A pair of head coaches who can trace some of their roots back to the same location will oppose each other for the first time on Wednesday night when Penn State pays a visit to Clemson.
Nittany Lions head coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Tigers’ Brad Brownell both spent time at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., although their experiences at the Division III school were just a tad different.
Shrewsberry was an assistant coach from 2001-03, long after Brownell had spent his playing days at DePauw from 1988-91.
But the past is the past, and all focus now will turn to their respective teams that have both seen a fair share of success to open the season.
Penn State (6-1) enters on a modest two-game winning streak after taking down Lafayette 70-57 on Friday night. Jalen Pickett finished with a team-high 18 points and eight assists along with six rebounds. Seth Lundy added 15 ith seven rebounds and Camren Wynter chipped in 11.
Although the Nittany Lions are off to a hot start, fluidity is still at the center of Shrewsberry’s philosophy, and he’s open to making adjustments in the lineup to better match up with Clemson.
“We can continue to be flexible. I’m not married to anything … except my wife,” Shrewsberry said. “I’m not married to one way of starting or one way of playing. We’re going to do what’s best for us and what helps us win the next game.”
After having a three-game winning streak snapped with a loss to Iowa, the Tigers (5-2) bounced back on Saturday with a 67-59 victory over Cal in the third-place game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Hunter Tyson and Chase Hunter tallied 14 points apiece, and Brevin Galloway supplied 13. Ben Middlebrooks notched six points and a game-high eight rebounds as Clemson shot 53.5 percent from the field.
Galloway and Hunter have formed a formidable backcourt tandem, and Tyson said they are vital to the team’s success.
“They both shoot the ball very well, both quick, both can handle the ball,” Tyson said. “They do a lot for us.”
–Field Level Media