This former Maryland hooper will be the Golden State Valkyries' secret weapon

Shyanne Sellers was asked to do a lot as a freshman at Maryland. Heck, she averaged more minutes than teammate Angel Reese in what was a phenomenal season for the former No. 2 Hoop Gurlz recruit who went on to lead LSU to a national championship and star as a rookie in the WNBA last season.

It was 26.4 minutes per game for Sellers in 2024, including starting in 10 of the 32 games she played in, which resulted in averages of 7.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals. She was third on Maryland with 32 made 3s (her percentage was a bit low at 31.7 percent, but that would increase sharply to 40.8 her senior year), fifth in minutes, and first in steals and steals per game.

It was a Terp team that came in with high expectations and one that, despite missing out on opportunity after opportunity to get a statement win until late in the regular season, did advance to the Sweet 16–so they had a lot of weapons. But Sellers provided a versatility on offense that was a needed shake-up to what Maryland already had in its arsenal, and that endeared her to Terp fans from the jump.

Of the six Terps who finished above her in scoring average on that 2021-22 squad, none were quite as good as Sellers at scoring at all three levels. Her not scoring more points that year was a combination of head coach Brenda Frese not focusing so much on getting her opportunities because she wasn't yet one of the team's best players, her own hesitancy to assert herself as a freshman, and, lastly, her efficiency. As mentioned, she shot below 32 percent from beyond the arc; meanwhile, her field goal percentage was 41.4 percent.

Maryland's 2024-25 iteration also had a lot of weapons. And at times, Sellers the senior still deferred to others instead of taking over and putting the team on her back offensively. At times, that was a good thing because she didn't have the hot hand. But it's undeniable that her efficiency has improved; her field goal percentage peaked at 48.6 her sophomore campaign and was a solid 46.2 her senior year.

The thing is, Sellers has always had incredible upside, because she's got a good shooting motion, as well as size (she's a 6-2 point guard), athleticism, great ball-handling and great driving ability. Sometimes the ball just didn't go in the basket or she didn't get herself going enough early to be in a groove by crunch time. But the upside is still there.

Projected to go No. 6 to Mystics; went No. 17 to Valkyries

As much as it pains me to say it as a huge Terp and Sellers fan, I can begin to understand why she fell out of the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night after being projected to go at No. 6 and stay in the DMV with the Washington Mystics. Her scoring averages don't jump out at you (15.6 her junior year was her high, followed by 14.4 her senior season) and she doesn't always take over a game with explosive play. One key exception was a game I watched her play against JuJu Watkins and USC back on Jan. 8:

If she can put it all together like she did that night and be explosive on a consistent basis, then she can be a great, great player in the W, because she has all the tools.

The Golden State Valkyries could tell you that they would have taken Sellers at No. 6 and we'd have no way of proving they're lying. They had the No. 5 pick in their inaugural draft, selecting Lithuanian forward Justė Jocytė. They didn't pass on Sellers beyond where she was projected to go, not picking again until the fifth pick of the second round (No. 17 overall). The Mystics, Sun, Sparks, Sky, Wings, Aces and Lynx all did decline to select Sellers at or beyond where she was projected. Will Sellers make those teams seem foolish? Did the Valkyries get the steal of the draft?

Though not her most efficient year, Sellers' junior year in College Park saw her lead the Terps in scoring for the only time in her career, and it's also when she put up her best distributing (5.5) and rebounding (5.8) averages. Averaging 15, five and five is impressive, and this season Sellers became the first Maryland woman to amass at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds over the course of a career. She is also third in assists in program history (523) and second in free throw percentage (83). She went to four NCAA Tournaments, three Sweet 16s and the 2023 Elite 8. The Valkyries are truly getting one of the all-time great Terps, which is saying something.

And another thing is for sure: They're getting an incredible person. In the age of the transfer portal, Sellers remained loyal to Frese and the Maryland program, staying in College Park all four years. If it turns out that she makes the roster and becomes a key contributor for the Valkyries in the years to come, they can hope to see the same loyalty shown to them.

As the No. 17 pick, will she make the roster?

As far as point guards on the Valkyries training camp roster, there's Julie Vanloo, Veronica Burton, Carla Leite, and now Sellers and 2025 third-round pick Kaitlyn Chen. Vanloo has the best WNBA stats to go off of; she averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 assists as a 31-year-old Mystic rookie last year. Burton's numbers over three years in the league are far less impressive, but, like Sellers, I think she has the skill set to be a dangerous offensive weapon, and she's also a defensive star. Leite hasn't played in the W yet, but was drafted higher in 2024 (ninth overall by the Wings) than Sellers was this year.

Sellers could play the off guard; she did so at the times when Sarah Te-Biasu was handling the ball this year at Maryland. If she does that, she'll be competing with Tiffany Hayes, who appears to be the best player on the Valkyries (even at age 35) and Kate Martin, who showed flashes of potential as an Aces rookie last year. Martin was the No. 18 pick in the 2024 draft, so comparable to Sellers.

With Hayes being the only lock out of that group of guards, the chance is certainly there for Sellers to make the roster.

The upside is there. Now she'll have to prove it in camp.