Parents, Diamond, Stewie And More

[Dougie]

As most of you know, during the Tenn-S Carolina game Delino DeShields tweeted the following:

"If Holly don't put DDDeShields back in the game!!! What are you doing?"

"Trying to beat the best without her best players on the court! #sad"

"Oh now you put her in?!?!"

"Good coaching recognize [sic] bad coaching!!"

These quotes got me to thinking about what a nightmare some parents can become to coaches in all sports. No coach wants the static of an overbearing parent telling them who to play, how the team should play or second guessing decisions that he or she makes. Just try to imagine if Diamond DeShields had come to UCONN and these tweets were directed at Geno Auriemma instead of Holly Warlick. I would not want to be in the room at that particular moment.

So I found some interesting comments from an interview with Geno back in 2010.

"There are kids we don't take simply because we don't like their parents. We get a kid, [they] visit the campus, good kid, good player and we spend a minimum amount of time with the mother and father and listen to what they say and how they say it, what their expectation level is. Then we go 'We're not recruiting that kid anymore' ". Not all programs have the luxury of doing this.

Sometimes kids are just innocent victims in all of this but in some cases, as with Diamond DeShields I'm afraid, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Diamond is a victim of her own self promotion- videos, press conferences, tweets and interviews where she compared herself to some of the great players in Tenn history and how she hoped to resurrect the program, all before even stepping on the court in a Tenn jersey.

I'd much rather have a kid who'll sign a letter of intent on the hood of a car.

When, as a freshman, Breanna Stewart was asked what she hoped to accomplish at UCONN and she answered "Win four National Championships" I didn't find it at all arrogant or egotistical.

In an interview last year with ESPN W Breanna said " When I was saying it I wasn't trying to get a reaction from anyone. I was just being realistic. You come to Connecticut and see all the other national championships people win. It's not like it's a rarity".

I don't mean to pick on Diamond DeShields as she's really just a kid and perhaps her father just had a bad day and let his emotions get the best of him. All I know is that Geno and staff look at many, many things when recruiting a player, including families and this seems to be working out OK.

 

[cferraro04]

I remember thinking when Diamond was being recruited by UConn and everyone thought she was coming...Tonyc was absolutely sure she was coming...then came the North Carolina bonanza and all those players verballed at the same time. I remember my stomach dropped to my feet and I thought, "Oh my God"....they are going to win a championship. Diamond was the lynch-pin to that recruiting bonanza for North Carolina. I think Sylvia even had to get a couple of kids (sisters I think) to decommit so she could get all those kids on the roster. I think the recruiter who pulled that off ended up leaving North Carolina...the bottom fell out and one by one those kids who had all committed to North Carolina started transferring out. It was one of the most bizarre twists of events I have ever seen in women's college basketball. In fact, if you think back there was another girl who Diamond played AAU basketball with Kaela Davis. For about a year or two it looked like they would be a package deal...then all of a sudden Kaela left the AAU team and joined another... I remember thinking then that there must be a back story that isn't being told... With all these recent happenings which seem to surround Diamond I think I was right.

 

[Hongster]

" I come to Connecticut to win four National championships" Nuff said for the undisputed GOAT!!!!

Hopefully the index finger will open up next time

 

[UcMiami]

Yes - Geno and CD look at the total package. I liked Lobo's quote about calling her mom her sophomore season and complaining, and her mom said 'do you want to come home?' Lobo said 'No, of course not' and her mom replied 'well then, suck it up and stop whining' or something like that.
I'm sure Stewart had a few calls with her mom and dad during that freshman slump, but we never heard a peep about them.

I think college coaches have it a LOT easier than HS and AAU and peewee coaches - for one thing they are farther away so the frequency of their attendance at games is much lower, and by college, the kids have gotten the big prize already - the scholarship worth $200K to the family finances.

And Geno has it easier than most, because at this point while he wants to keep winning everything in sight, it really is no longer that important to him - he could walk away tomorrow with few regrets.

