In May 2024, former Rice Owls guard Noah Shelby committed to the Kansas Jayhawks, his third program in his relatively short collegiate career.
Then, he was sidelined during the 2024-25 season as he took his redshirt year and simply practiced with the team. Now, before he ever played a game for Bill Self and the Jayhawks, Shelby has entered the transfer portal once again.
Shreyas Laddha, a basketball and football reporter for The Kansas City Star, shared that a KU spokesperson had confirmed that Shelby was leaving Kansas.
Over his first two years of college basketball, Shelby averaged 3.9 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.3 steals per game. Before transferring to Kansas, he had already played in 44 games but had earned just one start, which was during his sophomore season at Rice.
Why is Noah Shelby leaving the Kansas Jayhawks?
Kansas head coach Bill Self just brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country, headlined by five-star Darryn Petterson and four-star Kohl Rosario. Not to mention, Self picked up three blue-chip transfers this spring to bring more experience to his roster.
More likely than not, Shelby realized he might not be able to stack up against the incredible talent flooding Lawrence this offseason. From freshmen who might hear their names called in the first round of next year's NBA Draft to four-star talent from the portal, Shelby didn't exactly chalk up to the talent of other players on the roster.
Beyond that, Shelby hadn't played a single minute of in-game action since 2024, when he was still playing for the Owls in the American Athletic Conference.
To put it simply, Shleby most likely would have been contributing minimal minutes while coming off the bench for the Jayhawks. As a player who clearly loves the game, he probably just wanted to know he would actually be able to see valuable minutes.