A article on Diamond DeShields | The Boneyard

A article on Diamond DeShields

eebmg

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That is an exhausting article. Definitely a rocky road.

I was surprised by this quote

Says former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick, bluntly: "She could have worked harder for us. I think she gets it now. She's got a maturity level to her now that she probably didn't have in college."

I am not sure if this is a well known quote from Holly and when she actually made it in relation to her Post Collegiate career? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

I am assuming she was still TN Head Coach???
 

SVCBeercats

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That is an exhausting article. Definitely a rocky road. I was surprised by this quote Says former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick, bluntly: "She could have worked harder for us. I think she gets it now. She's got a maturity level to her now that she probably didn't have in college." I am not sure if this is a well known quote from Holly and when she actually made it in relation to her Post Collegiate career? I am assuming she was still TN Head Coach???

Holly was spot on.
 

Carnac

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Knowing what we knew about DeShields' skill set, is there anyone here that doubted that Diamond would have this level of success professionally? I saw it (the raw potential) when she was a freshman at North Carolina at 18 years old. She was an extremely confident "diva" then. Nothing has changed.
 
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MilfordHusky

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Can she be the greatest player in the game? Let's be fair and not have ridiculous expectations. I think a better question is, can she be one of the best players in the game? As long as Stewie and EDD are around, I don't see Diamond being the best. But she has improved each year and has as much athleticism as anyone. Let's see her make the All-Star game a few more times and then All-WNBA.
 

eebmg

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Wearing those cool shades is half the battle. Yes, I know they are medical.

46295
 

Carnac

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Can she be the greatest player in the game? Let's be fair and not have ridiculous expectations. I think a better question is, can she be one of the best players in the game? As long as Stewie and EDD are around, I don't see Diamond being the best. But she has improved each year and has as much athleticism as anyone. Let's see her make the All-Star game a few more times and then All-WNBA.

The parameters for being “great” would have to be firmly established and agreed upon first. I can think of 5-6 players right now off the top of my head that are considered great, that in my humble opinion she will never eclipse. I give you Taurasi, Tameka Catchings and Maya Moore for starters. I don’t think she’ll ever be as good as Elena Delle Donne either.

There are several other older players that played in the league's formative years whose names are in the records books too. Jennifer Azzi, Becky Hammond, Sheryl Swoops, Deanna Nolan, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Betty Lennox, Kate Smith, Lauren Jackson, etc. All of these ladies were stars in their day. There’s good and then there’s great. Right now she’s good.
 
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eebmg

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DD's unparalleled athleticism on display in the playoff game . 8pts in Q1. But her outside / midrange shot is not on so far.

Dolson looking good (defense and screens especially) and has only 1 PF.
 

Bigboote

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That was an interesting article, if a bit rambling. I find Diamond a bit of an enigma. On the one hand she projects this supreme confidence. On the other hand she seems to have a, I dunno, vulnerability? Or maybe that confidence is misplaced? If she was really that confident, I don't think she'd second-guess herself or change her mind so much.

I find her a fascinating person, and if you get beyond all that bluster, there's a certain charm to her. And she's a lot of fun to watch when she's playing under control.
 

MilfordHusky

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Diamond had a very nice first playoff game. Along with Sloot, Stef, et al., she helped the Sky put up 61 points in the second half against Phoenix. Chicago at Vegas on Sunday. The Sky will try to run and then run some more.
 
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Deshields can be one of if not the best guard in the WNBA in 2-3 years.
I don't think she can be the best player because she isn't a power forward and can't affect games like EDD/Stewart/Wilson.
 
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No one can deny that DeShields has talent. Count me as one who believes she didn't always bring her best game when she was in college. Count me as another who doesn't believe she is a transcendent player along the lines of Stewart, EDD, Maya and company. However it appears she's been putting up great numbers this year and the Sky are much improved.
 
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That is an exhausting article. Definitely a rocky road.

I was surprised by this quote

Says former Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick, bluntly: "She could have worked harder for us. I think she gets it now. She's got a maturity level to her now that she probably didn't have in college."

I am not sure if this is a well known quote from Holly and when she actually made it in relation to her Post Collegiate career? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

I am assuming she was still TN Head Coach???

Let's be clear: It's up to the coach to shape and motivate young players. And let's be clear that in the year before DD showed up at Tennessee, she performed as one of the finest players in NCAA women's basketball, earning a ROY designation (FOY?) in the ACC.

Holly failed to get DD to play at her best. But Holly also chronically failed to get her other players, and her teams, to perform at the level of their talent. It is telling that Holly blames others for her failure as a coach.

No wonder that she was fired, and not her team.
 

