Diamond's State HS Playoff Game

[Wonkster]

As a Norcross supporter, I have lurked around here for a year or so to see what is said about Diamond. This thread motivated me to post...

I can't help but shake my head at the level of ignorance displayed by some in this thread who watched one game online and think they have any idea about Diamond Deshields or Norcross.

So, a team with "more talent" beat a team whose best player was playing with a broken hand and stitches, is somehow accused of being outcoached (and even poorly coached by one poster) when they play the undefeated No. 2 team in the nation to within 3 points.

Diamond is the best player in the country when she is healthy and on her game. Diamond could play for any coach in Georgia and she chooses to play for coach Hembree at Norcross. Coach Hembree also coached Maya Moore. Would you say that Maya Moore was poorly coached when she arrived at UConn?

Norcross has just two girls who are being recruited by schools in big conferences, while McEachern has six girls who are already signed or committed to ACC or SEC programs. Considering one of the two Norcross girls was playing banged up and suffering through the worst game of her high school career, I would contend that it was an outstanding coaching job by Hembree to take her girls within a 3-pointer of their 3rd consecutive state championship.

Well, sunshinehoops, you can rest assured that none of the posters in this thread so far are coaches at UConn, or at any other school. Keep that in mind when you read other message boards damning UConn over one thing or another.
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[RockyMTblue2]

Diamond did not sparkle in this game. Not talking about lack of scoring, that can happen, but she did a lot of standing around and made many bad decisions. Norcross is not a well coached team. Not much is demanded of the players. Hard to believe that these are the State's best teams. Diamond did make some nice passes, but her teammates were not able to handle them. If she comes to Uconn, DD will have a lot of learning to do and practices will be hell for this Norcross Blue Devil.

Geno: "Why would you leave that huge wingspan of yours flat down at your hips on defense Diamond! You just trying to sucker her into something you can catch from behind!" Yes, he is always harder on the best and that is why they come. The missed lay ups remind me of Tina (aka Tina The Youger - here first 2 1/2 years ). Hope she gets it ... don't need her signing up and leaving mid-year to end up at say ... Kentucky (don't see that one working out really well by the way - as in very ordinary ).

 

[RockyMTblue2]

As a Norcross supporter, I have lurked around here for a year or so to see what is said about Diamond. This thread motivated me to post...

I can't help but shake my head at the level of ignorance displayed by some in this thread who watched one game online and think they have any idea about Diamond Deshields or Norcross.

So, a team with "more talent" beat a team whose best player was playing with a broken hand and stitches, is somehow accused of being outcoached (and even poorly coached by one poster) when they play the undefeated No. 2 team in the nation to within 3 points.

Diamond is the best player in the country when she is healthy and on her game. Diamond could play for any coach in Georgia and she chooses to play for coach Hembree at Norcross. Coach Hembree also coached Maya Moore. Would you say that Maya Moore was poorly coached when she arrived at UConn?

Norcross has just two girls who are being recruited by schools in big conferences, while McEachern has six girls who are already signed or committed to ACC or SEC programs. Considering one of the two Norcross girls was playing banged up and suffering through the worst game of her high school career, I would contend that it was an outstanding coaching job by Hembree to take her girls within a 3-pointer of their 3rd consecutive state championship.

Thanks for the perspective. If you have lurked for a year or so you know that we fans on this board have uniformally had our tongues hanging out for DD for a long time and are not about to change our opinions based on what you correctly analyse as a tough situation for Norcross and DD.

 

[JS]

I can't help but shake my head at the level of ignorance displayed by some in this thread who watched one game online and think they have any idea about Diamond Deshields or Norcross.

If you've lurked for a year you'll know we're capable of even greater levels of ignorance.

Also capable of some fine analysis and huge support for the team we root for. This is a diverse fan community with a large collective knowledge base and lots of different opinions.

You'll also know that the level of positive attention paid to Diamond and the fortunes of Norcross this season has been quite high.

Pssst. Geno doesn't like everything we say here either. But we keep trying to educate him.

 

[easttexastrash]

I do know that players' and recruits' parents watch these boards, even though they may not post. Never a good idea to judge these players with negative comments.

