After a tumultuous final five years of Mike Brey’s tenure as head coach of Notre Dame, former Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry will attempt to rebuild the Irish men’s basketball program from the ground up. The Shrewsberry era officially tips off Monday against Niagara, so now’s the time to brace for what will almost assuredly be a season of growing pains.
But this time — hopefully — the growing pains will not be in vain. Shrewsberry preaches a commitment to effort and defense, purportedly non-negotiables of playing in his program. That’s refreshing to hear, although what’s preached has yet to be practiced in a non-exhibition setting.