Of Women’s Basketball Legends, Pride and Tradition, ‘Ask Sheetz'
Thirty years after her record-breaking career with the Buffs, former CU guard Shelley Sheetz is in her third season on the coaching staff at her alma mater. As special assistant to the head coach and director of player development, CU’s first and only Kodak All-American has a hands-on position influencing the current generation of Buff players.
With a resume as impressive as any, Sheetz brings experience, integrity and legacy to the women’s coaching staff. She earned the title of Big Eight Player of the Year and was selected as one of the five finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award in 1994-95. Sheetz led the Buffs to the NCAA tournament in each of her four years.
A player who faced off against the likes of Rebecca Lobo, Sheryl Swoops and Lisa Leslie in her time, Sheetz has been around the game as long as anyone.
The youngest of four, Sheetz began playing basketball in the second grade.
With no five-on-five girls’ league in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, her father made a special request to the program director to let his daughter play on the boys’ team. His original plea was denied, butSheetz was eventually given an opportunity.
“My dad was like, ‘Just give her a shot,’ and so I kind of had to prove myself,” Sheetz said.
This resilience and determination would continue to serve her as she played sports year-round on boys’ teams, from flag football to baseball.
“I had great, supportive parents, whatever I wanted to do. I couldn’t quit anything, so if I decided I wanted to do this, I had to see it through, and that was great guidance that they had,” Sheetz said. `
Sheetz gained speed, strength and swagger throughout her elementary and junior high years before attending Cedar Rapids Kennedy for high school. Though she stayed involved in track and softball, basketball soon took over. With it came the offers.
Although different from today’s college recruitment process, Sheetz’s recruiting journey began her freshman year and picked up immensely by the time she was a junior.
Surrounded by talent and high-level competition on her Cedar Rapids Panthers team, Sheetz gained confidence in her ability to see the floor and distribute the ball.
“We had a phenomenal AAU team,” Sheetz said. “That entire team signed Division I scholarships.”
After fielding hundreds of offers, Sheetz narrowed her options to twelve schools that visited her home. Her ultimate decision came down to four programs: Purdue, Iowa, Drake and Colorado.
“I had three black and gold schools, right?” joked Sheetz, a born and raised Iowa Hawkeyes fan. “I couldn’t go wrong.”
With family in both West Lafayette and Iowa, she had all but ruled out CU.
“I had no intention of coming here before the visit, it was really just, I had committed to the visit,” Sheetz said.
Following her parents’ see-it-through philosophy, Sheetz made the trip out west.
Her weekend visit to Boulder lasted through Sunday. But Sheetz recalled feeling confident in where her path would take her as soon as she saw the Rocky Mountains.
“I just fell in love with the opportunity,” Sheetz said. “I fell in love with coach [Ceal] Barry, and Barb Smith – the other assistant – recruited me hard.”
Head coach Ceal Barry was a legend in her own right, with over 22 incredible seasons at Colorado. Her 427 wins at a .621 clip placed her among the all-time greats. She was Big Eight Coach of the Year four occasions, and led her proteges to the NCAA tournament 12 times. Those teams finished in the Sweet Sixteen six times, and the Elite Eight thrice.
“All the coaches that recruited me ended up leaving their schools during my college days. And Coach Barry was the only one that stayed, that recruited me,” Sheetz said. “And, so, you know, it was meant to be.”
Sheetz graduated from Kennedy in 1991 and was ultimately inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1997.
Despite being an undersized commit at 5-foot-6, nothing about Sheetz’s play was small.
“I was a very cocky freshman who came in and said, ‘We’re going to win a national championship here. We’re going to raise banners,’” Sheetz said.
She entered her collegiate career with plenty of confidence in her abilities and where she wanted to take her team.
“I saw myself come in with that opportunity to play right away… I had to work for it. I had to earn it, and coach Barry did not make it easy on me. And I’m thankful for that,” Sheetz said.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Sheetz committed to the process and adapted to her new coaching staff and teammates to find her stride. Jumping into fast-paced, physical college play forced the freshman to learn from those around her and grow her own game.
“There were a lot of meetings with Barb Smith, our assistant coach, and I’m sure it took a lot of years off her life,” Sheetz said.
Sitting at 8-8 her freshman year and entering their fourth conference matchup, the Buffs had a decision to make. With a limited roster due to injuries, the team came together to turn the season around.
“We only had eight players, and we said, ‘Eight is enough,’” Sheetz said.
CU flipped a switch and finished 11-3 in the Big Eight, and played in the NCAA tournament in Sheetz’s first year.
That experience helped Sheetz grow into her role as a scorer and facilitator. She averaged double-digit points across all four seasons, starting every game.
“My sophomore year, we made it to the Elite Eight. We were the Colorado team that showed up in Missoula, Montana, in the Sweet Sixteen with Lisa Leslie,” Sheetz said.
Up against the likes of Swoops and defending champions Stanford Cardinals led by Tara VanderVeer, the Buffs rolled in with nothing to lose. CU’s band was unable to make the trip during spring break, so they rented the University of Montana’s band and kept it all in stride.
“We gave them shirts, and they had to learn the fight song,” Sheetz laughed. “And we showed up, and we beat Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen, and that was our championship.”