I have seen board posts by parents of Kelsey Bone and the Nash sisters from Texas and by what I perceived to be a parent of Erika Arriaran.

 

[Wonkster]

I do know that players' and recruits' parents watch these boards, even though they may not post. Never a good idea to judge these players with negative comments.

I have seen board posts by parents of Kelsey Bone and the Nash sisters from Texas and by what I perceived to be a parent of Erika Arriaran.

Sorry, ETT, but I part company with you here. We have our own admins, and they rarely let anything unfair or cruel concerning wbb players or recruits remain very long on this message board. We can't have a fear of who's reading what control content above and beyond our admins, like some super-censor. Should parents control what's written in blogs, newspapers, and magazines, too?

If someone is going to silently cruise a message board, never engage in posting give-and-take with the regular posters, and expect never to see anything they don't like - well, I think they're guaranteed to be eventually disappointed.
.

 

[connboy77]

My opinion of Diamond has not changed because of one game. I want her to be a UCONN Husky as much as I've always wanted her too. She has a world of talent and will only get better under the guidance of Geno and his other coaches. As I've said many times there is no better coach then Geno to help a player reach her full potential.

 

[Icebear]

As a Norcross supporter, I have lurked around here for a year or so to see what is said about Diamond. This thread motivated me to post...

I can't help but shake my head at the level of ignorance displayed by some in this thread who watched one game online and think they have any idea about Diamond Deshields or Norcross.

So, a team with "more talent" beat a team whose best player was playing with a broken hand and stitches, is somehow accused of being outcoached (and even poorly coached by one poster) when they play the undefeated No. 2 team in the nation to within 3 points.

Diamond is the best player in the country when she is healthy and on her game. Diamond could play for any coach in Georgia and she chooses to play for coach Hembree at Norcross. Coach Hembree also coached Maya Moore. Would you say that Maya Moore was poorly coached when she arrived at UConn?

Norcross has just two girls who are being recruited by schools in big conferences, while McEachern has six girls who are already signed or committed to ACC or SEC programs. Considering one of the two Norcross girls was playing banged up and suffering through the worst game of her high school career, I would contend that it was an outstanding coaching job by Hembree to take her girls within a 3-pointer of their 3rd consecutive state championship.

Most UConn fans realize that DD is a tremendous talent and know her injury situation and participation on the U19 team far ahead of her years, also, many who post here are not UConn fans.

 

[easttexastrash]

Sorry, ETT, but I part company with you here. We have our own admins, and they rarely let anything unfair or cruel concerning wbb players or recruits remain very long on this message board. We can't have a fear of who's reading what control content above and beyond our admins, like some super-censor. Should parents control what's written in blogs, newspapers, and magazines, too?

If someone is going to silently cruise a message board, never engage in posting give-and-take with the regular posters, and expect never to see anything they don't like - well, I think they're guaranteed to be eventually disappointed.
.

I am just saying that you can have an impact that you are not aware of. You are certainly at liberty to make any statement that you feel is accurate and applicable. I think that some negative posting of Bone impacted her original decision to go to South Carolina.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The bottom line: We very much want Diamond. She is close with Bria, Moriah, and Kaleena (at least). She also really likes Geno. From what I have seen (a little) and read (a lot), she seems like a superior athlete (close to the best ever) but still needs to grow as a basketball player. We think that Geno can teach her that better than anyone. We also know that Diamond will have great teammates and get excellent media coverage at UConn, if she chooses the Huskies. Yes, Maya came to Storrs as college ready as any player ever. Some of that was coaching and some of that was her own drive.

 

[Icebear]

I am just saying that you can have an impact that you are not aware of. You are certainly at liberty to make any statement that you feel is accurate and applicable. I think that some negative posting of Bone impacted her original decision to go to South Carolina.

IF that's true then she wasn't a good fit for UConn anyway nor the amount of attention she would have received here. So it was better over and done. In fact, however, reports were that it had to do with the amount of attention she received from some parts of the CT media that was intimidating to her and not the Boneyard or any other fan Board.

