I don’t think paying Shrewsberry is the key to retaining him. I think that’s the easier part. He has to be convinced that Penn State can provide the infrastructure to sustain success. A big part of that is NIL. If we are last in NIL he’s not staying.
That Penn State basketball is struggling with NIL obviously is no surprise. The school has never done anything to get anyone excited about investing in the program with only a handful of mostly unexpected NCAA Tournament appearances to its credit that are always followed by trips right back to the league basement. Penn State has few peers when it comes to its ability to kill any momentum almost immediately. Even when we can’t get out of our own way we have a NCAA Tournament appearance cancelled by Covid.
There’s no reason why Penn State can’t compete in basketball and football the same way Michigan and Ohio State do. If the investment is made and a level of success is sustained, the interest in the program will be there. Having a 9k arena that can be sold out every night has to be part of the long term equation as well.
I have a lot of confidence in Kraft and from what I understand Franklin wants Shrewsberry around as well.
Shrewsberry has a lot of leverage and there’s a level of awareness that’s being created that winning at basketball is possible and it’s fun. You saw it last Sunday when the BJC without the students had a great environment for college basketball. People who normally would just sit there got off their butts and made some noise. Without question the most significant March win in that building.
As Nate has said, the program is at a crossroads. I’m optimistic that we might get it right this time. Will help if we can finish off Purdue and hang a meaningful banner to start next season.
That Penn State basketball is struggling with NIL obviously is no surprise. The school has never done anything to get anyone excited about investing in the program with only a handful of mostly unexpected NCAA Tournament appearances to its credit that are always followed by trips right back to the league basement. Penn State has few peers when it comes to its ability to kill any momentum almost immediately. Even when we can’t get out of our own way we have a NCAA Tournament appearance cancelled by Covid.
There’s no reason why Penn State can’t compete in basketball and football the same way Michigan and Ohio State do. If the investment is made and a level of success is sustained, the interest in the program will be there. Having a 9k arena that can be sold out every night has to be part of the long term equation as well.
I have a lot of confidence in Kraft and from what I understand Franklin wants Shrewsberry around as well.
Shrewsberry has a lot of leverage and there’s a level of awareness that’s being created that winning at basketball is possible and it’s fun. You saw it last Sunday when the BJC without the students had a great environment for college basketball. People who normally would just sit there got off their butts and made some noise. Without question the most significant March win in that building.
As Nate has said, the program is at a crossroads. I’m optimistic that we might get it right this time. Will help if we can finish off Purdue and hang a meaningful banner to start next season.