CocoHusky

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Let's be clear: It's up to the coach to shape and motivate young players. And let's be clear that in the year before DD showed up at Tennessee, she performed as one of the finest players in NCAA women's basketball, earning a ROY designation (FOY?) in the ACC.
Holly failed to get DD to play at her best. But Holly also chronically failed to get her other players, and her teams, to perform at the level of their talent. It is telling that Holly blames others for her failure as a coach.
No wonder that she was fired, and not her team.
It is probably more accurate to say it is up to the coach "help" shape and motivate young players. True motivation though is the same as discipline and must be personal & internal. DD was the National Freshman of the year in WCBB and abandoned her UNC team that took # 1 seeded South Carolina to the wire. In the process DD also abondondoned 3 teammates who she had personally recruited to go to UNC as well as Te'a Cooper who committed to follow DD to UNC. All of this could be attributed to DD being young and immature until she abandoned her TN team. As inept as Holly was this is not one I think we get to pin on Holly. The Holly quote which @eebmg posted speaks volumes-about Diamond! Sounds like Diamond has grown up a lot. I'm not surprised that her basketball game has also mature because the talent was always there.
 

eebmg

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It is probably more accurate to say it is up to the coach "help" shape and motivate young players. True motivation though is the same as discipline and must be personal & internal. DD was the National Freshman of the year in WCBB and abandoned her UNC team that took # 1 seeded South Carolina to the wire. In the process DD also abondondoned 3 teammates who she had personally recruited to go to UNC as well as Te'a Cooper who committed to follow DD to UNC. All of this could be attributed to DD being young and immature until she abandoned her TN team. As inept as Holly was this is not one I think we get to pin on Holly. The Holly quote which @eebmg posted speaks volumes-about Diamond! Sounds like Diamond has grown up a lot. I'm not surprised that her basketball game has also mature because the talent was always there.

I think if your coach is inept (or simply over matched) , it is really difficult for a player to give maximum effort.
 

CocoHusky

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I think if your coach is inept (or simply over matched) , it is really difficult for a player to give maximum effort.
Maybe. But I also firmly believe that most/many players actually don't know what maximum effort looks like.

Geno on KLS:
"“You are not in California anymore. You are allowed to get in a stance in this part of the country. You won’t get arrested if you get into a defensive stance. You can put your hand up, too. Nobody will say a bad thing about you. And you are allowed to go after rebounds. You will actually get rewarded. Even if you don’t get the rebound, try. There are so many things that she does well, but when you are a good shooter and you don’t see the ball go in as much, you start to pout and feel sorry for yourself and you forget all the other things you are really good at.”

UConn freshman Katie Lou Samuelson earns trust from Auriemma
 

bbsamjj

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Someone on ESPN (maybe Katie Douglas?) compared Diamond DeShields to a Deanna Nolan. Nolan was more a pure SG and DeShields is more a pure SF, but they have very similar perimeter games. Rebecca Lobo said she thought DeShields could reach a Maya Moore level if she really wanted to.
 

bballnut90

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Someone on ESPN (maybe Katie Douglas?) compared Diamond DeShields to a Deanna Nolan. Nolan was more a pure SG and DeShields is more a pure SF, but they have very similar perimeter games. Rebecca Lobo said she thought DeShields could reach a Maya Moore level if she really wanted to.

I thought Diamond would thrive or fade in the league since she never appeared to have the best effort at Tennessee despite being so physically gifted. Wasn't sure if she'd fade out like an Amber Harris or blossom. She's clearly blossoming and I think Nolan is a pretty good comparison in terms of Deshields' potential. Nolan was a much more polished played than Diamond, and while Deshields has improved still needs a lot of work on her outside shot and consistency. Potential is there and she's starting to achieve it.

I'll be very surprised if Diamond develops into the best player in the world. I think others around her age like Stewart, Wilson and Jones are all superior players who I don't see Diamond eclipsing, but we'll see what happens.
 

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If Diamond suddenly started shooting 40% from 3 she'd be as good as any perimeter player in the world. As it is, she's effective enough that opponents have to respect her jumper but she doesn't shoot well enough to be at the Maya Moore level.

She's already very good, though, and she should still be on an upward trajectory. I feel like she's starting to get more consistent already, which is important. We're seeing a lot less of what I would refer to as "bad Diamond" where she would take ill-advised shots and make reckless turnovers. And she's getting better at affecting the game when her shot isn't falling.
 
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eebmg

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If Diamond suddenly started shooting 40% from 3 she'd be as good as any perimeter player in the world. As it is, she's effective enough that she opponents have to respect her jumper but she doesn't shoot well enough to be at the Maya Moore level.

She's already very good, though, and she should still be on an upward trajectory. I feel like she's starting to get more consistent already, which is important. We're seeing a lot less of what I would refer to as "bad Diamond" where she would take ill-advised shots and make reckless turnovers. And she's getting better at affecting the game when her shot isn't falling.

and I would say her intensity is very Mayaesque. She has really really surprised me and she has become one of the most entertaining players to watch.
 

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