Twitter calls for Penn State to pay Micah Shrewsberry

Penn State’s men’s basketball season came to an end with a loss to Texas in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Almost immediately after the game, the focus shifted on what comes next for Penn State. With head coach Micah Shressberry a popular name in the coaching search rumor mill already, Penn State fans flooded Twitter to make it known they hope the Nittany Lions do what is necessary for Shrewsberry to remain in Happy Valley.

The calls for Shrewsberry to get a new contract are not unjustified. Shrewsberry mastered the transfer portal to help turn around a program stuck toward the bottom of the Big Ten and took them to the Big Ten tournament championship game and the second round of just the fourth NCAA tournament appearance since joining the Big Ten. His stock has grown exponentially as a result, and Penn State is now in a role where it needs to decide if the time is right to invest more seriously in the long-term future of its men’s basketball program, which appears to be in good hands with Shrewsberry at the helm, or if it will allow their head coach to explore other opportunities with programs with a richer basketball pedigree or history.

But judging by a good sample of opinions shared on Twitter, which is always a risky venture, it seems the calls to keep Shrewsberry at Penn State are plentiful. Here is a look at some of the calls for Penn State to pay Shrewsberry soon before someone else gets the chance.

It was an incredible ride, driven by Shrewsberry

A season like the one Penn State just had was a cause for reflection and celebration. The season may not have ended the way Penn State wanted it to, but there was a lot to be proud of thanks to the efforts led by the head coach.

Veteran college basketabll reporter calls for Shrewsberry to be paid

Dick Weiss has been around the sport of college basketball about as long as anyone, and his knowledge on the sport is nearly unrivaled. So when he sees a good thing happening for a program that has not experienced such things regularly, he knows what must be done. If Weiss says pay the man, then Penn State should pay the man.

Putting things in perspective

It was a masterful turnaround for a basketball program not used to this sort of thing. Shrewsberry had a rough first season at Penn State but he took the time to implement his style of gameplay and the results paid off in year two. What could possibly happen in year three? We’re hoping to find out.

The end of Jalen Pickett's time at Penn State was special

One of the key additions to the program came in the form of [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag]. Considered one of the best transfer players a year ago, Shrewsberry hit a home run with one of his first major roster acquisitions. All Pickett did was turn an All-American caliber season in leading Penn State to the Big Ten championship game and second round of the NCAA tournament. And it’s because he wanted to play for Shrewsberry.

Put it at the top of the to-do list this offseason

It should go without saying that the first order of business this offseason is to work out a deal with Micah Shrewsberry. If he does leave, then the search for a new head coach replaces this at the top of the list, but maybe it doesn’t have to come to that. Make Shrewsberry happy and let him get back to work with more confidence and more recruiting confidence.

Do it for the Big Ten!

Shrewsberry and Northwestern’s Chris Collins have helped reshape their respective programs, and as a result, have helped boost the depth of the Big Ten. It would be a shame of neither coach stayed in place moving forward.

Send the right message to the fans, Penn State

Nobody will ever argue that Penn State is a basketball school, but it does have an extremely loyal following that is starving for signs of a major commitment to the future sustained success of the program. Now is that time for Penn State to do right by Shrewsberry and the men’s basketball program.

It's not like Penn State doesn't have the cash to make it work

Penn State has shown it is not afraid to pay top coaches top dollar. James Franklin’s recent 10-year contract extension is proof of that, and a commitment to the wrestling program with one of the top coaches in the sport, Cael Sanderson, continues to pay off. We’re not suggesting Shrewsberry is going to transform Penn State into a perennial Final Four contender if Penn State makes the investment, but it will be fun not having to wait another decade before the next NCAA Tournament game is played, right?

Just do it.

We don’t have to go too in-depth here. Micah Shrewsberry’s contract details are hidden from the masses, but it might be safe to assume the first-time head coach is probably not ranked among the top half of Big Ten coaching salaries. It’s time to change that for Penn State, whatever the number may be.

Already looking forward to Year Three with Shrewsberry

This is a critical moment for Penn State basketball. The recent run in the Big Ten tournament and return to the NCAA tournament has fans as excited about the future of the program as they have been in a long time. It would be an absolute shame to see Penn State balk at this opportunity to keep what is potentially a good thing going.

Story originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire