An expressive Micah Shrewsberry on Sunday ranted about the lack of fan support and struck a mic before storming off at his postgame press conference after his Notre Dame team fell to Louisville in South Bend to drop to 11-14 on the season. Shrewsberry's frustrations boiled over after stewing about calls for his ouster and a perception that fans have quit not just on him, but also his team.
"I understand that a lot of people have quit on us, and well-deserved," he said. "If you hate me, absolutely, man. Great. If you think I suck, if you think I can't coach, I'm with you, man. Good. Good for you, because you're allowed to have opinions. If you think I should be fired, good for you. You're allowed to have opinions, right?
"A lot of people have given up on this team," he continued. "They've given up on me. I don't really give a damn. I believe in myself, and I believe in these guys, okay? So don't give up on these guys. Don't give up on these kids. If you don't want to show up because of me, don't show up because of me. Because you think I suck. Cool. I'm okay with that. I'm okay with it. I know people believe in me."
Shrewsberry's rant crescendoed with defiance and anger in which he declared that he knows he can coach basketball but can't help but be embarrassed after watching more Louisville fans than Notre Dame fans Sunday night at the Irish's home game.
"I don't care about anyone's opinion," he said. "Yes, I got us into this predicament. But don't come back when we're winning. Everybody that gave up on me, believe it."
Micah Shrewsberry went on a 2:40 rant in his postgame press conference, which included hitting a mic.
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) February 17, 2025
"You think I should be fired? Good for you. You're allowed to have opinions. A lot of people have given up this team and given up on me. I don't really give a damn." pic.twitter.com/e0xP2xFvCi
He then stormed off in frustration and struck the mic in front of him.
The loss Sunday to Louisville marked Notre Dame's fourth in its last five outings and dropped the Irish to 11-14 on the season and 5-9 in ACC play. One year after a 13-20 campaign in Shrewsberry's first season as head coach, they are likely to again finish below .500 and miss the NCAA Tournament barring a surprise turnaround.
Shrewsberry, however, is holding out hope for a turnaround -- even if it isn't likely coming this season.
"We're going to get this thing rolling," he said right before concluding his postgame media. "Write this date down, and believe it. I don't care if you gave up on me or not."
Notre Dame is projected by KenPom.com to be an underdog in each of its next four games before a two-game home stand to close out the regular season vs. Stanford and Cal, where it is currently slim favorites.
Despite two losing seasons in two years under Shrewsberry, Notre Dame has assembled a top-five recruiting class for next year led by four four-star recruits and in-state star Jalen Haralson, a top-20 guard from La Lumiere. The team's core is also relatively young and could provide some continuity if they are able to retain some of their top talent. Shrewsberry highly regarded in the coaching community after turning around a moribund Penn State program, leading the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten Championship Game in 2023 (they lost to Purdue by two points) and winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 2001.
