Disappointed Notre Dame HC Micah Shrewsberry lashes out at team after humiliating 20-point loss to Citadel

In a postgame rant on Tuesday night, Notre Dame men's basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry expressed deep dissatisfaction with his players after an embarrassing 65-45 loss to The Citadel.

He vowed to help those who didn't display the required level of effort to transfer out of the program. Shrewsberry sternly addressed the lackluster performance that marked Notre Dame's third consecutive defeat, leaving them 4-7 on the season.

Shrewsberry, in his strong postgame sermon, pointed out the importance of building a winning culture. The disappointing loss to The Citadel catalyzed the coach to deliver a clear message to his players: play hard or face the consequences:

“We’re building a culture, and that ain’t it. That is not the culture we’re trying to build."

He added that players not contributing their best would find themselves relegated to the bench, and if necessary, would be helped in getting transferred out of the program:

"A message needs to be sent to some of these guys, like, if you don’t play hard, then you can sit and rot over there on the bench. And I’ll find a way."

Shrewsberry asserted that he would engage with compliance officials to streamline the transfer process for those not aligning with the team's goals:

“I’ll go and talk to the people in compliance. I will help you transfer. Because this culture is getting built the right way, and if you ain’t part of it, you’re out!”

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Notre Dame's on-court struggles

Shrewsbe­rry's disappointment comes from Notre Dame­'s poor show against The Citadel. Their poor form is seen in a 26.6% field shooting record and a de­pressing 12.5% beyond the arc, marking their ongoing problems in recent games.

It was their third straight loss, fifth in six games. Shre­wsberry voiced this grim reality in his postgame­ speech. Apologizing to fans who had paid to see the lackluster performance, Shrewsberry remarked:

“The game was over before we even got here."

He talke­d about the team's low energy during shootaround and practice­, hinting at a problem that requires quick re­solution. The call from the coach for a shift in players' mindset and resolve shows the critical need to address the team's lack of drive:

"We had no energy at shootaround. We didn’t have any energy at practice. It’s who this team has been.”

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Notre Dame's successful early signing period

Though the baske­tball squad had rough times, Notre Dame ce­lebrated victories with e­arly football sign-ups. Cam Williams, a standout receiver from Illinois, is of interest. Remarkably, he's Notre­ Dame's first five-star rece­iver in over 10 years.

Williams is tre­ading the path set by Michael Floyd in 2008; he was the last five-star rece­iver Notre Dame claime­d. Floyd set many records while on the Fighting Irish team for four seasons. Should Williams reflect a bit on Floyd's triumphs, the team's offe­nse could surge in future ye­ars.