I thought the last few years of Pat's career she was acting a little desperate in recruiting. I think she saw that dominance she had enjoyed slipping away and she was perhaps not making the best choices in who she recruited and offered.

 

[Grayjay]

The unfortunate tale of this year's Tennessee team highlights something extraordinary about UConn.

One of the most remarkable things about UConn women's basketball is how admirably healthy and mature the girls and the culture are. It appears, by all accounts, to be a happy, highly supportive and very hard working little community. I believe this is hard to build and takes a lot of time to establish. They also seem to be bright, articulate and capable students on the whole.

I think girls who have the temperament and maturity to appreciate and participate in it can pick up on it and are drawn to it. Lexi Gordon seems an example.

We are so fortunate to be able to follow this team and enjoy the beautiful basketball they produce!

 

[sarals24]

And Stewie never said she wanted to win four NPOY awards, or be a four time All-American. She wanted to win four championships.

The Diamond saga is very entertaining to watch, I have to say. She was anointed as a savior at Tennessee as soon as she transferred, but I knew the moment she said she was leaving UNC that something was a bit off about the whole situation. And choosing Tennessee as her next destination was also telling. I would put money down that she leaves early to go play in Europe and then the WNBA, where she will always score a lot of points but never win a championship.

 

[Sonny44]

I remember thinking when Diamond was being recruited by UConn and everyone thought she was coming...Tonyc was absolutely sure she was coming...then came the North Carolina bonanza and all those players verballed at the same time. I remember my stomach dropped to my feet and I thought, "Oh my God"....they are going to win a championship. Diamond was the lynch-pin to that recruiting bonanza for North Carolina. I think Sylvia even had to get a couple of kids (sisters I think) to decommit so she could get all those kids on the roster. I think the recruiter who pulled that off ended up leaving North Carolina...the bottom fell out and one by one those kids who had all committed to North Carolina started transferring out. It was one of the most bizarre twists of events I have ever seen in women's college basketball. In fact, if you think back there was another girl who Diamond played AAU basketball with Kaela Davis. For about a year or two it looked like they would be a package deal...then all of a sudden Kaela left the AAU team and joined another... I remember thinking then that there must be a back story that isn't being told... With all these recent happenings which seem to surround Diamond I think I was right... As good a player as Diamond is there seems to be a sort of toxicity around her. I could be way off base but I see the smoke and I am looking for the fire.

Not all of us thought she was coming here.

 

[bags27]

As most of you know, during the Tenn-S Carolina game Delino DeShields tweeted the following: Just try to imagine if Diamond DeShields had come to UCONN and these tweets were directed at Geno Auriemma instead of Holly Warlick. I would not want to be in the room at that particular moment.

Actually, so long as I had somewhere to duck behind, I'd give a lot to be in that room!

 

[msf22b]

As most of you know, during the Tenn-S Carolina game Delino DeShields tweeted the following...

I don't mean to pick on Diamond DeShields as she's really just a kid and perhaps her father just had a bad day and let his emotions get the best of him. All I know is that Geno and staff look at many, many things when recruiting a player, including families and this seems to be working out OK.

Imprudent of Delino to send public messages, for sure
But;
Holly was having a typical brain-dead game on National TV.
He and tens of thousands of Vols fans were freaking out
(and invited to a reprise performance this very afternoon).
Perhaps, a smidgen of sympathy is called for.

 

[JellyBean]

Wow. I am not surprised by this behavior. But it makes it tough on the kid, in this case Diamond. This is a coaches worst fear and headache. Hopefully Holly puts a stop to it. Otherwise this is going to grow and get worse.

 

[cabbie191]

The unfortunate tale of this year's Tennessee team highlights something extraordinary about UConn.

One of the most remarkable things about UConn women's basketball is how admirably healthy and mature the girls and the culture are. It appears, by all accounts, to be a happy, highly supportive and very hard working little community. I believe this is hard to build and takes a lot of time to establish. They also seem to be bright, articulate and capable students on the whole.

