Diamond Deshields officially to Tennessee

[LadyVols9]

If Holly does a good job, TN will get to TB.... it is all up to her, much more so than the players.... got to develop the defense, overhaul the offense, adjust tactically, and insist on discipline, particularly on offense.

that is a 110% honest and fair assessment.

 

[Icebear]

^^^^The reason why visitors feel unwelcome!

As has been said before it is always important to remember that one is a guest and that the central gathering point here has always been UCONN women's basketball. There are numerous guests that are welcome. Truth is all are. It is more about content and every move involving TN.

Many guests have posted here for many years. Few feel the need to post anything and everything having to do with their team and virtually all are teams UCONN currently plays are are therefore much more relevant to UCONN basketball than anything Tennessee. Tennessee hasn't been relevant to WCBB for six seasons. When they make it back to the FF or play an in season game with UCONN (which most of us aren't interested in) then they will be relevant. Stanford, Duke, A&M, L-ville, ND, Rutgers, Baylor fans and more share great insights but only on the rare occasion (usually, in the heat of an up coming game) can we all get edgy but with most TN fans it rarely ends.

As I said I'd be glad for a filter because then I wouldn't be bothered by it and I wouldn't make you feel unwelcome. I don't want to simply put every Vol on ignore because some like boxer bring great general insights into WCBB without ever mentioning TN and a couple of others do, too. I apologize if it bothers you but it has changed this board ever since the Summitt went pay and to me it isn't for the better but that is just me and a number of others. Just being honest.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

Haven't we been hearing that for the past few years? Hell, we would have settled this on the court a long time ago if you guys actually wanted to schedule us.

Idk what you all have been hearing for the past few years...I've been here since December!

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think DD impact on the Tenn program will depend on whether or not she actually finishes her college eligibility at Tenn. I suspect that next year while DD sits out her mandatory year...she will complete the course work for her sophomore year. She will play her 2nd year of eligibility while completing course work for her junior year. She will play her third year of eligibility while completing course work for her senior year. Does DD allow her high school classmates to gain a year in the WNBA on her or does she pass on her final year of eligibility and go pro after playing two years at TN. I think she goes to the "W"...

I totally agree.

 

[DaddyChoc]

No, DC, I truly tired of the perpetual LV posts and presence. As I said I would love a way to filter it out because they aren't relevant until they prove they can make the FF.

why read the thread... ignoring it is the best filter

everybody except UConn ND Stanford & Maryland was irrelevant? wow

but ok, another lesson learned smh

 

[geneticrex]

^^^^The reason why visitors feel unwelcome!

I'm new here, although I've lurked for quite some time.....

The main reason I waited so long to sign up is because I have a VERY argumentative streak, that sometimes goes beyond this forum's protocols of respect. I'm a rock/hard rock/heavy metal guitar playing, former hockey and basketball playing drag racer of Italian decent, so I must always remember to measure my responses when I post here.

I actually find the civility here refreshing compared to some of the other forums I post on and the fact that fans of other teams come here makes it all the more attractive in my opinion.

That being said.....

If you ever disagree with ANY of my "thoughtful" assertions, I will HUNT YOU DOWN!!!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I was simply responding to the post. ND losing her at that point in the season did change everything for them. the same way UCONN looked better when KML was back on the court. every news commentator at ESPN noted the problem for ND being their lack of post defense with NA out with an injury. seems like you are going off on a rant for no reason. it was just a thought.

LadyVols9- - - You have to be kidding me, not losing Achonwa for ND wouldn't have made ANY difference in the Finals! What was Natalie to do alone vs Stewart, Dolson, KML, & Stokes! The rest of the inept Golden Domers big people couldn't stop them, in what way was Achonwa gonna cover 4 great bigs by herself! Doris B. said with about 1 minute left in the game having Natalie would have made no difference!

 

[JS]

I apologize if it bothers you but it has changed this board ever since the Summitt went pay and to me it isn't for the better but that is just me and a number of others. Just being honest.

Even friends must take issue with each other occasionally. Whether your post bothers AVF or not, it bothers me.

It bothers me that "being honest," when volunteered, is sometimes bad manners. And when voluntarily explicated, self-indulgent. And when purporting to speak for "a number of others," bootstrapping.

One can think of at least five vol fans who post here with some regularity. Their posts are mostly good-natured, IMO, and well within the rules.

Are they vol-centric? Sure; some more than others.

If you don't like what they're inclined to say don't read them. Put individuals who tend this way on ignore. Invoking the downside of putting them all on hold is a straw man.

I think they add. Just being honest.

