To conclude the summer AAU cycle, The Circuit Championship at the Fantastic 40 brought together elite sneaker-affiliated and independent programs under one roof. Taking place at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Pro Insight was on hand to cover the four-day event. In between games, we caught up with Noah Shelby of Greenhill School (TX) and Team Trae Young (OK).
The sharpshooter recently committed to the University of Vanderbilt along with his current high school and AAU teammate Lee Dort. Throughout the weekend, Shelby showcased his ability to play on and off the ball, stretch the floor, and make efficient plays on offense. As part of the Pro Insight Q&A series, Shelby discussed his background, why he chose Vanderbilt, his off-court interests, and more.
For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2022 prospect Noah Shelby, from Dallas, Texas:
Pro Insight: Talk a bit about your background.
Noah Shelby: I’m born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I live with my parents as well as Lee Dort and Francis Chukwudebelu. I go to Greenhill School in Addison, Texas and I’m entering my senior year. I just finished my final season of AAU.
PI: How was the summer for you?
NS: It went really well, we played a lot of good teams and got a lot of good exposure. Played on the adidas circuit. It was a good way to close out the summer playing with my old teammates.
PI: Any other athletes in the family?
NS: My mom played volleyball in college and my dad played basketball in college. Both went to UT-Arlington.
PI: Describe your game — what are your biggest strengths?
NS: I’d say my biggest strength is shooting. I think I can stretch the floor pretty well off the bounce and off the catch. Also just being smart, making the right decision in pick-and-roll. Those are the two things I think I’m best at.
PI: What about some improvement areas?
NS: I would say just trying to get more athletic as well as trying to move my feet better on the defensive end.
PI: What are some underrated aspects of your game?
NS: I would say court vision and leadership are the two biggest areas I don’t get enough credit for.
PI: What type of leader are you?
NS: I feel like I’m a lead-by-example type of guy. I’m vocal to a certain extent, but I try to set an example for my teammates of what to do or what not to do. Listening to the coach and going hard in practice, stuff like that.
PI: Who were some players who impressed you at the Circuit Championship event?
NS: I’ll say Fabio Basili from E1T1 — he played really well both times against us. He gave us 35 points the first time. His change of speed is really hard to guard. We were able to get the win the second time, but he did kill us the first time.
PI: You recently committed to Vanderbilt — what led to that decision?
NS: I would say my relationship with the coaching staff and the playing style that they play. They run a lot of pick-and-roll in their offense, so being able to play off pick-and-roll is one of my biggest strengths. Going there and playing for an ex-NBA player in Coach Jerry Stackhouse it’ll be really good for my development.
PI: What can fans expect from you when you get on campus?
NS: Somebody who likes to win, shoot the ball from multiple levels, can pass the ball pretty well, and then be a good teammate.
PI: How excited are you to get to Nashville?
NS: I’m excited to get to campus. Vanderbilt is a very good academic school, so being able to pursue walks of life outside of basketball. I’m excited for that.
PI: What are some things that interest you outside of basketball, career-wise?
NS: I want to get into something to do with sports management and business, because I want to be an NBA GM one day. Vanderbilt is a really good program for that, so I’ll be able to pursue that as well as my career on the basketball court.
PI: What’s appealing about being an NBA GM in your opinion?
NS: I would just say all of the behind the scenes stuff that casual fans don’t see. Drafting and scouting players. Building a championship roster. The GM is just as important as the players and coaches and everything else. So being able to do that would be a really good opportunity for me.
PI: Is that how you’ve always viewed the game?
NS: I’ve always played My Team on 2K because I built the team. Putting pieces together to try to win a championship.
PI: How would you rate yourself on 2K?
NS: I’d rate myself an 85 because of my shooting ability. I’m not a very good rebounder right now, but when I add strength I’ll become a better rebounder.
PI: If you had to choose a hashtag to describe yourself — what would that hashtag be?
NS: I would say #locate, because I feel like when teams play against me they have to locate me at all times due to my ability to shoot the ball really well.
PI: At the end of the day what do you hope to be remembered for?
NS: I want to be remembered as somebody who was a good teammate, good person, and somebody who made other people better on and off the court.