Photo Courtesy of SC Athletics
By Julio Rodriguez
Men’s basketball practice began at 2 p.m. and coach Tyrone Shelley was nowhere to be seen. Players in the gym were shooting around, laying out cones or taking a breather. One player walked out of the locker room and yelled at the players sitting on the bleachers.
“Y’all ain’t stretched yet?”
The players did not reply but stood and began to warm up. Shelley and some sophomores amble in. They had been at SDSU watching how the elites do it.
“I wanted them to explain to the guys that (SDSU is a) standard (to strive for) as a basketball player,” he said. “You gotta be ready. You gotta stretch. You gotta cheer for each other. You gotta do all the little things if you want to win a championship.”
Shelley has taken on double duty. Once he finishes up with the men’s team, he spends the rest of the day coaching the women. It is a situation he said is working out well so far.
Last season, the Southwestern women’s basketball team melted down and was in jeopardy of being shut down. Were it not for the heroic effort of the women’s soccer team to fill in as Southwestern’s women’s basketball team, the lady’s team may have gone the way of wrestling, men’s tennis and golf and been eliminated. The women’s coach resigned at season’s end.
“I knew that the next and right head coach was already on our campus,” said Southwestern College Athletic Director Ron Valenzuela. “Tyrone Shelley is well positioned to lead our program and I fully anticipate our women’s basketball program to continue its climb to prominence under his leadership.”
Valenzuela said the college approached Shelley with the idea to coach both teams early last season, but it did not happen. Southwestern offered again this year and he accepted.
Shelley said he welcomes the challenge and understands it is a very difficult task considering the teams have different mindsets and different schedules.
Shelley said he has figured out ways to be around both teams as much as possible. He said he expects to miss seven games in total across both teams, depending on where he feels he needs to be more.
“I tried to put the (women) to play before the guys.” Shelley said. “Wherever we play in a tournament, the (women) will always play. That way I can be around both teams to coach and have both teams cheering for each other.”
The mentality for the teams differs a little, but at the core it’s the same. For the men the goal is to win and bring the championship back to Southwestern. For the women it is more of a soft rebuild, but Shelley does not frame it that way.
“I don’t have the (women) in rebuilding mode.” Shelley said. “I have them out here contributing, getting better every day, aiming for wins. With the (men) it’s a championship. With the (women) there’s no slacking either.”
Kaileih Denley, a star on the women’s team, said she wants to be part of the solution.
“Although I seek personal growth, we (have to) work together and collaborate,” she said. “The (winning) season we all desire … will not happen with only one person.”
Shelley looks to sophomore guard Ayden Lockett to lead the men. Last year Lockett impressed with his shooting and late-game poise. Lockett said he appreciates his coach’s support.
“It gives me the utmost confidence knowing that he’s putting all this confidence into me,” Lockett said. “I’m not going out there playing scared. I’m going to have fun playing basketball and trust the coaching. He believes in me, so I believe in myself even more.”
Shelley said coaching two teams is tough but double the fun. More opportunities for growth, more chances to win.