 

[LadyVols9]

LadyVols9- - - You have to be kidding me, not losing Achonwa for ND wouldn't have made ANY difference in the Finals! What was Natalie to do alone vs Stewart, Dolson, KML, & Stokes! The rest of the inept Golden Domers big people couldn't stop them, in what way was Achonwa gonna cover 4 great bigs by herself! Doris B. said with about 1 minute left in the game having Natalie would have made no difference!

ND has had tremendous success against UCONN over the last few years. to say that it would not have made "ANY" difference is a little far fetched. Doris Burke's opinion is irrelevant. She's flat out obsessed with UCONN and always has been.

i can assure you if KML was out and UCONN for some reason lost, you would be saying KML would have made a dig difference in the game. again, i don't see the controversy in any of my comments. ND was a HELL of a team last year, led by experienced seniors who also had lots of experience beating UCONN. no team can lose their best rebounder, defender, and senior without it hurting their team. just a fact. it's OK for another team to be super talented too. you guys won anyway so i don't see the issue. anyway, that's all i am gonna say on it. night all

 

[geneticrex]

ND has had tremendous success against UCONN over the last few years. to say that it would not have made "ANY" difference is a little far fetched. Doris Burke's opinion is irrelevant. She's flat out obsessed with UCONN and always has been.

i can assure you if KML was out and UCONN for some reason lost, you would be saying KML would have made a dig difference in the game. again, i don't see the controversy in any of my comments. ND was a HELL of a team last year, led by experienced seniors who also had lots of experience beating UCONN. no team can lose their best rebounder, defender, and senior without it hurting their team. just a fact. it's OK for another team to be super talented too. you guys won anyway so i don't see the issue. anyway, that's all i am gonna say on it. night all

I'll ask again.....

Do you think it would have made a difference had KML not missed chunks of the season with injury and illness, both affecting her condition and natural progression and Banks not tearing her ACL, followed by an ankle injury, completely derailing her effectiveness and had Morgan Tuck not been lost for the season???

What we saw in the previous year's FF was a game where Achonwa was healthy, but Dolson was not and in that game, Tuck was a bigger factor than Achonwa. Achonwa couldn't stop an injured Dolson, Stewart, Tuck, or KML then and she wouldn't have been able to stop them this year.

The success ND's senior enjoyed against UCONN is well documented and in almost every one of those wins, it came down to the last second, overtime, or multiple overtimes. Those days were over the day Stewart found her way and ND stopped getting every call on every flop, as we all witnessed in their last 2 meetings, with all the money on the line.

While losing a player of Achonwa's ability surely hurt ND, losing Tuck, having Banks go from making a huge jump in her sophomore season to an afterthought due to multiple injury and KML unquestionably behind where she would have been barring her issues, FAR outweigh the Achonwa injury, IMO. I only wish I could wave a magic wand and have both teams play again at full strength.

Of course I'd also like to go back and see if ND would have won their only title had UCONN not lost not one, but TWO All-Americans to career ending injuries in DT's freshman campaign, but unfortunately, the world doesn't work like that, so for any team, or fan to bemoan over injury, kinda' makes UCONN fans like me.......smile.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Even friends must take issue with each other occasionally. Whether your post bothers AVF or not, it bothers me.

It bothers me that "being honest," when volunteered, is sometimes bad manners. And when voluntarily explicated, self-indulgent. And when purporting to speak for "a number of others," bootstrapping.

One can think of at least five vol fans who post here with some regularity. Their posts are mostly good-natured, IMO, and well within the rules.

Are they vol-centric? Sure; some more than others.

If you don't like what they're inclined to say don't read them. Put individuals who tend this way on ignore. Invoking the downside of putting them all on hold is a straw man.

I think they add. Just being honest.

well said... and why step down to their level, why turn the BY into the Summitt. we act like were bigger than that but the comments show otherwise. shocked and surprised (sorry for the ranting on your post JS)

 

[DaddyChoc]

ND has had tremendous success against UCONN over the last few years. to say that it would not have made "ANY" difference is a little far fetched. Doris Burke's opinion is irrelevant. She's flat out obsessed with UCONN and always has been.

i can assure you if KML was out and UCONN for some reason lost, you would be saying KML would have made a dig difference in the game. again, i don't see the controversy in any of my comments. ND was a HELL of a team last year, led by experienced seniors who also had lots of experience beating UCONN. no team can lose their best rebounder, defender, and senior without it hurting their team. just a fact. it's OK for another team to be super talented too. you guys won anyway so i don't see the issue. anyway, that's all i am gonna say on it. night all

LV9... I agree Natalie isn't KML. sure she would be a more experienced force in the paint but UConn was clicking on all cylinders in the tourney.

bad thing about injuries is... people using "what ifs". sad as it is we have to play with what's in front of us

 

[tennparker3]

Sometimes I adamantly disagree with what posters have to say on this board and 98% of the time I ignore because it is a UConn board. Then there are a few times where my love for Tennessee tells me, "Hey, be annoying and offer rebuttal." But what I do like is that it is another board to discuss WCBB, plain and simple. In real life I'm laid back and those closest to me can vouch that it takes A LOT to offend me. My parents often call me a sarcastic a** and unfortunately sarcasm or dry humor comes off the wrong way on a message board.

