A Good Read: Dee Dee Jernigan (Former Xavier Player)

[triaddukefan]

A good read...... though filled with tragedy and sadness. I still remember it as if it had happened yesterday. I've never felt such pain and anguish for a non-Duke WCBB player as I did watching that Regional Final.

Denied on the doorstep of the Final Four: Two shots she'll never forget

A lil snippet

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- This is where Dee Dee Jernigan gets nervous.

She's inside the lane, frozen where the rim and backboard meet, staring up at the basket. It doesn't matter that she hasn't been on a court in months or played in a game in years, this moment doesn't get any easier.

Jernigan still can't shoot a layup, even in an empty, quiet gym, without thinking about that night.

As soon as the buzzer sounded that Monday night in 2010, Jernigan's life changed forever.

Her college career ended in the most public, humiliating way, and basketball, the one constant, no longer offered any respite. Instead, it was more grief for someone who still hadn't mourned the death of her mother four years earlier and had nowhere to turn for support.

When she needed someone -- anyone -- no one was there. No one on her team talked to her.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I read this article when it first came out, and it was pretty heavily discussed on our Stanford board, because that game is one of our fans' all-time highlights, but lost in our happy memories was the sad story few of us heard about afterward. None of us had any idea how appallingly poorly she was treated after it happened:

When the Musketeers arrived back on campus, Jernigan said she had an inbox full of hate mail. They told her how terrible she was and said that she'd blown any chance of playing in the WNBA.

I was, however, very gratified to read the following:

But there was some good sprinkled in. Jernigan remembers an encouraging letter from a woman who worked for the Washington Mystics. She received similar messages from people who worked at Stanford, as well as Cardinal fans.

It cannot be said enough that the 18-22-year-olds who put their time, energy, health, and wellbeing on the line night after night, for nothing more than our entertainment, deserve nothing but respect and admiration the second they get off the court. I'm glad to see many of my fellow alums felt similarly.

I hope she's turned the corner and will have a bright future ahead of her.

 

[Magy Cannon]

A good read...... though filled with tragedy and sadness. I still remember it as if it had happened yesterday. I've never felt such pain and anguish for a non-Duke WCBB player as I did watching that Regional Final.

Denied on the doorstep of the Final Four: Two shots she'll never forget

A lil snippet

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- This is where Dee Dee Jernigan gets nervous.

She's inside the lane, frozen where the rim and backboard meet, staring up at the basket. It doesn't matter that she hasn't been on a court in months or played in a game in years, this moment doesn't get any easier.

Jernigan still can't shoot a layup, even in an empty, quiet gym, without thinking about that night.

As soon as the buzzer sounded that Monday night in 2010, Jernigan's life changed forever.

Her college career ended in the most public, humiliating way, and basketball, the one constant, no longer offered any respite. Instead, it was more grief for someone who still hadn't mourned the death of her mother four years earlier and had nowhere to turn for support.

When she needed someone -- anyone -- no one was there. No one on her team talked to her.

Reminds me of Duke's Lindsay Harding missing both free throws.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Reminds me of Duke's Lindsay Harding missing both free throws.

I was there. She was a very good player, and it didn't hamper her future career. But boy, were we Rutgers fans happy!!

 

[triaddukefan]

Reminds me of Duke's Lindsay Harding missing both free throws.

Aw man........ you didn't have to mention that

I was there. She was a very good player, and it didn't hamper her future career. But boy, were we Rutgers fans happy!!

I was there as well. And yes, the Rutgers fans were happy