Family Affair — Micah Shrewsberry lands first high school senior as Notre Dame head coach
Tom Noie
SOUTH BEND — The first high school senior to commit to play for Micah Shrewsberry at Notre Dame has a familiar game and name.
The Irish head coach probably didn’t have to give this prospect the hard sell or tax the program’s recruiting budget to boot. It was, in essence, a family affair.
Braeden Shrewsberry, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound shooting guard from State College (Pa.) Area High School became the first prep player to commit to Notre Dame since his father became the head coach in late March.
Micah Shrewsberry begins to finalize his first Notre Dame men's basketball coaching staff
On March 30, Micah Shrewsberry talked during his official campus introduction of his oldest son, one of his four children, one day hoisting 3-pointers on the floor of Purcell Pavilion. On Monday, Braeden Shrewsberry, who originally committed to and signed with Penn State, committed to Notre Dame via social media.
A three-star, Top 200 prospect, Shrewsberry averaged 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals his senior season with the Little Lions, who finished 25-3 overall and 14-1 in conference. He played two seasons at State College, arriving after his sophomore year from West Lafayette (Indiana) High School. In his first season in Pennsylvania, he averaged 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals.
“He’s extremely unique as to how hard he works, the upbringing that he’s had as a basketball player, essentially growing up in Hinkle Fieldhouse, TD Garden and Mackey Arena,” State College coach Brian Scholly told the Tribune. “That kind of makes him different than a lot of high school kids when it comes to their basketball knowledge and preparation.
“That really stood out in terms of his love and passion for the game.”
Scholly saw early after Shrewsberry arrived in State College that the kid was different. It had a lot to do with his basketball upbringing, and being around the game at the college and professional levels when he was younger.
Another afternoon of practice wasn’t always just another afternoon of practice for Shrewsberry.
“You could tell that he’s a coach’s kid,” Scholly said. “It’s just the pace with everything that he works at. Braeden goes harder in individual work and in practice because he knows what it takes to be successful in the game.
“There never needed to be a reminder, hey, game speed shots are game speed shots. He just had a feel for what it takes to be successful.”
Shrewsberry played both backcourt spots for State College this season. While he was the main handler for the Little Lions, Shrewsberry is expected to be more of an off-guard in college.
“His ability to handle the ball under pressure and passing is pretty next level (but) the skill that really jumps off the page is his shooting ability,” said Scholly. “He’s a tremendous shooter. If you can shoot, there’s a spot for you.”
Shrewsberry’s addition gives Notre Dame six scholarship players heading into the 2023-24 season. He’s the second player added to the roster since his father was introduced as the successor to Mike Brey, who left in March after 23 seasons on the sideline. Notre Dame also has added guard Julian Roper II, a Northwestern transfer, to a roster that includes seniors Tony Sanders and Matt Zona, junior J.R. Konieczny and incoming freshman Markus Burton, Indiana Mr. Basketball from Mishawaka Penn.
Notre Dame has seven roster spots to fill with high school seniors/transfers to get to the NCAA maximum 13 heading into the 2023-24 season. Last season’s roster featured 12 scholarship players. Of those 12, five Irish have transferred.
Shrewsberry also was recruited by Butler, George Washington, Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) and Xavier. He originally was part of a three-player recruiting class at Penn State that was ranked as high as No. 24 in the nation. Fellow high school seniors Carey Booth (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire) and Logan Imes (Zionsville, Indiana) decommitted from Penn State in the days after Coach Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.
Decisions from both are expected soon. Booth, a power forward, and Imes, a shooting guard and former AAU teammate of Shrewsberry, have visited Notre Dame and have the Irish among their finalists. The incoming freshman class is expected on campus next month for the start of summer school.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.