The combativeness between posters also comes from loss of tone through writing on a message board. I know far too often on most message boards comments by me and between others gets taken the wrong way just because of the what the words say, but I feel like most of the conversations that turn into arguments would be cordial discussion if it was face to face because the tone of what one is saying can obviously give a whole new meaning to the message that is being conveyed.

Tennessee and UConn are different from everyone else because nobody has access to their players from the high level of coverage like we do. So we all have a more personal relationship with our teams. We constantly read about them, watch video highlights, and discuss them with each other... far more than other programs do with their recruits and players. That gives us fans between the two programs the fire to take comments we don't agree with and argue it to no end. We care about our programs, and both of them are spectacular in their own right.

The one thing that will most often get me into an argument is when someone flat out says that such and such player sucks. Especially when the girl is 18 or 19, playing D1 hoops and trying her best to grow into a woman, do good in school, and live up to expectations on the court. For example, Mercedes was often attacked on numerous boards this year for not being as good as hoped and now in the offseason we hear of a very painful condition with bunions on her feet and she only missed one practice all year. The attacking of players makes me hostile for the simple reason of that they are doing their best and also happen to be entertaining us with their skills. Don't attack, appreciate. This logic has allowed me to enjoy WCBB as a whole a heck of a lot more.

 

[Icebear]

why read the thread... ignoring it is the best filter

everybody except UConn ND Stanford & Maryland was irrelevant? wow

but ok, another lesson learned smh

Because there are good things often buried among the material. You know how threads wander here.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Because there are good things often buried among the material. You know how threads wander here.

good things tend to make headlines... eventually, we don't need to know everything 1st or right away

this thread is all about DD, Tenn and/or UNC, nothing of interest to you... what good were YOU expecting?

 

[DaddyChoc]

Sometimes I adamantly disagree with what posters have to say on this board and 98% of the time I ignore because it is a UConn board. Then there are a few times where my love for Tennessee tells me, "Hey, be annoying and offer rebuttal." But what I do like is that it is another board to discuss WCBB, plain and simple. In real life I'm laid back and those closest to me can vouch that it takes A LOT to offend me. My parents often call me a sarcastic a** and unfortunately sarcasm or dry humor comes off the wrong way on a message board.

The combativeness between posters also comes from loss of tone through writing on a message board. I know far too often on most message boards comments by me and between others gets taken the wrong way just because of the what the words say, but I feel like most of the conversations that turn into arguments would be cordial discussion if it was face to face because the tone of what one is saying can obviously give a whole new meaning to the message that is being conveyed.

Tennessee and UConn are different from everyone else because nobody has access to their players from the high level of coverage like we do. So we all have a more personal relationship with our teams. We constantly read about them, watch video highlights, and discuss them with each other... far more than other programs do with their recruits and players. That gives us fans between the two programs the fire to take comments we don't agree with and argue it to no end. We care about our programs, and both of them are spectacular in their own right.

The one thing that will most often get me into an argument is when someone flat out says that such and such player sucks. Especially when the girl is 18 or 19, playing D1 hoops and trying her best to grow into a woman, do good in school, and live up to expectations on the court. For example, Mercedes was often attacked on numerous boards this year for not being as good as hoped and now in the offseason we hear of a very painful condition with bunions on her feet and she only missed one practice all year. The attacking of players makes me hostile for the simple reason of that they are doing their best and also happen to be entertaining us with their skills. Don't attack, appreciate. This logic has allowed me to enjoy WCBB as a whole a heck of a lot more.

I agree... accept people as human beings not for the color of their jersey. Yes, WCBB is great when you can put all the nonsense in the closet

 

[Icebear]

good things tend to make headlines... eventually, we don't need to know everything 1st or right away

this thread is all about DD, Tenn and/or UNC, nothing of interest to you... what good were YOU expecting?

I know given the number already locked about DD or TN I should have known. But what I am talking about is much broader than this thread.