 

[easttexastrash]

IF that's true then she wasn't a good fit for UConn anyway nor the amount of attention she would have received here. So it was better over and done. In fact, however, reports were that it had to do with the amount of attention she received from some parts of the CT media that was intimidating to her and not the Boneyard or any other fan Board.

Some of the impact that fans can have is on the family of the players, not necessarily on the players themselves. But parents do have a lot of influence.

I actually think that Bone's mom was very vigilant on multiple boards during the recruiting process, not just The BY.

I can tell you from experience that parents watch the boards as I once received a personal message from the father who had seen my comments on two sister recruits. I was told by this father not to judge their talents until I had seen his daughters play in a college jersey.

 

[VAMike23]

As a Norcross supporter, I have lurked around here for a year or so to see what is said about Diamond. This thread motivated me to post...

I can't help but shake my head at the level of ignorance displayed by some in this thread who watched one game online and think they have any idea about Diamond Deshields or Norcross.

So, a team with "more talent" beat a team whose best player was playing with a broken hand and stitches, is somehow accused of being outcoached (and even poorly coached by one poster) when they play the undefeated No. 2 team in the nation to within 3 points.

Diamond is the best player in the country when she is healthy and on her game. Diamond could play for any coach in Georgia and she chooses to play for coach Hembree at Norcross. Coach Hembree also coached Maya Moore. Would you say that Maya Moore was poorly coached when she arrived at UConn?

Norcross has just two girls who are being recruited by schools in big conferences, while McEachern has six girls who are already signed or committed to ACC or SEC programs. Considering one of the two Norcross girls was playing banged up and suffering through the worst game of her high school career, I would contend that it was an outstanding coaching job by Hembree to take her girls within a 3-pointer of their 3rd consecutive state championship.

I have seen nothing to change my (long-held) view that Diamond is The One for us 2013. I think if you polled the rest of the BY, this view would be shared by many. I watched a bit of the recent loss, but have also watched several of her other games, including Team USA play. She is very, very special.

If our 2013 had only this one player, it would be a tremendous class , IMO:

 

[jsloanjr]

The talent level in GA will not help DD if she comes to UCONN. She needs to learn how to play defense and move without the ball better.......

 

[Icebear]

Some of the impact that fans can have is on the family of the players, not necessarily on the players themselves. But parents do have a lot of influence.

I actually think that Bone's mom was very vigilant on multiple boards during the recruiting process, not just The BY.

I can tell you from experience that parents watch the boards as I once received a personal message from the father who had seen my comments on two sister recruits. I was told by this father not to judge their talents until I had seen his daughters play in a college jersey.

I stand by what I said.

 

[easttexastrash]

I stand by what I said.

In the words of Gomer Pyle "surprise, surprise, surprise."

 

[sunshinehoops]

The talent level in GA will not help DD if she comes to UCONN. She needs to learn how to play defense and move without the ball better.......

Georgia is home to 10 of the ESPN 60 for 2013. One out of six of the top players in the country for 2013 is from the state that you appear to claim has some sort of talent deficiency. Gwinnett County alone has five of the top 30 players for 2013.

 

[bruinbball]

Georgia is home to 10 of the ESPN 60 for 2013. One out of six of the top players in the country for 2013 is from the state that you appear to claim has some sort of talent deficiency. Gwinnett County alone has five of the top 30 players for 2013.

You don't think that Peach State Hoops joining HG had anything to do with this??

 

[speedoo]

Georgia is home to 10 of the ESPN 60 for 2013. One out of six of the top players in the country for 2013 is from the state that you appear to claim has some sort of talent deficiency. Gwinnett County alone has five of the top 30 players for 2013.

Who are you addressing with this? Most of us here are very aware of how much talent there is in Georgia and I don't recall anyone saying anything to the contrary.

 

[Alydar]

Who said anything About Talent?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[sunshinehoops]

You don't think that Peach State Hoops joining HG had anything to do with this??

I think the girls that are in the top 60 probably deserve to be in the top 60, but PSH has some bias that is reflected in how high or low some of the girls are ranked.

