up on this staff. They’ve given up on me. I don’t actually give a rattling. I consider in myself, and I consider in these guys, OK? So don’t hand over on these guys. Don’t hand over on these guys. Don’t hand over on these youngsters. In case you don’t need to present up due to me, don’t present up due to me. Since you assume I suck. Cool. I’m OK with that.”
By no means thoughts that he’s not thought of to be on the recent seat and no reporters had known as for his firing. Shrewsberry was simply getting began.
“Don’t hand over on these youngsters, man. I don’t care about anyone’s opinion,” Shrewsberry stated. “I do know who I’m. I do know I can coach basketball. I do know I’m turning this program round. So that you gave up on me already? I don’t need to see you again right here. I don’t give a rattling. Don’t hand over on these youngsters as a result of we gonna get this factor rolling. I sat there and watched extra Louisville followers in right here than Notre Dame individuals. That’s embarrassing. That’s embarrassing for me as a result of I’m the top coach right here.
“Sure, I received us on this predicament. However don’t come again after we’re … profitable, as a result of we’re turning this round, man. You higher consider that.”
Quickly after, he took a swipe on the mic stand and—there’s no higher technique to phrase it—stormed off like a toddler.
Couple issues:
1. Shrewsberry isn’t the primary coach to tug this transfer, however you don’t get to assert “I don’t care about anyone’s opinion” in the course of a rant clearly prompted by some hate tweets you learn earlier than the sport.
2. If this galvanizes his staff behind closed doorways and helps Notre Dame salvage its season, good for them. It’s an possibility in each coach’s again pocket to go ballistic on the media and a few use it. We’ve seen it completed higher, in actual fact.
3. Who does he assume he’s by telling Notre Dame followers to not come again once they’re profitable?
It’s a perplexing, maddening and admittedly embarrassing factor to say at a college he’s labored at lower than 24 months. It jogs my memory of the New York Mets gamers in 2021 who gave their very own followers thumbs-downs after getting on base as a result of it harm their little hearts to be booed earlier within the yr. They needed to apologize, by the best way.
Notre Dame will all the time be referred to as a soccer college that struggles to fill its basketball area, and Shrewsberry ought to have understood that when he took the job. He got here from one other college the place soccer was king, Penn State.
However I’ll take it a step additional. Notre Dame doesn’t wrestle to get followers within the seats for basketball video games—not when the ladies are enjoying.
It’s stunning irony that the day after Shrewsberry selected to focus on the college’s followers, the ladies’s basketball staff rose to No. 1 within the AP rankings. Per the NCAA file e-book, the Notre Dame girls averaged 6,644 attendance per dwelling recreation final season, thirteenth within the nation. The lads averaged 6,118.
Discuss to Niele Ivey about the best way to get butts in seats, Micah. She’ll most likely let you know the plain: It has to do with the product on the ground.