 

[DaddyChoc]

eventually this will be locked as well... (sadly, right up your alley)

 

[HuskyNan]

As has been said before it is always important to remember that one is a guest and that the central gathering point here has always been UCONN women's basketball. There are numerous guests that are welcome. Truth is all are. It is more about content and every move involving TN.

Many guests have posted here for many years. Few feel the need to post anything and everything having to do with their team and virtually all are teams UCONN currently plays are are therefore much more relevant to UCONN basketball than anything Tennessee. Tennessee hasn't been relevant to WCBB for six seasons. When they make it back to the FF or play an in season game with UCONN (which most of us aren't interested in) then they will be relevant. Stanford, Duke, A&M, L-ville, ND, Rutgers, Baylor fans and more share great insights but only on the rare occasion (usually, in the heat of an up coming game) can we all get edgy but with most TN fans it rarely ends.

As I said I'd be glad for a filter because then I wouldn't be bothered by it and I wouldn't make you feel unwelcome. I don't want to simply put every Vol on ignore because some like boxer bring great general insights into WCBB without ever mentioning TN and a couple of others do, too. I apologize if it bothers you but it has changed this board ever since the Summitt went pay and to me it isn't for the better but that is just me and a number of others. Just being honest.

The thread is clearly marked as a Tennessee topic. If you're tired of reading about Tennessee, I'm not sure why you even bothered to click on it. Also, JS, Biff, and I are the only ones who get to tell people what not to talk about.

This message isn't just for ice, folks. Unless the Tennessee fans are rude or insulting, and none of them have been in this thread, there's no need to be rude or insulting to them.

 

[msf22b]

So we've been meandering around two topics here:
How much better will UTenn be with next year's splendid recruiting class?
And would ND have had a better chance with Achonwa?

For a predictor of the DD era, consider North Carolina last season: dangerous but erratic. I expect more of that ilk.
The Tennessee experience may precisely mirror that season. Can one imagine the frustration of Tennessee fans…
the new ghost of Simmons type, who can actually score and make plays but the team still does not win the big games.

UConn won the championship game on interior offense and great defensive pressure on Notre Dame's outstanding guard/wing tandem; the latter just as important as the former.

Achonwa is not known for outstanding D; fouls a lot, wouldn't have any positive affect on the interior onslaught that UConn perpetuated, but might have added some points to the scoreboard and given the guards a tad more room considering a 3rd legitimate offensive presence.

But since we're speaking of hypotheticals, who would have thought that UConn's outside shooting would have been so dismal.

Replay that game a dozen times and you get the same result. UConn's D wins games.

 

[Tonyc]

ND has had tremendous success against UCONN over the last few years. to say that it would not have made "ANY" difference is a little far fetched. Doris Burke's opinion is irrelevant. She's flat out obsessed with UCONN and always has been.

i can assure you if KML was out and UCONN for some reason lost, you would be saying KML would have made a dig difference in the game. again, i don't see the controversy in any of my comments. ND was a HELL of a team last year, led by experienced seniors who also had lots of experience beating UCONN. no team can lose their best rebounder, defender, and senior without it hurting their team. just a fact. it's OK for another team to be super talented too. you guys won anyway so i don't see the issue. anyway, that's all i am gonna say on it. night all

• Lets put this in perspective. ND beat and injured UConn team with flops. The flops got UConn in foul trouble. Plus Uconn had injuries and yet we dont hear about UConn IFs. That didnt happen in the Championship game. Flops werent called. Natalie and Diggins were famous for flops. So if Natalie played it may have been closer and if Harley and KML were hitting their outside shots it may have been worse. My point is "IF" is a big word and it works both ways. Dont forget if Natalie had played who wouldve sat? Those points and rebounds you would have to erase. So maybe it wouldnt have made a difference. So take away Riemers 6 pts and Mabreys 10 pts and give them to Natalie and please since we're doing "IFs" have Morgan Tuck healthy and playing and tell me what the IF difference is. That makes the IFs fair one for ND and one for UConn. You see there are no ifs in my books. There are maybes and what couldve been if everything were the same and you plug in Natalie, but that doesnt work either because there wouldve been different situations and different plays by both teams.
• 
  