The underdog win was a fitting first Sweet Sixteen appearance for Barry’s Buffs. This undaunted mindset carried CU to a first-place Big Eight finish in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, and earned them top-10 votes in both the Coaches’ and AP polls.
It’s fair to say that the culmination of Sheetz’s career at CU came to fruition in her senior season.
“That was a great ride. I mean, we had a squad,” Sheetz said. “We were loaded, absolutely loaded from top to bottom.”
To complement an already talented roster, the Buffs brought in 6-foot-5 international forward Isabelle Fijalkowski. The dominant center led the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. Fijalkowski was inducted into the CU Hall of Fame in June of 2026.
The Buffs reached a peak ranking of No. 2 in the country, boasting a 30-3 record.
In the Elite Eight, CU gave up a late lead and failed to advance to the Final Four, where Tennessee and Pat Summit awaited. Though her last tournament run was cut short, Sheetz’s four years with the Buffs were nothing short of dominant.
Sheetz was 106-21 in her college career and won three Big Eight conference titles. Her excellence with the Buffs earned her a laundry list of honors, along with tenured respect within the program.
A two-time team MVP, Sheetz was also named first-team All-Big Eight recipient three times, making her the only player selected three times in CU history.
Finishing her career with 1,775 points, Sheetz remains fourth on CU’s all-time leading scorer list and third in three-point field goals made. Her 252
threes finished as the most all-time in the former Big Eight Conference.
Sheetz also ranks fourth all-time in assists with 514, and first in steals (287).
Sheetz is the youngest inductee to the CU Athletic Hall of Fame, honored in 2004.
After graduating, Sheetz played professionally in the American Basketball League (ABL) for the Colorado Xplosion and the Portland Power, and played overseas in Germany.
Her coaching career began in 1999, with the transition from playing to coaching coming naturally.
Learning firsthand from the masterclass of Barry and Smith, and competing against the legendary likes of Summit and Geno Auriemma, Sheetz had a generational lineup of coaches to look up to.
Sheetz says she never saw herself being a head coach, preferring a more behind-the-scenes approach to player development.
“I love the role that assistants play in the relationship with players,” Sheetz said. “I love the hands-on stuff.”
She played a variety of assistant coaching positions at Washington State, San Diego, Pepperdine, Boston College and Loyola-Maryland, before returning to CU in 2022.
Current Colorado head coach JR Payne had reached out to Sheetz twice before the timing aligned for the alum to return to her old stomping grounds.
The two had coached against each other in former conferences, and Sheetz also knew Payne as a player. Sheetz said when she found out that Payne would be the new head coach for the Buffs, she knew it would be a perfect fit.
“JR is so successful here … she has taken that foundation that coach Barry laid with the toughness, discipline, hard work,” Sheetz said.
It was a ‘no-brainer’ for Sheetz to return to CU and work with Payne to continue the magic of a historic program.
Sheetz’s desk sits at the front of the office, laden with candy and snacks. As involved as ever, she enjoys being at practice every day and takes pride in still being a great passer, always happy to jump in a drill.
“I get more double-doubles every day from rebounding and assists than anybody,” Sheetz said with a smile.
Though Sheetz often takes a backseat in practice, when she does speak up, her word is sacred.
Sheetz emphasized her mentality of ‘not being bigger than the program,’ and keeping the focus on the current players’ talent and Payne’s coaching successes.
“I bring the good vibes, but I feel like there’s a level of respect, though, that they have of, ‘She’s been there, done that,’” Sheetz said.
Sheetz has instilled a sense of community in her players that shows on and off the court, in every program she’s been a part of.
Junior guard Kennedy Sanders has worked closely with Sheetz for several years, committing to CU as a high school junior.
“We always talk about how we might not have a team full of five-stars, but we’re always going to be the hardest-working in the gym when we step in there, and that goes with everything that we do,” Sanders said.
In the 2022-23 season, just Sheetz’s second year back at CU, the Buffs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 20 years. The Buffs ultimately fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes led by phenom Caitlin Clark, but competed tightly and reminded teams of the power within CU’s program.
During this time, the women’s basketball program also celebrated its first WNBA draft pick, Jaylyn Sherrod, whose charisma and athletic ability drew more eyes to the Buffs.
The following year, Payne and Sheetz led CU back to the Sweet Sixteen, once again falling at the hands of Clark.
Even in an administrative role, Sheetz’s pull to the NCAA tournament is undeniable, and her return coincided with the Buffs’ return to the main stage of college basketball.
In an era of competitive NIL deals, CU’s women’s basketball program has remained intentional about who it recruits. Though they may never win the battle in paying their players, they will ensure they win in integrity.
“She’s always pushing us to be the best for our culture. She’s really prideful, I would say,” Sanders said.
Sheetz spoke just as passionately about her 1995 team as she did about the upcoming 2026 season, her excitement never waning. Doing things the right way and building an identity that withstands the changes in the game over the years is exactly what CU has done.
With insight into every era of the Buffs program, Sheetz continues to advance her alma mater's success from the sidelines.
As proud to be a Buff as ever, Sheetz’s impact reaches far beyond her record-setting statistics. Part of both the foundation and the program's transition into the new age of women’s sports, Sheetz knows she will always bleed black and gold.
Coach Barry has been known to say, “If anybody ever wants to know anything about Colorado women’s basketball, just ask Sheetz.”
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