DeShields leaving UT, going professional | Page 3 | The Boneyard

DeShields leaving UT, going professional

CocoHusky said:
Anyone else find it odd that Holly would specifically mention Dunbar (a senior) and Westbrook ( a freshman) in an announcement about a departing Diamond?
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I guess she was reassuring the fan base that KD and Westbrook would be joining the team. There has been lots of questions about the two not being enrolled or on campus.
 
CocoHusky said:
Anyone else find it odd that Holly would specifically mention Dunbar (a senior) and Westbrook ( a freshman) in an announcement about a departing Diamond?
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I think they are the only 2 players not currently enrolled in the 1st summer session.
 
bags27 said:
I've ridiculed DD's play over the past couple of years as much as anyone has. But at times she was electrifying, and, since their playoff run in Spring 2016, overall she's been better than she's been bad. Sure, she might have been a toxic influence on the fab four frosh. But she might have grown up a bit and taken the burden of senior leadership. It would have been good for everyone. Now, she'll surely be an undisciplined pro, getting pretty fair money because she's a crowd-pleaser. But who would want her on an Olympic team or anywhere where team play is demanded? Really sad to waste such natural talent.

As to it being a near-miss disaster if she had chosen UConn, I would very much have liked to have seen that: wonder if the program would have shaped her or whether she would have transferred out....
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These would have been her only two options at UCONN, and it wouldn't have taken long until she had to make the choice.
 
CocoHusky said:
Anyone else find it odd that Holly would specifically mention Dunbar (a senior) and Westbrook ( a freshman) in an announcement about a departing Diamond?
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I don't think I've ever heard Holly say anything that wasn't odd. She keeps saying the same thing year after year. How great the chemistry is, how well the team is progressing, yada yada.
 
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According to Swish Appeal's sources:

According to multiple Swish Appeal sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Diamond DeShields had been considering leaving for the last month, after returning home to Georgia following the spring semester and graduation.

The forced exit of her best friend, Te'a Cooper, sources say was also a factor in the decision of DeShields to forego a fifth year in college, and pursue professional basketball.

Exclusive: Why DeShields decided to leave Tennessee
 
UConnCat said:
According to Swish Appeal's sources:

According to multiple Swish Appeal sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Diamond DeShields had been considering leaving for the last month, after returning home to Georgia following the spring semester and graduation.

The forced exit of her best friend, Te'a Cooper, sources say was also a factor in the decision of DeShields to forego a fifth year in college, and pursue professional basketball.

Exclusive: Why DeShields decided to leave Tennessee
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It seemed odd that she didn't decide before the draft. Does it always have to be as a result of what happens with some other player? Wasn't Cooper a big reason she went to UT to begin with?
 
Okay some of you guys have said that you have inside contacts within the LVols. Where is all of the DD hate coming from?

She bailed out on UNC? My understanding is that she left because of the academic fraud investigation going on and the women's basketball team receiving a lot of the blame.

How is/did she poison UNC, UT?

I don't have a dog in the fight. I'm just trying to understand the criticism she receives. (Yes she is a ball hog but where is all the rest coming from)
 
cferraro04 said:
I said this all along from the moment she transferred to Tennessee. I knew she would not finish her last year and would go pro instead. No surprise for me...here... The surprise was...up to this point she had said she was coming back...now, that declaration threw me for a loop. And, BAM! Here we are, things are as expected.

Can't wait to see Margo's next video... lol :)
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I'm sure you were expecting her to WNBA-pro tho... without all this additional drama! sort of like how the South Carolina girls did, declare for the WNBA draft. So I wouldn't say you was right
 
MilfordHusky said:
I was fairly sure that Diamond would leave after last season, so I was surprised that she chose not to enter the draft. In no way did I see her leaving at this time of year under these circumstances.

There appears to be a lot of stuff going on in Knoxville, maybe not all of which is Diamond's fault, but this shows her limited commitment to the team. I thought that she could be a poor influence on the freshmen and might screw up the careers of all four. I agree with Cat that this is probably good for the LVs in the long run. They certainly have a lot of talent--top 5-10 talent--even without her.

BTW, Diamond's former teammates Alisha Gray and Kaela Davis are doing pretty well.
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well said
 
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Blueballer said:
It seemed odd that she didn't decide before the draft. Does it always have to be as a result of what happens with some other player? Wasn't Cooper a big reason she went to UT to begin with?
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I believe Diamond was sincere in wanting to return to Tennessee to improve her game and have some post-season success. She had just watched her friend/rival Kaela Davis win a national championship at South Carolina and I'm sure Diamond wanted her college resume to include more individual and/or team accomplishments. Circumstances changed as soon Te'a Cooper was forced to leave Tennessee.
 
and i would add that if she left b/c cooper left then that is even more absurd. and this is why i have always wanted holly to be more of a coach and less of a friend. CLEARLY these players thought they could just do whatever they want and still be playing. there is some cleaning house going on in knoxville and before people characterize it as people leaving TN, maybe we should think about whether holly is actually telling people BYE.
 