• What the NC game showed is how much farther ahead UConn is then any other team in WCBB. We continue to post that its not about the great players at UConn its about great players that come to UConn and are developed into stars. Look at Dolsen, Stokes, look how good KML was as a shooter and how well rounded she is now, look at Hartleys improvement and MoJeffs improvement in just one season. Now look at Tenn players and compare. Look at LVille without a legit center and how great theyve been for the past few years. The difference is development as individuals and as a team. Tenn among other teams isnt there yet. IMO now Geno attracts players. There are alot of great players who want to play for him because of what he's accomplished and they want to be part of something speical. IMO it would be a fluke if UConn were to lose the NC as long as Breanna Stewart is here and Geno is coaching. UConns future roster and verbals make UConn the favorite for the next 6 seasons and depending on how they are developed they should win many more NCs. The biggest differences on why UConn is so great is they lost EDD and continued to roll and even if UConn doesnt get Durr they will be the favorite to win the NC and if Durr goes to Tenn or someplace else they wont be the favorite to win the NC.
• As great as ND was this past season they rolled over MD by 26 and Natalie sat a large portion of that game. MD couldnt make a comeback. So I guess there are no IFs there. Right I mean ND stopped MD without her but couldnt stop UConn. Dont forget MD is very tall too.
• You mention Doris Burke loves UConn. How bout Kara Lawson? She has alot of great things to say and is not partial with what she says about any team including UConn and Tenn. I love Kara imo she is spot on shows no favoritism. Is Kara now a UConn lover too? What is it that Doris says about UConn which over the past 10-15 years is the Greatest Team WCBB has ever seen... that Kara doesnt say. UConn rolls over everybody and when they lose its a fluke. Lets play this IF. IF EDD had stayed at UConn and IF the FLOPS werent called against UConn how many more records would UConn have broken? IF is a Big Word.
• You mention if KML were out against ND and IF UConn lost. Well she wasnt out against ND but she was against Stanford, @ MD, @ Duke @Penn St @Ohio St and UConn didnt miss a beat. How bout if KML were healthy and UConn lost...oh yeah she was healthy and UConn won by 20+.
• I hope this clears up the IF finally
• To end this finally because Im a little long winded today. IF is a BIG Word. IF your going to use IF for one team you have to use it for the other team. IF Natalie wouldve played, situations, and plays wouldve been different because she was on the floor. In other words it wouldve been an entirely different game, so we will never know what might have been. I hope this clears up IFs.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Diamond is a true difference maker and there's no reason why she won't lead the Lady Vols back to the Final Four during her playing days at Tenn. Diamond has the ability to takeover games like Parker did and the Lady Vols will win games they are now losing. Projecting the Lady Vols future roster, IMHO Diamond will play with more talent then Parker did and Parker did win two National Championships. Have to think Diamond will win at least one National Championship while she plays for the Lady Vols. Geno and UConn can't win them all.

Seriously? Diamond DeShields is not even close to being in the same league as Candace Parker. Admittedly if she ever learns to get the ball in the hole half the time and turn it over less, she'll be quite good.

 

[Suebird10fan]

As has been said before it is always important to remember that one is a guest and that the central gathering point here has always been UCONN women's basketball. There are numerous guests that are welcome. Truth is all are. It is more about content and every move involving TN.

Many guests have posted here for many years. Few feel the need to post anything and everything having to do with their team and virtually all are teams UCONN currently plays are are therefore much more relevant to UCONN basketball than anything Tennessee. Tennessee hasn't been relevant to WCBB for six seasons. When they make it back to the FF or play an in season game with UCONN (which most of us aren't interested in) then they will be relevant. Stanford, Duke, A&M, L-ville, ND, Rutgers, Baylor fans and more share great insights but only on the rare occasion (usually, in the heat of an up coming game) can we all get edgy but with most TN fans it rarely ends.

As I said I'd be glad for a filter because then I wouldn't be bothered by it and I wouldn't make you feel unwelcome. I don't want to simply put every Vol on ignore because some like boxer bring great general insights into WCBB without ever mentioning TN and a couple of others do, too. I apologize if it bothers you but it has changed this board ever since the Summitt went pay and to me it isn't for the better but that is just me and a number of others. Just being honest.

I know you're my BY elder Ice, and I mean no disrespect, but while the powers that be are working on a keyword filter, maybe you should start by skipping threads with Tennessee in the title?

 

[OneTrickPony]

I agree... accept people as human beings not for the color of their jersey. Yes, WCBB is great when you can put all the nonsense in the closet

This kind of thinking might even have some applicability beyond the basketball court...

 

[WesternPaFan]

Stewie is not losing the national championship in her Senior year so forget about 2016.

Baggerbob,Hoopsfan...I am a 70+ year old,very very long time fan of UCONN woman's basketball and have watched/been involved/ followed HS and college ball for over 50 years .I know what can happen.Tenn. has a good start on a very good team.Thats why I said Tenn. might be a problem(they do worry me) for UCONN.I wish only the best of the best for Stewart(she will will be the best woman's basketball star I will see in my lifetime!! ) and UCONN,but things can happen. They worry me.Go UCONN !!!