Due to a couple things out of my control, I haven't been able to post this as early as I would have liked to...but, I'm still very pleased with the Painter's hire of Micah Shrewsberry...get to know the newest member of the Purdue basketball family below as he kindly took the time to answer our questions.
BS: How hard was it to leave Butler and Coach Stevens?
MS: "It was hard to leave Butler because of the relationship that I have with Brad and the rest of the staff. I'll also miss being around the guys on the team. We did some great things while I was there, and those are memories that I will always have and cherish."
MS: "Hinkle Fieldhouse is a special place to work in (especially for a guy from Indianapolis). When I got a chance to see what was going on here at Mackey, I was completely sold. Mackey already has great tradition and now the new renovations are just going to make Purdue a better place to work and play!"
MS: "That will be a tough game for me. I think that the idea of the Crossroads Classic is great, but the timing of me coming here and playing Butler in year 1 is going to be tough."
BS: I've heard that your kids are pretty big Butler fans - how'd they take the news of the new job?
MS: "Nicholas and Caitlin are too young to realize what is going on. They just know that we now cheer for Purdue & say Boiler Up. My oldest son, Braeden was pretty crushed when I first told him. Butler was the only team that he has known and he grew up with Ronald Nored, Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, and Matt Howard. Once he got a chance to visit and see everything (and meet Lewis Jackson), he came on board also. He has already attended a few football and basketball games here (even has a Hummel jersey), so it didn't take too long."
MS: "I think that I'll be able to recruit across the entire state. I've spent most of my coaching career in Indiana, so I'm pretty comfortable anywhere in the state. With the talent in Indy though, I think both Jack and I will spend a lot of time down there.
BS: How soon do (did) you start visiting recruits?
MS: "Once I signed my paperwork on that Tuesday, I was on the road the last two days of the evaluation period."
MS: "Obviously Coach Owens and I are good friends from our days in high school playing against one another. He is a guy that I have come through the coaching ranks with and we have stayed in touch throughout. I've gotten to know Coach Painter over the years on the road recruiting. Our staffs have a great respect for each other and I wouldn't have left Butler unless I was working for a great coach, who is a great person, who does things the right way."
BS: What's your main goal as a Purdue coach?
MS: "My main goal is to continue to help Purdue try to put themselves in position to win championships. While doing that, I want to help recruit great ambassadors to the university and help them grow and develop on and off the court."
MS: "First of all, I'm excited to be at Purdue. Growing up in Indiana, this is a place where you dream to coach one day and now I'm living that dream. I also am excited about the grind of the Big Ten. Going up against the best each time you step out on the floor."
The addition of Shrewsberry is a great fit with what Painter has built and wants to keep doing. He sounds like a high-character guy, because he is. The imminent hiring of a final assistant to Painter's coaching staff will complete the staff, but the parts in place are already tremendous.