| Tanner Shell |
 |
|
 | Class:
Sophomore
|
| Hometown:
Mesa, Ariz.
|
| High School:
Mountain View H.S.
|
|
|
| Height / Weight:
6-6 / 216
|
| Position:
G
|
| Birthdate:
10/20/1980
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Tanner Shell was big part of ASU’s success in his freshman year, especially the way he played in Pac-10 play. In his 18 Pac-10 games in 1999-2000, Shell came off the bench in each one and contributed 9.1 points per game, third on the team in league play, and had six double-figure scoring games. He sat out last year with a back problem and then broke his wrist during a December practice, ending his season. His attitude was missed, as was his jump shot. He is the son of former BYU and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Todd Shell, who won two Super Bowl rings. He played most of senior prep season on a left ankle that required surgery the following spring and led the squad to its second straight state championship. His team beat Tucson Salpointe 66-54 in the state title game at America West Arena on Feb. 27, after beating Donnell Knight’s Corona del Sol Aztecs in the semifinals. In 1997-98 and 1998-99 with Shell as a starter, Mountain View won two state titles and had a 63-7 mark. He was a high school teammate of Sun Devil Kenny Crandall and current Baltimore Raven tight end Todd Heap. Shell also is a solid golfer. Also signing Division I letters of intent from his 1999 prep state championship team were Nate Bloom (Southern Utah) and Brady Richeson (Southwest Texas State). Shell played well on the Australian Tour in May and is in the best shape of his collegiate career entering this season.
HE LOVES L.A.: Shell played a huge part in ASU’s first home sweep of the LA schools since 1986, as he was 10-of-13 (.769) from the field, 4-of-5 (.800) from the line and made all four free throws in the sweep of UCLA and USC on Feb. 17-19. He had 17 points, 14 of them in the second half, vs. USC and had 12 vs. UCLA. He also posted 24 points at USC on Jan. 20 and also had 13 at UCLA on Jan. 22. Shell was 8-of-16 (.500) from the floor and 3-of-6 (.500) from the three-point stripe and had 17 points in the second half at USC. In Los Angeles, he was 12-of-24 (.500) from the field, 6-of-12 (.500) from the three-point stripe and 7-of-9 (.777) from the FT line and averaged 18.5 points (24 at USC and 13 at UCLA). He also did not make a turnover in 50 minutes.
NOT SHELL-SHOCKED: Shell’s 24-point freshman game at USC ranks as one of the best in recent ASU history. It is the most points by an ASU freshmen on the road since Jamal Faulkner had 27 at Oregon on Feb. 28, 1991, and matched Eddie House’s 24 points vs. UCLA in 1997.
TOP ASU FRESHMAN SCORING GAMES SINCE 1989-90
Name Date Opponent Points
Mario Bennett Feb. 20, 1992 Arizona 35
Jamal Faulkner March 17, 1991 Arkansas (NCAA) 29
Jamal Faulkner Feb. 28, 1991 at Oregon 27
Mario Bennett Feb. 1, 1992 Oregon 26
Ron Riley Dec. 21, 1992 Northern Arizona 25
Jamal Faulkner Feb. 9, 1991 at USC 25
Jamal Faulkner Jan. 13, 1991 USC 25
Stevin Smith Nov. 29, 1990 Northern Arizona 25
Tanner Shell Jan. 20, 2000 at USC 24
Eddie House Feb. 15, 1997 UCLA 24
Mario Bennett March 24, 1992 Utah 24
1999-2000: Averaged 10.8 points and 20.6 minutes in 11 game-stretch from Jan. 20-Feb. 26...had season-high 10 boards vs. #2 Stanford on March 11...posted solid game in ASU’s win over Cal on March 9 with 14 points and seven boards in a season-high 34 minutes...17 points, 14 in the second half, vs. USC on Feb. 19...12 points vs. UCLA on Feb. 17...eight points at Washington on Feb. 12...had 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from the three-point stripe, at UCLA on Jan. 22 and played 23 minutes without a turnover...posted 24 points in 27 minutes at USC and was 8-of-16 from the field, 3-of-6 from the three-point stripe and 5-of-7 from the FT line and did not have a turnover...nine points and four boards at #1 Stanford on Jan. 6, with all nine points coming in second half...11 points and five rebounds vs. San Diego State on Dec. 18, including 2-of-2 from three-point stripe.
