'Shelley drills': Why WNBA draftee Jaz moved to Sydney

• Jaz Shelley moved to Norths and the Sydney Flames to develop under Renae Garlepp.
• She won NBL1 East MVP with Norths, once nabbing 12 steals in a game.
• The Flames open WNBL27 against the Southside Flyers on Friday, October 16.

Victorian two-way guard Jaz Shelley didn't move to Sydney for Renae Garlepp's Flames; she revealed her motivation was that "change was going to be the best for me".

2024 WNBA Phoenix Mercury draft pick Shelley, 26, left NBL1 South for Australian Gems World Cup silver-medal-winning coach Garlepp's NBL1 East Norths Bears for the 2026 season.

"I think personally, I'm at a time in my career where I really need to develop and get better as a player, physically and mentally," Shelley told basketball.com.au in an exclusive interview.

"A change was going to be the best for me.

"To be able to align with someone like Renae was super important. She heavily recruited me when I was available for NBL1, and it was more than just playing for Norths.

"It was something that was going to help me long-term and help me reach my goals of playing for the Opals and going to the WNBA.

"She already had this plan and vision for me. It was really cool to align with her and have that feeling of a coach who really wants to help you personally.

"I really appreciated how much effort she put into wanting to develop my game.

"It was a no-brainer to come up (to the) East and play under her. That was ultimately tied into my decision to play for the Flames as well.

"I'd seen so much growth in my game already and have loved playing under Renae, so it was a no-brainer to go the Sydney route with the WNBL."

Shelley averaged 13 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.6 steals in 23 games for the Geelong Venom last season. She shot 32.4% from the field, including 23.7% from three, but 84% from the free-throw line.

For Norths, Shelley was ridiculously good en route to dethroning Newcastle Falcons' every-year MVP, Nicole Munger. Her numbers tell the story: 24 points per game; 6.3 assists; 6.3 rebounds; 4.2 steals; 1.5 blocks with 4.4 threes per game. Shelley had 12 steals against Central Coast on May 16, and seven steals three times.

"I think it's taking that next level," she said.

"I've had some consistently good NBL1 seasons, but I haven't necessarily been able to produce the way I wanted to in my showings in the WNBL.

"I need to be a consistently better shooter, a better decision-maker, play through more physicality and also be a consistently good defender.

"I think I have a lot of assets to my game, but it's about really fine-tuning those and being able to produce them in the WNBL at a high level and consistently.

"I've shown glimpses of what I can do and the player I am, but I need to consistently do that at a high level.

"That includes my three-point shooting and being a lockdown defender. I think those two things can add to the Opals and hopefully get my name out there, or a shoe-in or something like that."

Shelley revealed her arrival in Sydney was all about NBL1, but her conversations with Garlepp evolved into joining the Flames for WNBL27.

"We didn't talk WNBL at all, Renae and I, when she signed me with Norths," Shelley said.

"It wasn't until a few weeks into the season, when I was available to chat about free agency, that she was like: 'I hope you know that we want you for the Flames too'.

"We kept those two separate and built a relationship to start with. In no way was she saying: 'If you sign with Norths, you have to sign with the Flames'.

"There was no pressure on that, and she was really good with how she went about it.

"Not even in the back of my mind did I put the two together, but it's worked out perfectly."

Shelley enters her fourth season in the WNBL after her first with the Melbourne Boomers in 2018-19 before heading to college in America. She played two years at Oregon in the Pac-12 and then transferred to Nebraska in the Big 10. Shelley played 100 of her 155 career games with the Cornhuskers.

She made All-Big Ten Second Team twice (2022-23 and 2023-24), was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team in 2021-22, her first season at Nebraska and the 2024 Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Shelley went head-to-head with then college superstar and now now WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game. Clark's Iowa won 94-89 in overtime but it was one for the WNBA scouts. Shelley finished with 16 points, six rebounds and 13 ASSISTS in 42:19 minutes. Clark dropped 34 points on an inefficient 12-for-29 (5-from-17 threes) to go with seven turnovers in 43:40 minutes.

The Mercury drafted Shelley with the 29th pick just months later.

The 2026-27 Sydney Flames

Garlepp, who was Sandy Brondello's assistant coach for the Australian Opals at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, took over the Flames when longtime head coach Guy Molloy stood down in November last year.

She has constructed a versatile roster for WNBL27, including Shelley, Lauren Nicholson, Chinese national Yang Shuyu, Australian Opals forward and former Nebraska teammate Isabelle Bourne, and Opals guard Ally Wilson. She's also signed former Davidson Wildcats NCAA Division I teammates Charlise Dunn and Issy Morgan.

Brondello's Toronto Tempo selected Dunn with the 36th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

"We work so hard," Shelley said.

"Training is so physical. It's tough and so realistic to what we're about to experience during the season.

"The coolest part is that we all love each other and get along.

"We can be beating up on each other at training, then as soon as we go into a drink break, we're laughing about it.

"We're all on the same page and know we're trying to make each other better.

"We're trying to be a winning team this season, so we know what it's going to take.

"Everyone is completely bought in."

Shelley revealed the Flames were building chemistry on the practice floor as they built toward their season opener against Southside Melbourne Flyers on Friday, October 16, at 7pm (AEDT).

"It's a bit organic," she said.

"I'm playing a lot of point guard at the moment while Ally's out.

"The cool thing about our team is we don't have a pure point guard. Between one through three, we can all carry, and it's all interchangeable.

"The teams mix up every single day, and everyone's playing different positions, trying to figure it out.

"We haven't defined anything, but we're going to play 10 deep, which is the cool part about how much depth we have this season."

As for her own game, Shelley praised Garlepp for simplifying her development.

"I think the individual stuff is what draws a lot of players into playing under Renae," Shelley said.

"Everything is very personalised. She goes the extra mile to pull film and pick apart your game in a way where she's genuinely helping you.

"When I was at Norths, she would check in each month. We'd have a few goals I wanted to work on individually, offensively and defensively. We'd work on those goals for the first month, then check back in, readjust and work on something different.

"It felt like my game was coming together. When I came to her after WNBL, I was like: 'I don't know where to start. I want to work on all these things'.

"She simplified it for me and had a plan that felt realistic to reach where I wanted to go. I think a lot of players have similar experiences with her.

"Coming together as a team right now, everyone is so happy and full of energy. Everyone's enjoying each other's company.

"This trip up the Central Coast has been unreal, just to get to know each other beyond the basketball court.

"We were already getting along, and now this is taking it to another level.

"Everyone is here for the same reason. It's really cool to share this experience together."

Jaz Shelley's Career Numbers