YellwJcket999 said:
Okay some of you guys have said that you have inside contacts within the LVols. Where is all of the DD hate coming from?

She bailed out on UNC? My understanding is that she left because of the academic fraud investigation going on and the women's basketball team receiving a lot of the blame.

How is/did she poison UNC, UT?

I don't have a dog in the fight. I'm just trying to understand the criticism she receives. (Yes she is a ball hog but where is all the rest coming from)
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Trying to be as objective as possible:

At the time of her recruitment, Pat was dealing with the Alzheimer's issue and that may have caused DD to take a serious pause. So what does she do? Becomes instrumental in assembling one terrific freshman class at UNC - her, Mavunga, Gray, and Washington. Then she promptly bails on her teammates after 1 year, leaving them flying in the wind. Ultimately all of them left UNC, but she went to Tennessee, where supposedly her heart always was.

Almost immediately after her decision to transfer to Tenn, Cooper announces she's going there - a top 20 kid who many Tenn fans thought was a top 5 kid, and was great friends with DD.

She has flashes of brilliance while at Tenn, punctuated by lazy and disinterested play on the court. Her attitude and demeanor was not one of a hard working kid trying to do her best, but rather a surly, spoiled kid who could play any damn way she choose since the coaches would never hold her accountable. I think it was mostly that attitude over the past 2 years that helped cause people to sour even more on her. Add to it a WAY overly involved father who publicly called out Holly on twitter after a loss saying something like "of course you are going to lose when you don't put your best player in the game".

LVol fans who claimed to "know" the real DD said she was a wonderful person. I don't know about that. Breanna Stewart, twice the player DD was in college, signed her LOI on the hood of her car. She's a sweetheart to her core. THAT is a wonderful person and UCONN is chock full of kids like that.

Anyway flash forward to this year and Cooper, the PG of the future, leaves the team apparently after instigating a fight with Jaime Nared.

Meanwhile, instead of choosing to leave and enter the draft, DD publicly comes out saying she's committed to her senior year and decides to stay in college (also says she wants to mentor the great freshman class Holly recruited). Not 2 months later, she chooses to leave school for a "professional career". Where - on Mars? She can't enter the WNBA now but I suppose she could go play in China or Turkey or some other country after the WNBA season is up... If that was ALL she did, it might not make so many people turn on her, but she has a history of being a selfish person and player as evidenced by all her actions over the years. If I had to guess, I'd say that's mostly why people aren't sympathetic to her.
 
i agree with the above post----tn wanted to win with DD but there is little sympathy for her...most fans are relieved the head games are over.
 
Holly's response to the tweet controversy.

Warlick clarified her tweet to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

"“People were asking me if I was OK; the tweet was intended to say I’m OK,” Warlick said. “People who know my character know that wasn’t intended at Diamond. That’s the truth. I don’t tweet negative stuff. I apologize if it offended anyone.
 
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I'm thinking the happiest person in Knoxville is Jaime Nared. She was always our best player but played second fiddle to the DD show
 
I was about to say Holly is lying about the tweet incident, because it usually only replace the okay with an hand ok emoji emoji. But I just looked on my iPhone and the phrase I'm okay does really change to a smiley face emoji. She still shouldn't have tweeted though.
 
LadyVols9 said:
Holly's response to the tweet controversy.

Warlick clarified her tweet to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

"“People were asking me if I was OK; the tweet was intended to say I’m OK,” Warlick said. “People who know my character know that wasn’t intended at Diamond. That’s the truth. I don’t tweet negative stuff. I apologize if it offended anyone.
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Wow. Even worse. So the cover story is that she is too stupid and clueless to anticipate this reaction to her juvenile tweet. Holly is an idiot and an embarassment. Probably a nice person but so unqualified for her position and undeserving of that money and legacy it is ridiculous. Here's an idea Holly, tweet "I'm OK" if you absolutely need to tweet to assure the masses that Diamond DeShields hasn't put you on suicide watch. Tweet "Don't fret everyone. Me and my hundreds of thousands of dollars for poor results are ok. "

Here's another suggestion: you're a grown woman and a head coach at a premier women's basketball program. You are above tweeting emojis like a twelve year old girl.

Tennessee is a cesspool and they deserve every bit of this.
 
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YellwJcket999 said:
Okay some of you guys have said that you have inside contacts within the LVols. Where is all of the DD hate coming from?

