Impact of Micah Shrewsberry, Penn State Basketball missing out on Dereck Lively
By Evan Smith
![Purdue associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry talks with Purdue guard Isaiah Thompson (11) and Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the first half of an NCAA men's basketball game, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.Bkc Purdue Vs Maryland Purdue associate head coach Micah Shrewsberry talks with Purdue guard Isaiah Thompson (11) and Purdue guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the first half of an NCAA men's basketball game, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette.Bkc Purdue Vs Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7013fc343169de3883f2a685964091a78a977a466feefeb09c68491190187500.jpg)
Penn State Basketball misses out on a top five recruit in the nation, but Micah Shrewsberry’s program still has recruiting trail momentum
Dereck Lively, the Bellefonte, PA native listed Penn State Basketball in his final seven schools, placing the Nittany Lions in rare air with the Kentuckys and Dukes of the world.
Despite never taking an official visit to campus, since his mother works for the atheltic department it’s safe to say he knew enough about Penn State to make an informed decision.
While it’s not necessarily a surprise that Lively is taking his talents elsewhere, with one of his teammates (Jameel Brown) already having committed to Penn State Basketball and Micah Shrewsberry, hopes were high this potential NBA lottery pick would shock the college basketball landscape and pick Penn State.
Alas, Lively probably made the safer choice going to a decent basketball school I guess in Duke and Penn State Basketball was likely informed of this decision previously, as they signed their second highest targeted big man Kebbe Njie over the weekend.
Hopes are still high for the recruiting trail as son of former PSU Football player Odafe (Jayson) Oweh‘s brother, Otega will be committing later this week and many crystal balls are predicting another Nittany Lion pick-up!
Dereck Lively the no.2 overall prospect in the class of 2022, tells ESPN why he chose Duke.
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) September 20, 2021
“I like the whole idea of the Brotherhood, Duke basketball and Duke University. Their plan for me is to help develop me to become an NBA player. To help me master my game.” @dereckl41 pic.twitter.com/K9ybqfIyTU