Delayed but not denied is a popular saying amongst players waiting for their opportunity, and that certainly was the case for new Los Angeles Sparks guard Shyanne Sellers and her WNBA career. After a stellar college career at Maryland that included three All-Big Ten First Team selections, one All-Defensive Team selection and one Sixth Player of the Year Award, she slipped in the WNBA Draft.

Initially projected to be a first-round selection, she was taken by the Golden State Valkyries with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Sellers then ended up being one of the Valkyries’ final cuts during training camp with head coach Natalie Nakase acknowledging that while she did everything the team asked of her, finalizing the roster meant selecting the best 12 and not just the most talented 12, as per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

Sellers was scooped up by the Atlanta Dream off waivers, but was also cut before the start of the season. She spent last year playing for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Women’s Basketball Premier League, before returning stateside for training camp this season with the Dallas Wings. The Wings cut her, and she ended up playing the entire summer with the new UpShot league and the Jacksonville Waves.

Once UpShot’s season concluded at the end of August, Shyanne Sellers inked a deal with the Sparks on one of the WNBA’s new developmental contracts, marking the first time she’s been on a regular season roster. One of the biggest things she’s learned coming in as a scorer in college is that earning a roster spot comes down to what else can you do.

“You have to show what you’re capable of in every aspect. There’s not much of a difference between you and the last person that made the team. There’s just a little bit of things, tweaks that take you from the college level to the pro level. The shift gets really detail-oriented,” Sellers told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “I think if you focus on the little things, it will end up painting the bigger picture for you. I think that’s something I was trying to focus on.

“Yes, I came out of college and I can score, but everybody can score in the W. So it’s like, what’s the next thing that can help you.”

And for Sellers, she found out early in her basketball journey that defense would be the quickest and easiest way for her to carve out a role and earn playing time on the court. She was top-three in scoring at Maryland in three of her fours years, but she also anchored the Terrapins’ defense as a wing.

Sellers possesses the length and size to be an effective perimeter defender, and while she isn’t the quickest player on the court, she makes up for that with her IQ and defensive instincts. That identity was forged under Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, and Sellers made it a point to impart that bit of wisdom onto the younger players each season.

Now that she’s at the bottom of the totem pole so to speak, she’s fallen back on that line of thought as she tries to establish herself in the WNBA.

“I always told the freshman coming in at Maryland, defense is the fastest way to get on the court. Offense is only going to take you so far,” Sellers said. “You know you have offense, but defense is what’s really gonna make you stand out and make people keep playing you. Kind of just going with that mindset of this is the way to get on the court, this is the way to prove yourself.”

Shyanne Sellers’ role with Sparks

Sellers initially signed with the Sparks right before the team’s final game before the FIBA break on Aug 30. As a result, she was not yet in attendance for that game and didn’t officially join the team until the break had already commenced.

The Sparks recently reconvened formal practice with the full roster, but Sellers had been working out at the practice facility a few days prior to that alongside the other new signings. Although there are four games remaining in the regular season, Sellers is limited due to the constraints of development contracts.

Team brass does want to see the younger players in action before the season’s end, and Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts acknowledged that they plan to split up the remaining available games between the development contract players to get them game experience. Sellers doesn’t have any WNBA tape yet, but Roberts has liked what she’s seen in workouts so far.

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“She’s got great size, she can shoot, really good vision. It’s just acclimating her to bigger, faster, stronger,” Roberts said following Sparks’ practice on Sept. 11. “But in terms of her basketball IQ and just kind of understanding the game, she could be a good fit.”

One of the ways in which Sellers can market herself to the Sparks is through her positional versatility. It’s not just on the defensive end where she can switch between different positions on the court. She’s molded her game to where she can do a little bit of everything.

That was on display during her stint with UpShot the past couple of months. She averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 34 games. Back on Aug. 7, she put up a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She ended the season with back-to-back games of eight rebounds and seven assists. Roberts stresses all-around skill-sets within her system, and for Sellers, she fits right in with Sparks’ roster.

“For myself, I think I’m a very versatile guard. I can do a little bit of everything, rebound, defend, score, facilitate. I really take pride in that and just think with the Sparks, obviously they have a lot of people that can fluctuate between positions,” Sellers said. “So I think I can just fit in that way and just kind of see the game, pick the minds of … all of them and try to change it around.”

As for her time with UpShot in its inaugural season, Sellers was impressed with the level of commitment from the league’s organizers. She’s in a similar position as many domestic players who are on the cusp of getting a WNBA roster spot, and often times find themselves squeezed out.

While the new developmental contracts, like what Sellers signed, has given more opportunities to American-born players, UpShot is there for those who might have fallen through the cracks.

“I think UpShot was amazing for me … they did a great job of putting it all together. I think it is a great pathway to extend your further goals wherever you want to be. It’s a great way to put on a showcase, put it on tape. It’s also just a great way to stay in shape,” Sellers said. “There’s so much talent in the U.S. Obviously not everybody can make it, I’ve been through it. It’s nice to still play against other people in your home country, against great level competition and hopefully get that call. Luckily I got that call. But I think it can be built for more people to get that call.”

The Sparks will end their season with two of their last four games against playoff teams in the Las Vegas Aces and Golden State Valkyries, and two against scrappy young squads in the Seattle Storm and Portland Fire.

As a group, the team certainly wants to end the year on a high note despite not making the postseason, but for Sellers individually, she just wants to show the Sparks she can be impactful in whatever role they want her to play.

“Obviously winning all four games is something. You have great teams coming up … these are really tough games,” Sellers said. “But I think if you can end this season on a high note, you can kind of look forward to rolling into next season and trying to build off that, what worked well in the last four games. For me, it’s just coming in and making an impact. It doesn’t always have to be on the court, it can be somewhere else. I’m excited for that opportunity.”