Bett Shelby joined the SMU Women’s Basketball program in early April of 2025 and enters her first season as an assistant coach on the Hilltop.
Shelby has been a part of Head Coach Adia Barnes' coaching staff since the 2022-23 season. She has been coaching at the collegiate level for over 15 years and spent three seasons as an Associate Head Coach at West Virginia before her time at Arizona.
She began her time in Tucson as a special Assistant to the head coach before being named an assistant coach in April of 2023.
Shelby helped Arizona reach the NCAA Tournament and tally 18 win during the 2023-24 season as the Wildcats earned a pair of top-25 wins over No. 15 Utah and No. 3 Stanford.
Shelby coached a pair of WNBA Draft picks at Arizona, helping Helena Pueyo and Esmery Martinez to selections. She was on the staff of Martinez's teams throughout the forward's five-year career, coaching her first at West Virginia and then Arizona.
During her time in Morgantown, Shelby helped guide WVU to success on the court that included a banner 2020-21 season of 22 wins, a second-place finish in the Big 12 and an NCAA Tournament appearance. She also developed and coached a pair of marquee stars in WNBA Draft picks Tynice Martin and Kysre Gondrezick. Gondrezick was the highest draft pick in WVU history, being drafted No.4 overall in the 2021 WNBA draft and Martin was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
Before her time at West Virginia Shelby was as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator North Carolina. With her assistance, the Tar Heels made their first NCAA Tournament in four years with a spot in the 2019 tournament and helped guide Paris Kea to be selected No.25 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
Shelby also spent time at Maryland as the Terpins' recruiting coordinator. She signed a pair of top-five recruiting classes and won Big Ten regular season and conference championships during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. Shelby also coached Shatori Walker-Kimbrough who was drafted No. 6 overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft and Brionna Jones who was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft.
Her prior stops also include Virginia Tech and Seton Hall where she had achieved success on the court and on the recruiting trail with a top 20 recruiting class with the Hokies and record-breaking BIG EAST wins with the Pirates. Shelby also signed top recruiting classes in her first coaching stops with the top mid-major class and best in the Missouri Valley at Southern Illinois as well as the top recruiting class in the Ohio Valley Conference during her tenure at Tennessee Tech.
Shelby broke into the college basketball coaching ranks as the Director of Operations at East Carolina following her playing career. The Charlotte, North Carolina native played two seasons at UNC Wilmington before transferring to Greensboro College where she led the Pride to regular season and conference tournament titles and a NCAA Tournament appearance. She graduated from Greensboro with a bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise studies with a concentration in coaching in 2006. Shelby is the daughter of Brad and Texie and has a sister named Mary.
