#The perfect assistant story how to

If we say, ‘Bett, can you drive a player?’ She doesn’t think she’s above somebody. Like if you say, ‘Bett, we just spilled something, we don’t have a manager, can you help mop the floor?’ She will. I think that you need people that work hard and that work well, and I think she’s one of those coaches. I think nowadays, a lot of coaches, they don’t work hard. “What I’ve noticed that sets her apart from other people is work ethic,” Barnes said.

#The perfect assistant story how to

In Shelby, she has someone who not only knows how to get things done at a high level, but also isn’t afraid or too proud to do the little things that help a program function on a day-to-day basis. Besides Coppa, the only assistant coach with extensive experience was Sunny Smallwood, the associate head coach of Barnes’ first two teams. So, I think that one of the experienced ones that brings experience from elite programs.”Īs Barnes pointed out, other than Salvo Coppa, the assistants at Arizona have tended to be in the early stages of their careers. April, she had never been to the NCAA Tournament until she got to Arizona.

Tamisha had just been out of the business.

And if you think about all the coaches that I’ve brought along, Jackie was kind of her first time being in a coaching role, not just recruiting. “And a lot of other coaches don’t have that experience to have that input at the highest level, because think about a lot of coaches that came here, they’ve had success for the first time coming here. Prior to that, she spent three years at Maryland, where she coached or recruited six different players who would eventually be drafted into the WNBA. Once again, she coached in a program that went to the tournament. It’s about having that experience in winning programs.īefore WVU, Shelby was with North Carolina for one season. It’s not just about having over 15 years of experience as an assistant coach. Those kinds of experiences are why Barnes wanted Shelby on her staff. They advanced to the second round where they lost to fifth-seeded Georgia Tech. The Mountaineers were a four seed in the tournament. It was the COVID-19 “bubble” season, so WVU missed out on hosting the opening rounds just like Arizona did. The Mountaineers finished second in the league that season. 500 in each of Shelby’s years on Carey’s staff in Morgantown with the high point being 2020-21 when they went 22-7 overall and 13-5 in the Big 12. And she always thinks of ways to make your program better.” So, when he said that, I was like, ‘Well, okay, coming from you.’ And I see why he says that because she’s super high-energy. He’s someone who doesn’t give a lot of compliments. Because he’s been coaching 25, 30 years and he’s a tough coach. And when he said that-he’s a hard critic-but he said that I was like, whoa. “And Mike Carey told me-and this is Mike Carey, he’s a serious guy, he’s super intense-I mean, one of the best coaches in the country and a phenomenal career, and he told me that she was the best assistant he ever had. “I called Mike Carey before I hired her,” Barnes said. She had served three years as the associate head coach for the Mountaineers, and Barnes was impressed by Carey’s view of Shelby. As is generally the case when a head coach retires, Shelby had just been cut loose by West Virginia after head coach Mike Carey retired. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to grow in some other areas as a coach and also just have the opportunity to help the program.”įor Barnes, it was about getting Shelby on campus while she could. And also, wanting to continue to be a part of Esmery ’s journey was important to me and seeing her through. But I was willing to do it because of my admiration, respect for Adia. I’ve been a coach my entire career, so I’ve never been in that type of role. “It was definitely in a different role than I’d ever been in in my career. “I was excited when wanted me to join the staff,” Shelby said. She was even willing to step outside her comfort zone to do it. For new Arizona women’s basketball assistant coach Bett Shelby, it was the other way around when she accepted a position as the special assistant to the head coach last June. Sometimes a player follows a coach to her next landing spot.