Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry still has the whiteboard he used at Purdue sitting next to his desk deep in the heart of the Bryce Jordan Center, a product of functionality and a sentimental side.
“I obviously know when we play them,” Shrewsberry says of Purdue with a smile. “I’ve seen that since the schedule came out. I’m like, man, January 8, Purdue comes here.”
And that day has nearly arrived, Penn State and No. 3 Purdue set to clash in State College on a cold and wintry Saturday afternoon. On paper it’s the Nittany Lions’ fifth Big Ten meeting of the year. For Shrewsberry — who spent two different stints at Purdue as an assistant — it’s the first meeting between he and a mentor, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter.
While Shrewsberry can point to a handful of coaches that have help mold him into the coach he is today, Saturday is still one of those unique moments in sports when the student takes on the master. It’s also one of those weird emotional intersections between a coach and a program that he still dearly loves — because make no mistake about it, Shrewsberry is still a Purdue fan.
“I love it. Love it for those guys, man,” Shrewsberry said of Purdue’s current status as one of the best teams in the nation.
“Those are my friends. I’ll come out of the locker room a little bit earlier so I can go down and talk to those guys before the game. Even the players, we went through a lot in two years. The guys that were there for a long time, even the guys that were freshmen. … So I’m as thrilled as can be for them. I watch every single game that they play. That’s why it’s not hard for me to get the scout ready. That’s what I do with my son, probably next to me sitting there watching. …My eight year old daughter knows people; she went to the mall back in Indianapolis this weekend. She’s like, ‘hey, that’s Brandon Newman [on a poster.]’
Of course with all the fun comes a certain amount of emotional distress involved taking on a team that means so much to you. Former Penn State coach Pat Chambers often said that part of the reason he never wanted to schedule Villanova was to avoid the emotional strain of trying to inflict discomfort on mentor Jay Wright. While the stakes might only be limited to sports, winning still requires making people you care about on the other bench unhappy.
And can the teacher ever enjoy facing the student?
“Not really,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said earlier this week. “You don’t enjoy it. You don’t want to see somebody you’ve been with, you’ve had success with, you’ve had struggles with [lose/be unhappy.] You go through a lot during a season and a lot during a career and you enjoy the people you’re with. You enjoy those wins together, and the agony after losses, you’re together and you’re trying to figure things out.”
While Shrewsberry was only around for a portion of Painter’s long and successful career, he does take a sense of pride in where Purdue is today and the Boilermakers’ standing as one of the nation’s title favorites. There is an interesting dynamic in Purdue’s success though: the fact Shrewsberry won’t be there for it. Yes, he’s happy to be at Penn State. Yes, being a head coach is a good thing. But nothing beats winning.
Fortunately for Shrewsberry, a long and successful career as an assistant has toned down any feelings of missing out on something special.
“I don’t have any envy,” Shrewsberry said. “You know, the one thing about me, I’ve been blessed in my life, man. I’ve been to two national championship games. I’ve been to two Final Fours. I’ve coached in the Eastern Conference Finals twice. Like I don’t have any envy for anybody because I’ve done some special things in my career. I hope [Painter] gets a chance to [play in a Final Four.] Then I’ll be there. I’ll be there. I hope to be playing, right? But if we’re not playing, I’m going… and I’m celebrating what they do.”
Penn State will only face Purdue once during the regular season this year, which means Shrewsberry will have to wait until 2022-23 or beyond for a return trip to Mackey Arena. In turn, Saturday’s game will be the only relatively casual meeting between the two programs with any additional games this season coming in the Big Ten Tournament, or perhaps an unexpected meeting of Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament.
In the meanwhile, though, Shrewsberry will try to turn Penn State into something approaching the success Purdue has had. And that will mean taking on an old friend in the process.
But Shrewsberry wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m gonna enjoy trying to beat them on Saturday, like we’re gonna compete tooth and nail,” Shrewsberry said. “I know what kind of competitor Coach Painter is and he’s gonna try to beat my ass too even though we’re friends. We’re competitors first and then when the game’s over, I’ll go out and shake his hand and we’ll talk and then I’ll say I’ll see you in the summer.”