I think girls who have the temperament and maturity to appreciate and participate in it can pick up on it and are drawn to it. Lexi Gordon seems an example.

We are so fortunate to be able to follow this team and enjoy the beautiful basketball they produce!

Amen to what you write! And it is precisely for these reasons that I have never been too upset when a UConn player decides to leave. I've thought that if someone leaves, there's a good reason for it, and the decision in the long run will be better for the team and the player. (Though I was sad when EDD left!)

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I remember thinking when Diamond was being recruited by UConn and everyone thought she was coming...Tonyc was absolutely sure she was coming...then came the North Carolina bonanza and all those players verballed at the same time. I remember my stomach dropped to my feet and I thought, "Oh my God"....they are going to win a championship. Diamond was the lynch-pin to that recruiting bonanza for North Carolina. I think Sylvia even had to get a couple of kids (sisters I think) to decommit so she could get all those kids on the roster. I think the recruiter who pulled that off ended up leaving North Carolina...the bottom fell out and one by one those kids who had all committed to North Carolina started transferring out. It was one of the most bizarre twists of events I have ever seen in women's college basketball. In fact, if you think back there was another girl who Diamond played AAU basketball with Kaela Davis. For about a year or two it looked like they would be a package deal...then all of a sudden Kaela left the AAU team and joined another... I remember thinking then that there must be a back story that isn't being told... With all these recent happenings which seem to surround Diamond I think I was right... As good a player as Diamond is there seems to be a sort of toxicity around her. I could be way off base but I see the smoke and I am looking for the fire.

It's interesting that you say that. As you may know, Kaela Davis transferred to South Carolina and so did Allisha Gray. I've observed these two during their "sit-out" season and they are both wonderfully supportive teammates even though they aren't playing this season. Diamond DeShields also looked into transferring to USC and even visited here before Tennessee, if my memory serves me right. I'm so glad that DeShields didn't end up here because I could definitely see her upsetting team chemistry.

 

[Mdoggie]

Amen to what you write! And it is precisely for these reasons that I have never been too upset when a UConn player decides to leave. I've thought that if someone leaves, there's a good reason for it, and the decision in the long run will be better for the team and the player. (Though I was sad when EDD left!)

I never believed EDD reasoning for leaving. The team was fine without her. Undefeated. It would have been unfair to all teams had she stayed.

 

[Mdoggie]

It's interesting that you say that. As you may know, Kaela Davis transferred to South Carolina and so did Allisha Gray. I've observed these two during their "sit-out" season and they are both wonderfully supportive teammates even though they aren't playing this season. Diamond DeShields also looked into transferring to USC and even visited here before Tennessee, if my memory serves me right. I'm so glad that DeShields didn't end up here because I could definitely see her upsetting team chemistry.

Do you not think DS could reign her in?

 

[trb123]

When, as a freshman, Breanna Stewart was asked what she hoped to accomplish at UCONN and she answered "Win four National Championships" I didn't find it at all arrogant or egotistical.

After winning her 2nd NC, Ann Strother said "I did not come here to win 2 championships. I came to win 4." (or something close) She could not accomplish it. But I liked her spirit.

 

[iri10]

With the benefit of hindsight it is easy to talk about Diamond's tweeting father/etc. issues now, and compare them to what Geno prefers in a recruit. But back then, Geno wanted Diamond on his team as badly as everybody else.

Would he have recruited her so heavily with today's hindsight? I couldn't say for sure, but my guess would be "no." The lesson: recruiting is an imprecise science, even for those with a proven track record at it.

 

[Kibitzer]

But back then, Geno wanted Diamond on his team as badly as everybody else.

Hmm. If that was so, it's just one more time that Geno dropped the ball.

 

[JS]

Imprudent of Delino to send public messages, for sure

As he acknowledged.

 

[Hoopz]

Overbearing parents and AAU coaches are changing the game. If things aren't going their way they start shopping around for a different school. They aren't taught to work hard and compete any more.

