Shelby Britten has come full-circle having juggled her passions for basketball and netball for over a decade.
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Megan Fisher
Shepparton’s Shelby Britten continues to dazzle on court after successfully juggling her passions for basketball and netball - and she has now embarked on her next chapter in Western Australia.
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The 29-year-old, who grew up in the Goulburn Valley, has packed a lifetime’s worth of experiences into the last 15 years, having played sports as far afield as Georgia in the United States following her days as a youngster in Victoria.
Her success story is a true example of Shepparton’s ability to produce elite level athletes and she shows seldom signs of stopping anytime soon after making the move to Perth earlier this year.
Britten hails from a sporting family, with her mother and father both boasting successful backgrounds of their own in that regard, with her parents having met while having involvement with the Shepp Swans in various guises.
Attending Notre Dame College, Shelby represented Eltham in under-16s and 18s, alongside Victoria Country in under-16s and 18s, while making the under-17 Australian team for the Oceania Championships back in 2012.
“We grew up around the basketball stadium and around Princess Park so it was always inevitable that me and my brother were going to play netball, footy, basketball or all of the above,” she said of her roots on courts in the region.
“Where it started for me was basketball and from an early age I played for the Shepp Gators.
Shelby Britten with her fellow Shepparton basketballers after they were picked in the Victoria Country under-18 state team.
Photo by
Jayme Lowndes
“I knew I’d have to pick one sport and so I think when I was about 14 it was time to pick (basketball).
“We travelled here there and everywhere, the travel that my mum and dad did for me - driving every Friday to and from Melbourne and to Ballarat for state camps on weekends and playing for the Gators - it really became my life.”
Her next step took her to United States after 5'4 point guard earned a scholarship to study at Newberry College in Georgia; an experience that proved life-changing both academically and in a sporting sense.
Incredibly, Shelby earned legendary status in the NCAA Division II, becoming a two-time All Conference Player and making the All Region Academic Team twice.
In addition, she became Newberry’s all time single season three point record holder with 86 to achieve immortality with the Wolves.
“Me and my partner went back to Newberry in December for the first time since I graduated in 2019,” she said, recalling her college days Stateside.
Shelby Britten lived in America for four years, earning legendary status on the college basketball scene.
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Julie Mercer
“All the accolades are nice but the real sense of pride that I have was that I could move over there at 18 overseas and live away from my family who I am so close to.
“It was a Div Two school and kind of this environment where I can really just work on my skills and excel.
“So initially when I went there, I was like, ‘oh, yeah, I'll do that, I'll kind of get myself some court time and really develop and take it slow for a couple of years, then I'll try and transfer to a Div One’.
“But I got there and just found like a second home and loved it and I just felt like I kept growing - I didn't think I was going to get that anywhere else.”
Eventually, the time came for Britten to return to Victoria and in recent times she returned to turn out for the Eltham Wildcats’ Senior Women’s team for the remainder of the NBL1 season.
Shepparton's Shelby Britten continues to excel on court with the Freemantle Sharks.
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839447496169876
She also played over 100 A-Grade games for the Mooroopna Cats in the GVL Senior Netball competition under the tutelage of the iconic Di Hanslow.
Following these experiences, she moved to Perth with her partner after they took up new work positions, coming full-circle by resuming netball in the WANL with the Fremantle Sharks.
Making her debut at East Fremantle Community Park in late April, she is relishing the new challenge so far.
“I’m really enjoying where I am at the moment, it’s similar I suppose to the VNL in Melbourne.
“The biggest thing has been getting used to a new style of play and new players has been a great learning opportunity - I feel like I’ve really grown already.”
You can listen to Episode 4 of “Shepparton News Meets...” with Shelby Britten on our website or on all major streaming services soon.
