‘It’s just so much fun watching her’: Shelley makes Huskers shake her head, in a good way | Fraen Basketball

The Nebraska Women’s Basketball Team has a Shake-Your-Head player.

Every game makes Jaz Shelley a game (or play) that shakes your head – in a good way.

And in her first season with Nebraska, the Point Guard helped the team return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Shelley transferred to Nebraska last summer after playing two seasons in Oregon.

The Hukers play Gonzaga in the first round Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.

The reason why Shelley makes you head over heels may be different each time.

The sophomore from Australia can really shoot it. Of the first 11 three-point attempts she has made in a Husker uniform, she has eight.

At the Big Ten tournament, she broke a school record of nine threes in a game. In three games at the conference tournament, Shelley scored 52% combined on three points (14-for-27).

During a Feb. 27 game against Northwestern, Shelley scored 13 points in the third quarter, making all four shots as Nebraska turned a close game at the break into a 14-point victory.

But Shelley is also great at passing – a mix of skill, vision, patience and timing. She’s never going to try to get a great shot at getting a teammate.

She has played with 12 assists (ninth most in program history), 11, 10 and nine.

Nebraska freshman Allison Weidner calls Shelley a “really special player.”

“It’s so much fun watching her because it looks so easy for her,” Weidner said.

Shelley deserves second-team All-Big Ten honors this season, in a league with many good players.

She leads the Huskers in scoring, three-pointers, assists, steals and blocked shots.

Shelley was known as a shooter when she came to Lincoln, but she was so much more. She’s a real point guard for a program that did not always have one and she rebounds and defends.

Some of those things surprise even Shelley.

Shelley says Nebraska coach Amy Williams showed her that she can do things that Shelley did not know were possible, such as rebounding.

“I had no idea,” Shelley said. “Player defense. We kind of sat in a zone at my last school. Being able to stand on the floor and play defense. And she gave me a little bit of the challenge to take the best off-guard, which I like to do.

Husker senior Mi’Cole Cayton has seen some good players during her six years of college basketball, and Shelley is on that list.

“She is a weapon to be reckoned with in everything she does,” Cayton said. “Everything she does is spectacular. She can go into the game and shoot the three, she can pass, she can go into the basket. She can play defense like no other, and I think that’s one thing that many People do not recognize her, but she is always passing by.

For Shelley, it was a fulfilling year to both grow as a strong all-around player, and help Nebraska reach its potential.

“I made a bet (on Nebraska), but I also saw what they achieved last year and I really thought I could help in some areas,” she said. “They had done all the groundwork, and it’s just awesome to come here seamlessly. Coach Williams helped me, and the coaches helped me, and it was awesome to just be a part of this group.

Shelley has 156 assists, averaging 5.0 per game, the most for a Nebraska player in six seasons.

“She’s just doing the right readings,” said Sam Haiby of Nebraska. “If she does not have a shot, she will definitely create and open up a teammate for a different look.”

Williams recruited Shelley when she was in high school, and later saw some of what she did while playing for Oregon.

“We knew she was a great player,” Williams said. “I think she exceeded my expectations and what kind of teammate she is and how immensely she has done it to improve herself and the culture of our team.”

In a short time, Nebraska fans, and Shelley, have become very fond of each other.

“Nebraska fans, they’re kind of nuts, which’s great,” Shelley said. “So it’s really cool to go to class, and you do not realize how many people recognize you and watch women’s basketball, and women’s sports, which is really awesome.”