NCAAW: How Maryland’s reload helps Shyanne Sellers’ WNBA Draft stock

Mediocrity is not something the Maryland Terrapins, one of the country’s premier women’s basketball programs, is used to. And yet, in 2023-24, Maryland finished 19-14 and 9-9 in conference play—by far the program’s worst record since joining the Big Ten in 2014—and got bounced in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament by Iowa State. It was the first time since head coach Brenda Frese was hired over two decades ago that Maryland failed to advance past its first-round tournament matchup.

There’s optimism, though, that last season was a fluke, and that Maryland’s flurry of activity in the transfer portal will put the Terrapins back to where they’re used to being: at the top of the Big Ten standings. Senior guard Shyanne Sellers certainly believes so.

“It’s time to chop it up. Maryland basketball is back.”

Sellers is among the most instantly recognizable players in the Big Ten, and not just because of her signature goggles she wears during games. She’s also one of just four returning members of last season’s Terrapins team and was the team’s leading scorer as a junior, which is a role she’ll probably keep this season.

Perhaps most importantly, Frese will be relying on Sellers to lead Maryland’s new-look roster back to excellence, which may involve her changing her game to better complement the players around her. Let’s consider how that could impact her status as a WNBA Draft prospect for 2025.

Honors and statistics

Hailing from Aurora, OH, Sellers earned All-State honors in each of her four years in high school, and was ranked as the No. 22 recruit in the class of 2021 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. Sellers was described by prolific basketball scout and ESPN contributor Dan Olson as an athletic, versatile guard who excels at creating shots and has notable elevation on her jumper.

Though Sellers played behind stars such as Diamond Miller, Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu in her first season at Maryland, her impact off the bench was great enough to earn Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year honors, as well as a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. As a sophomore, Sellers’ role grew substantially. She averaged 13.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, and was named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team thanks to her 1.8 steals per game.

In her junior season, Sellers was one of the most productive players in the Big Ten, leading Maryland in both scoring (15.6 points) and distributing (5.5 assists) while also averaging 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Throughout the season, she was named to watch lists for the Wooden and Nancy Lieberman Awards, and she earned All-Big Ten First Team honors for her performance.

Sellers is primed for a career year in leading the Terrapins

Photo by David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

During her time at Maryland, Sellers has proven to be a player who can contribute to her team in a variety of ways. A natural scorer on the wing, Sellers meshes well with Frese’s general philosophy of playing in transition as much as possible and fielding several athletic perimeter players who can both handle and shoot, rather than playing through a single ball-dominant guard.

Last season, though, Maryland lacked the firepower to play at that pace effectively, with noticeable holes both in the backcourt and at center forcing several players out of their respective comfort zones. Sellers found herself cast as the team’s primary offensive initiator, a role that emphasized her playmaking abilities but also resulted in poorer shooting percentage and turnover numbers.

With the addition of reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sarah Te-Biasu (VCU) and former All-Big Ten Second Teamer Kaylene Smikle (Rutgers) in the transfer portal, Sellers will be flanked by the kind of talent that will ensure she won’t have to carry the Terrapins offensively like she did as a junior. Even if Sellers continues to function as the Terrapins’ de facto point guard, playing alongside other proven scorers like Te-Biasu and Smikle will keep the floor spread and allow Sellers to play with much more freedom.

What that freedom will look like is still a work in progress for the Terrapins, who Frese said had “nerves and kinks” to deal with in their season-opening win over UMBC, but Sellers herself is looking forward to playing through those challenges.

“There’s no more loading up on Shy, making me do whatever,” Sellers told media. “You’re going to get a 20-piece from somebody every night.”

There’s little doubt about that. At 6-foot-2, Sellers has above-average size for a guard and lengthy strides that give her an advantage in getting past defenders off the dribble. Complementing that driving game is a smooth midrange jumper; if Sellers can’t beat an opponent off the dribble, she can just as easily pull up and drain a shot over them.

The term “three-level scorer” may not apply to Sellers quite yet—in her first three collegiate seasons, she shot the 3-pointer at a 32.6 percent clip, and as a junior only 14.4 percent of her field goal attempts came from long range—but don’t rule it out as a possible development. Playing in a more balanced offense won’t just benefit Sellers as a playmaker, but as a scorer, too. She should be able to shot the ball more efficiently, and that may mean finding herself open for more spot-up 3-pointers than she did as a sophomore and junior.

Then there’s the playmaking, which could be Sellers’ ticket to a WNBA Draft selection. Though the 2025 Draft class has a handful of lead guards who already seem locked into first-round pick status, there aren’t as many wing players who seem like sure bets at this time. Sellers can certainly score, and she’ll get an extended look by WNBA coaches and executives based on that and her size; if they see her as a potential secondary or tertiary playmaker, that will make her all the more appealing to anyone seeking a taller guard who can make an impact in several key areas of team offense.

Watch her play

Maryland doesn’t have the strongest non-conference schedule this season, but there are a couple of upcoming matchups that figure to be good ones. This Sunday, Nov. 10, the Terrapins take on the Duke Blue Devils, currently ranked No. 11 in the country. Sellers and the Terrapins will get a chance to prove themselves against Duke’s tough defense, broadcasted live on FS1.

The following Wednesday, Nov. 13, Maryland will then face the Syracuse Orange, who the Terrapins played and narrowly defeated in non-conference play last year. Sellers played well in that game, recording 19 points, eight rebounds and five steals. This year’s rematch will be televised on ACC Network.

Looking ahead to 2025, Maryland has a string of must-watch games on its schedule, including matchups with No. 3 USC (Jan. 8; FS1), No. 4 Texas (Jan. 20; FOX), No. 14 Ohio State (Jan. 23; Big Ten Network) and No. 5 UCLA (Jan. 26; NBC). The Terrapins will have their hands full in each of them, particularly against conference newcomers USC and UCLA.

All statistics and team records for the 2024-25 NCAA season are current through November 8, 2024.