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL: Led team in scoring at 17.0 points per game and also added seven rebounds per contest…teams went 29-6, 34-1 (state record for wins) and 28-1 in his three seasons...Tribune Newspapers All-East Valley Player of the Year...1999 All-Arizona by Phoenix Metro Basketball Magazine…had 22 points in one half against Phoenix Brophy in quarterfinals of 5A Tournament…second-team All-Arizona according to the Arizona Republic...ranked 141st according to Bob Gibbons All-Star Sports Report...one of Arizona’s 12 players listed in USA Today’s 1998-99 preseason state-by-state listing...garnered 63 points in the Orange County Register’s "Fabulous 15" rating system, putting him as a third-team selection...an outstanding student...tough defensive player…averaged 10 points and six rebounds for the Class 5A state champs in 1997-98…coached in high school by Gary Ernst…earned three letters in golf and three in basketball…averaged eight points and five rebounds in sophomore year and 11 points and six boards in junior year…best games in high school were 36 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and eight steals.
ETC.: Father, Todd, and mother, Kelli (nurse) live in Mesa…mother was a world class gymnast…has a younger sister, Krystal…full name is Todd Tanner Shell…born October 20, 1980, in Provo, Utah…likes hunting, fishing, camping and golfing…was a top junior golfer in Arizona at age 11…father also was defensive coordinator of the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and also was the head coach in San Jose.
TANNER SHELL’S CAREER STATISTICS
Year G-GS Min-Avg FG-A Pct 3P-A Pct FT-A Pct Rb-Avg F-D Ast To Bk St Pts-Avg
99-00 32-2 609-19.0 74-201 36.8 28-81 .346 47-65 .723 91-2.8 72-5 28 41 6 32 223-7.0
CAREER HIGHS FOR SHELL
Points: 24 at USC (1-20-00)
Rebounds: 10 vs. #2 Stanford (3-11-00)
Field Goals Made: 8 at USC (1-20-00)
Field Goals Att.: 16 at USC (1-20-00)
Free Throws Made: 6 at #1 Stanford (1-6-00)
Free Throws Attempted: 7 at USC (1-20-00)
Steals: 4 vs. Morgan State (12-4-99)
Minutes: 34 vs. California (3-9-00)
Q & A WITH TANNER SHELL
The collegiate game I had the most fun in was…UCLA at home freshman year.
The player on this team that will surprise the most people this year…Jason Braxton.
The most underrated player on the team is…Brad Nahra.
The Pac-10’s best road trip is…northern California.
My favorite part of the Australian Trip was…playing ball.
My favorite clothes to wear to class…sweats.
The game I am looking forward to the most this year is…Arizona at home.
Nobody knows how much I like to…fly fish.
The TV show I watched most as a kid was…Married with Children.
Favorite musical group…Justin Allen’s One-Man Tamborine Band.
Favorite course in college…breakfast.
Favorite cereal…Cocoa Puffs.
The toughest arena that I’ve ever played in is…Maples Pavilion.
My favorite professional sports team is…Phoenix Smash.
My most exciting win was…senior year, high school state championship.
My most disappointing loss was…at Oregon in 2000.
My favorite sports figure is…anybody in the sport of curling.
My favorite restaurant is…Matta’s.
My favorite food is…Chinese.
My favorite book is…"The Hatchet."
My favorite magazine is…Maxim.
The word in the dictionary that is next to my picture is…hot air.
The biggest influence on my career is…my dad.
The thing I like most about Tempe is…the 140-degree heat.
My advice to youngsters is…play video games as much as
possilbe.
Something most people don’t know about me is…I’m bald.
My favorite actor is…Kevin Spacey.
