Lipscomb University

Sydney Shelton was named assistant coach in July 2022. After spending three years in a Lipscomb uniform, she joined the women's basketball coaching staff and is now entering her fourth year as an assistant coach and second as recruiting coordinator. 

 Shelton played for Sumski for three years at Lipscomb after playing two years at Butler. She was a three-year leader and a captain who contributed both on and off the court. 
 
While at Butler, she was named to the 2017 Big East All-Freshman Team and finished the season as the top three-point shooter on the team and in the conference, connecting at a 49 percent clip. She played in 11 contests her sophomore year with the Bulldogs before coming to Nashville. 
 
After sitting out the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Shelton was sidelined due to injury after just three games of the 2020 season after scoring double-digits in two of those outings. Though the injury was thought to be career-ending, Shelton persevered and fought to get back on the court. 
 
"To our knowledge and understanding, no one has come back to play competitively after the first procedure that she had to correct the first injury," said head coach Lauren Sumski. "For her to undergo this and still have a passion for the game, the toughness to persevere through difficult rehabilitation, and to be willing to serve her teammates through it all says a lot about her. I can't tell you how many times we told her that she didn't have to continue playing and that she didn't have to fight, but she wanted to stick it out." 
 
After returning from her injury, Shelton was a pivotal contributor to the 2020-21 team. She appeared and started in 16 games, scoring 110 points with 20 three-pointers. Shelton earned a spot on the 2021 ASUN All-Academic Team after posting a 4.0 GPA. At the start of conference play, however, she had a similar injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the season.
 
Yet again, Shelton defied the odds and returned to play her senior season. After playing nearly every 2021-22 season game and averaging 6.9 points per game and 2.6 rebounds per game, Shelton was once again named to the 2022 ASUN All-Academic team. 
 
"The silver lining through the injuries is that she really had time to figure out what was most important to her. We learned she had an eye for seeing the game at an elite level from the sidelines, as well as a unique feel for the game. We began challenging her increasingly with things like film breakdown and scouting reports, and we realized she was really special," said Sumski. "She's already elevated our program and had such a unique impact that I have total confidence that she will continue that on in a new role – with our current team members and future prospects."