Fourth in a series.
Part 3 - New Faces: MSUB Men's Basketball Freshman Brendan Howard (January 23, 2019)
Part 2 - New Faces: Newberns on the Block (November 29, 2018)
Part 1 - New Faces: MSUB Women's Soccer Freshman Cassidy O'Dell (September 12, 2018)

MSUB SPORTS – All jokes aside, Montana State University Billings freshman Taryn Shelley is the real deal.
 
"One of these days she's going to go off for 30."
 
Though Shelley hasn't quite reached that scoring landmark yet, there is still time for the bold prediction by Yellowjacket assistant coach Alisha Breen to come true. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year candidate balances her on-court excellence with a light, humorous personality that has instantly turned her into a favorite among her teammates. She's been known to draw a laugh out of freshmen, seniors, and coaches alike. But when tipoff time arrives it's all business.
 
What the Shoreline, Washington, native has achieved thus far in her debut collegiate season has been nothing short of outstanding, as she has emerged as one of the top post players in the league.
 
Entering this week's games at Alterowitz Gym against No. 7 Northwest Nazarene University (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) and Central Washington University (Saturday, 5:15 p.m.), Shelley leads the team and ranks third in the GNAC with 8.5 rebounds per game. She is fourth on the team with a scoring average of 10.9 points, and is already into the Yellowjackets' single-season top-10 for blocked shots with a GNAC-second best 40.
 
"Taryn has a great skillset to go with her size, and that is a dimension that we haven't had here in a while," MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin commented on the 6-foot-3 Shelley. "It is exciting having her here playing for us, and I knew right away she was going to help us immediately."
 
Shelley has played in every game of the season for the 'Jackets, and her first eye-opening performance was a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double on December 18 against Maryville. Shelley made 8 of 12 shots in the game, and it was the most rebounds by a Yellowjacket player since Breen had 16 boards on February 8, 2018.
 
Over the 14 games since then, Shelley is nearly averaging a double-double with 13.4 points and 9.9 rebounds. Her six total double-doubles on the season are the third-most in the conference and the most by a freshman, and her field-goal percentage of 48.4 is the second highest in the conference by a freshman.
 
"Offensively, I've been impressed with Taryn's array of scoring ability at different places on the court," Woodin said. "She has some excellent back-to-the-basket low post moves, but has also shown a hook shot, step-out shot, and a 3-pointer. She has the ability to score quickly from a lot of places."
 
Defensively, Shelley is averaging 2.0 blocked shots per game and has 13 multi-block games this season, both of which are second only to GNAC leader and senior Samantha Beauchamp of Simon Fraser University. Though she does not have enough 3-point attempts to qualify among GNAC leaders, her percentage of 48.0 (12-for-25) from beyond the arc would be No. 2 in the conference as well.
 
Shelley hardly plays like a freshman, and after spending a redshirt season at NCAA Division I Washington State University in 2017-18 she already had a taste of collegiate basketball before starting at MSUB. "It is definitely nice being able to play," Shelley commented after sitting out for a full season. "It makes all the workouts, lifting, and practice better when you get time on the court. I really like everybody on the team, and that is one thing I am so grateful for."
 
After a difficult year at WSU, Shelley wasn't even sure she wanted to continue her basketball career until an unrelated trip to MSUB's campus to visit a friend. Now-junior Jeanann Lemelin noticed Shelley and facilitated the conversation that ultimately led her to committing to MSUB. "I learned of Taryn through Jeanann, and remembered her name from a couple of years before," Woodin said. "I knew she had verbally committed at the end of her junior year to WSU. We brought her out for an official visit last spring, and luckily for us she enjoyed it and verbally committed soon after."
 
Shelley started playing basketball in first grade, and has always been head and shoulders above the competition. Her father Rob is 6-foot-1 and mother Kris is 5-foot-11, and both have influenced their daughter's athletic career her whole life. "I've been the tallest forever," Shelley said with a laugh. "It is nice being taller than everybody else, and it's easier to score and play in general. It didn't start making a big difference until my junior year of high school, and that's when I started using my height to my advantage. When I matured and realized I had something other people didn't, it made it a lot easier to play."
 
Shelley's size coupled with her skill on the ball – Woodin comments that she is an above-average passer and ball handler – made her a prospect to compete at a high level collegiately. "First and foremost Taryn is very coachable," Woodin said. "She is adapting to a ball screen offense and getting more comfortable in the sets that we run. It is important for us that we get her paint touches on the offensive end, because of her ability to score. She has also impressed me with her passing, and she has great hands."
 
Though it was apparent from her first arrival on campus that Shelley was ready to play, she had to work hard to acclimate herself to the rigors of a full season of basketball early in the year. Evidence of Shelley's commitment to fitness lies in her playing time, which has increased dramatically throughout the year. In the first nine games of the year, Shelley averaged 18.3 minutes per game. After a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double at Seattle Pacific on January 5, in which she played 28 minutes, she is averaging 24.4 minutes and hasn't played fewer than 20 in a game.
 
"I am still kind of young and I still need to grow as a basketball player, but I feel like I can contribute a lot to the team," Shelley said. "It is challenging and sometimes I make mistakes. Our captains are definitely good leaders, and when I do make a mistake they are there to hold me accountable and tell me what I need to do."
 
Shelley hasn't been afraid to pull the trigger from long distance when she finds herself open, creating a whole new range of problems for defenders with her shooting ability. She went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc last week against the two Alaska schools, marking the first time this season she has hit multiple threes in a game. "It's pretty cool when I make a three in a game, because it's something I don't do all that often," Shelley said. "One of my AAU coaches helped me change the way I shoot, and now I do it all the time. I love shooting."
 
Last Thursday in MSUB's 84-65 win over the University of Alaska, Shelley had her best game yet with season highs of 25 points and 18 rebounds in just 21 minutes. It was the most rebounds in a game by any player in the GNAC this season, and it was the most points scored by any player among the 73 double-doubles achieved in the conference this year.
 
It wasn't 30 points, but it was a clear indication that Breen's prediction may not be too far off into the future. "Taryn's potential is off the charts," Woodin said. "In the last few months she has improved a lot, and her learning curve has only begun."
 
Perhaps more important than her on-court contributions, Shelley has been a natural fit into the Yellowjackets' team. Her warm, loose personality rubs off on veterans and underclassmen alike, and she relies on MSUB's experienced players as much as they rely on her. "Personally I want to become a better leader," Shelley said. "(Senior) Taylor (Edwards) is constantly talking in practice, and is always very loud. That helps me realize that I need to get out of my comfort zone even when I don't want to."
 
Shelley is an elementary education major, with ambitions of pursuing a career in the classroom in the future. "I just really like kids, I think it would be really fun to teach," Shelley said, adding with a smile, "it would also be funny because I'm so tall and they're so small."
 
Because his team is comprised nearly entirely of Montanans – junior Taylor Cunningham from Spokane, Washington, joining Shelley as the only other exception – Woodin pays close attention to how out-of-state recruits adapt into the team culture. With Shelley, there wasn't an instant of hesitation. "Taryn is as Montana as any of our players," Woodin said. "We enjoy country music together and she is a fun person to be around. She recently told me she can't quit smiling because she's so happy to be here, and that felt really good to hear. We also talk about hockey a lot, although we should probably spend more time discussing post moves and defense."
 
Shelley's production so far and her skillset have the ingredients for the start of what figures to be a memorable career, all jokes aside.