 

[cabbie191]

With the benefit of hindsight it is easy to talk about Diamond's tweeting father/etc. issues now, and compare them to what Geno prefers in a recruit. But back then, Geno wanted Diamond on his team as badly as everybody else.

Would he have recruited her so heavily with today's hindsight? I couldn't say for sure, but my guess would be "no." The lesson: recruiting is an imprecise science, even for those with a proven track record at it.

One of these unprovable scenarios IMO.

I posit that had DD come to UConn, there is a better than even chance that she would have bought into the coaches' system And if she didn't buy in, or if her current behavior is absolutely reflective of her regardless of the situations she finds herself in, she would have been one of the earliest exits in the team's history.

In either case, most likely things never would have gotten to the point where her dad would be feeling the need to complain on social media. He's either happy, or too late, his daughter is no longer in Storrs.

 

[Bgillon]

With the benefit of hindsight it is easy to talk about Diamond's tweeting father/etc. issues now, and compare them to what Geno prefers in a recruit. But back then, Geno wanted Diamond on his team as badly as everybody else.

Would he have recruited her so heavily with today's hindsight? I couldn't say for sure, but my guess would be "no." The lesson: recruiting is an imprecise science, even for those with a proven track record at it.

I am not sure why you know exactly how hard Geno and staff recruited her and maybe more accurately, that Geno toward the end of recruiting realized her parental dynamic and backed away. Sometimes it helps to qualify one's opinion as opinion and not state as fact

 

[iamcbs]

Simply said, there isn't a coach or program in the country, Geno included, who didn't want or wouldn't have taken Diamond DeShields. All of this speculation and conjecture about a player who doesn't even play at Connecticut is funny. It's similar to the tOSU Football Message boards where fans talk more about Jim Harbaugh than they do about Urban Meyer. Diamond made her choice and UConn is none the worse for it. Let Tennessee deal with Diamond and the baggage she brings.

 

[UcMiami]

I think it is not a good thing to single DD out in this thread. The situation we are speaking about happens a lot of places with a lot of athletes and their parents and DD just happens to be the poster child based on a single and very ill advised action from her dad during what is turning out to be a disaster of a season at TN.

Geno definitely went hard for DD.
DD chose UNC and the infamous class of stars. And she did say something about UNC being a situation that would allow her to express herself on the court.
DD did leave UNC after a highly acclaimed freshman year (a decision that still seems strange to me, but maybe something is really wrong there because the whole rest of that infamous class has followed suit a year later.)
TN is a disaster this year - does DD bear some of the responsibility, probably, but I can't see any player covering themselves with glory on that team. And I think it is more coaches than players that have driven that bus off a cliff.

 

[reno tony]

I saw an interview with her and she was asked if she was the best HS player to come out of Georgia, including Maya Moore, and she said "of course". How can you not like a kid with that sense of humor.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

It's interesting that you say that. As you may know, Kaela Davis transferred to South Carolina and so did Allisha Gray. I've observed these two during their "sit-out" season and they are both wonderfully supportive teammates even though they aren't playing this season. Diamond DeShields also looked into transferring to USC and even visited here before Tennessee, if my memory serves me right. I'm so glad that DeShields didn't end up here because I could definitely see her upsetting team chemistry.

Speaking of chemistry, what happens to Ohio State next year? They will have Sierra Calhoun eligible, who bailed on Duke. They will also have Stephanie Mavunga, who bailed on UNC. They already have two transfers on the roster this year: Shayla Cooper who left Georgetown (completely rational and understandable), and Kianna Holland, who also left Duke. They lose only one significant senior (Ameryst Alston), while adding three five-star (Hoopgurlz) freshmen. That sounds like a lot of talent, and a big load of high expectations for playing time, all coming together at once. And the new arrivals/eligibles will be coming to a team that already proved itself to be one of the best in the country. So does Ohio State face a chemistry problem like Tennessee did this year?