She bailed out on UNC? My understanding is that she left because of the academic fraud investigation going on and the women's basketball team receiving a lot of the blame.
How is/did she poison UNC, UT?
I don't have a dog in the fight. I'm just trying to understand the criticism she receives. (Yes she is a ball hog but where is all the rest coming from)
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It is not hate, more like shade. The genesis of it was when Diamond convinced several other players (Mavunga, Gray ...) to join her at NC and then bailed after what was a largely successful 1 year. Success at UNC included Diamond being named NFOY and the #4 UNC team beating #1 South Carolina in sweet sixteen of the 2014 NCAA tournament . In order to make scholarships available for Diamond and her friends UNC reneged of scholarship for the Day twins, who were from NC and ultimately ended up playing at Syracuse.
The "ball hogging" aspect of the shade should also not be overlooked and it probably the biggest contributor at least equal to her being a high volume, low accuracy shooter/chucker. Diamond is a gifted athlete who is cheating both her gifts and the game of basketball because she has not shown the ability to make her teammates better or the ability to responds positively to coaching. Bailing on TN was a predictable behavior for Diamond & this shade has been well earned.
 
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vowelguy said:
Whoa.
This was tweeted minutes ago:


Holly Warlick‏Verified account @HollyWarlick
1f60a.png
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All class, this coach.
 
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that she is now leaving UT to go pro. I am now wondering who in the world is mentoring/talking to her. Leaving after having made such a public announcement of staying is just poor taste (not to mention a horrible decision). Now hearing all of this. IDK Diamond smh.
 
LadyVols9 said:
Holly's response to the tweet controversy.

Warlick clarified her tweet to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

"“People were asking me if I was OK; the tweet was intended to say I’m OK,” Warlick said. “People who know my character know that wasn’t intended at Diamond. That’s the truth. I don’t tweet negative stuff. I apologize if it offended anyone.
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Riiiiiiigggggghhhhhhhhhhhttttttttttt.
 
I can remember when she assembled her crew and declared for NC. Remember that was also a huge surprise. It was obvious to me why she did that. With NC on the decline under unstructured coach, combined with DD bringing in her talented group, it gave her incredible leverage on that team. She could pretty much play any way she wanted. I remember the excitement on the NC site as the fans discussed how early their multiple championship run would begin. I responded by posting " All that glitters is not Gold". It was obvious, to me anyway, that the program would implode. I had seen this happen before in the Mens College Basketball, where a coach ended up with little to no control over his players. Those sort of teams inveritably underachieve due to inconsistency resulting from a lack of discipline.

I doubt she left purely because of the scandal. That was just a good cover. She left because the team underachieved her own expectations. Rather than recognizing a major problem was her own ball dominant undisiplined style, she blamed the program and transferred to TN where the same scenario could then repeat itself. The problem is that her talent has always allowed her to leverage certain types of programs to accommodate her style at the expense of team chemistry. She is the antithesis of someone who makes the players around her better.

Ironically, there are enough coaches and programs available that will enable players like her. This allows them to avoid the vary coaches and programs that would help them develop not only as players, but also as mature well rounded individuals. That is what sports programs were originally designed to do.
 
vowelguy said:
When I saw it suggested this morning I thought it was just wild speculation, and was tempted to chastise the post for rumor mongering!

When did they change the name of the city from Knoxville to Knots Landing?
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I prefer Nutsville. It's always been all about the big smoke machine, the bling and the zing there. I always have this visual image of Ann Strother in her hotel room during her recruiting visit to Vol-land, surrounded by bottomless bowls of caramels and an endless supply of grape soda. She was smart enough to see through the glitz and fritz.
 
willtalk said:
I can remember when she assembled her crew and declared for NC. Remember that was also a huge surprise. It was obvious to me why she did that. With NC on the decline under unstructured coach, combined with DD bringing in her talented group, it gave her incredible leverage on that team. She could pretty much play any way she wanted. I remember the excitement on the NC site as the fans discussed how early their multiple championship run would begin. I responded by posting " All that glitters is not Gold". It was obvious, to me anyway, that the program would implode. I had seen this happen before in the Mens College Basketball, where a coach ended up with little to no control over his players. Those sort of teams inveritably underachieve due to inconsistency resulting from a lack of discipline.

I doubt she left purely because of the scandal. That was just a good cover. She left because the team underachieved her own expectations. Rather than recognizing a major problem was her own ball dominant undisiplined style, she blamed the program and transferred to TN where the same scenario could then repeat itself. The problem is that her talent has always allowed her to leverage certain types of programs to accommodate her style at the expense of team chemistry. She is the antithesis of someone who makes the players around her better.

Ironically, there are enough coaches and programs available that will enable players like her. This allows them to avoid the vary coaches and programs that would help them develop not only as players, but also as mature well rounded individuals. That is what sports programs were originally designed to do.
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They didnt really underachieve that season........ if the regional final was anywhere other than Stanford's home court.... they most likely would have made the final 4. Not that I was complaining
 
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