 

[sunshinehoops]

Who are you addressing with this? Most of us here are very aware of how much talent there is in Georgia and I don't recall anyone saying anything to the contrary.

Look at who I quoted.

 

[sunshinehoops]

Who said anything About Talent?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Look at who I quoted.

 

[JS]

One out of six of the top players in the country for 2013 is from the state that you appear to claim has some sort of talent deficiency.

While his post is a bit ambiguous, I don't read jsloanjr as saying the state has a talent deficiency. If so, he's truly is out of touch for the reasons you state, which have been well publicized.

I think he's saying something a little more insightful -- that playing against a high level of HS talent still leaves room for improvement under the college-level learning experience.

He names, specifically, a couple of areas where even the biggest stars coming out of HS typically have a lot to learn. They're often scorers who aren't called upon to play a lot of defense, let alone sophisticated team defense.

And their scoring ability in HS is outstanding without the finer points (and the necessary equally talented teammates and opponents to learn them) of moving without the ball.

In other words, having a lot of other HS stars in the state and local area is one thing. But in terms of the greater overall high D-1 college talent and mutual learning experience, a rising tide lifts all boats (to coin a phrase).

If jsloanjr has seen enough film of Diamond to offer the defense/moving opinion about her specifically, fine. That's his opinion FWIW. If not, then he's just generalizing, which is OK too.

You're on the scene and we welcome your insights. You needn't be too defensive when people here say things that sound to you like ignorance.

There's plenty of that here, and it rarely stands in the way of expressing an opinion. Nor does it generally stand uncorrected for long.

The point is to enjoy the ride -- the give and take, the information and, lo and behold, the occasional gem of a beautifully articulated opinion that you share.

 

[sunshinehoops]

While his post is a bit ambiguous, I don't read jsloanjr as saying the state has a talent deficiency. If so, he's truly is out of touch for the reasons you state, which have been well publicized.

I think he's saying something a little more insightful -- that playing against a high level of HS talent still leaves room for improvement under the college-level learning experience.

He names, specifically, a couple of areas where even the biggest stars coming out of HS typically have a lot to learn. They're often scorers who aren't called upon to play a lot of defense, let alone sophisticated team defense.

And their scoring ability in HS is outstanding without the finer points (and the necessary equally talented teammates and opponents to learn them) of moving without the ball.

In other words, having a lot of other HS stars in the state and and local area is one thing. But in terms of the greater overall high D-1 college talent and mutual learning experience, a rising tide lifts all boats (to coin a phrase).

If jsloanjr has seen enough film of Diamond to offer the defense/moving opinion about her specifically, fine. That's his opinion FWIW. If not, then he's just generalizing, which is OK too.

You're on the scene and we welcome your insights. You needn't be too defensive when people here say things that sound to you like ignorance.

There's plenty of that here, and it rarely stands in the way of expressing an opinion. Nor does it generally stand uncorrected for long. The point is to enjoy the ride -- the give and take, the information and, lo and behold, the occasional gem of a beautifully articulated opinion that you share.

I assumed it was a knock against the talent in Georgia because the poster specifically talked about the talent in Georgia. You may be right about it being a general statement about the jump from high school to college, but it reads differently to me.

I got a little defensive in my first post in this thread because I felt that a couple of posters were making some pretty big assumptions based upon false and/or incomplete information. I never intended to give the impression that I was making sweeping statements about everyone here.

UConn is a great program with great coaches, players and fans. Diamond is a great player. No matter where Diamond ends up going, she and UConn will do just fine. I don't know where Diamond will choose to go, but she likes UConn, and Geno visiting her three times during this past season has surely made an impact. Of course, the staffs at Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee have also made multiple visits.

 

[JS]

No matter where Diamond ends up going, she and UConn will do just fine.

Absolutely. Of course I do hope it's UConn. Diamond joining KML, BStew, Mo Jefferson and Morgan Tuck would be one heck of a dominant team in itself for several years.

We'll enjoy watching her future progress regardless. She has the potential to run the board of the highest experiences in the game -- national championships, WNBA, Olympics, you name it. Hope it all comes true for her.