Elena the Author

[delawarehusky]

Will we learn anything new about the infamous departure?


Author of two new books, Delle Donne to have signing event at Concord Pike Barnes & Noble

 

[Orangutan]

Will we learn anything new about the infamous departure?


Author of two new books, Delle Donne to have signing event at Concord Pike Barnes & Noble

Maybe? I guess she's going to address it but I don't know how much nitty-gritty I'd expect from an "as told to" autobiography targeted towards young adults. I guess it will be nice to have her official, in-writing version of the story.

 

[bags27]

EDD left after one day, so it wasn't anything at UConn that made her leave; it was just an honest, gut feeling that she had made a mistake (like a bride or groom running from the alter). There's no tell-all here, because there's nothing really left to tell. I'm sure it's a valorizing of wanting to be close to family and friends and exhaustion from basketball, because that's the simple truth.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I have no idea why she left, although there was a lot of rumors early on that she had an encounter with a UConn player the first day in the gym. The "scoop" was that the player (Greene) got in her face about not hustling.

Again, I don't know if that's true except that it makes more sense than her public reason for leaving in the middle of the night. First it was her sister, then it was burn out,neither of which demanded a midnight ride.

 

[Orangutan]

EDD left after one day, so it wasn't anything at UConn that made her leave; it was just an honest, gut feeling that she had made a mistake (like a bride or groom running from the alter). There's no tell-all here, because there's nothing really left to tell. I'm sure it's a valorizing of wanting to be close to family and friends and exhaustion from basketball, because that's the simple truth.

You appear to be correct. This is from the summary on Amazon:

 

[bags27]

I have no idea why she left, although there was a lot of rumors early on that she had an encounter with a UConn player the first day in the gym. The "scoop" was that the player (Greene) got in her face about not hustling.

Again, I don't know if that's true except that it makes more sense than her public reason for leaving in the middle of the night. First it was her sister, then it was burn out,neither of which demanded a midnight ride.

Really hard for me to believe that someone so competitive as EDD would leave just because she was called out during the first pick-up game. If anything, I'd think it would have made her more determined.

Haven't you committed to something because it seemed like the right thing to do, and then realize that it's not what you really want to do? I think her night time flight makes a lot better psychological sense as an explanation for that feeling than if she suddenly felt she wasn't tough enough. Whether it was her sister or burn-out, who knows? Who can pinpoint their own exact reason, except that they don't feel it's the right thing to do. Certainly, she expressed no interest in considering playing ball for Delaware for several months thereafter and certainly she's been incredibly loyal and supportive of her sister.

She's one of the more impressive athletes I've ever watched. I take her at her word.

 

[Bama fan]

EDD left after one day, so it wasn't anything at UConn that made her leave; it was just an honest, gut feeling that she had made a mistake (like a bride or groom running from the alter). There's no tell-all here, because there's nothing really left to tell. I'm sure it's a valorizing of wanting to be close to family and friends and exhaustion from basketball, because that's the simple truth.

I find your slight alteration of the spelling of the word altar very interesting. Perhaps it is the alter about to take place that would make them run? A Freudian slip, by chance. But very interesting nonetheless. Just curious,Bags!

 

[bags27]

I find your slight alteration of the spelling of the word altar very interesting. Perhaps it is the alter about to take place that would make them run? A Freudian slip, by chance. But very interesting nonetheless. Just curious,Bags!

happily married for going on 38 yrs, but a great and funny catch!

 

[Kaizen]

Released two books in March 13?
I am more interested in J.K. Rowling.

 

[Bama fan]

happily married for going on 38 yrs, but a great and funny catch!

I was not questioning the your personal marital situation. You have posted previously of your long and happy marriage to your college crush. I just saw that and chortled! Thanks for the kind response ,Bags. Go Huskies. Go Bears.

 

[vtcwbuff]

"Haven't you committed to something because it seemed like the right thing to do, and then realize that it's not what you really want to do?"

Yup. First night in boot camp I started thinking what the hell am I doing here and why didn't I stick out another semester. I didn't have the option of scooting though so I stuck around and it worked out OK. By the time I figured it out the side boys were mustered and the Bosun was piping me ashore.

If you read my EDD post I said twice that I didn't have any idea why she left. I simply reported what I remembered was being said shortly after she left. It wasn't until days later that the homesick/sister stuff came out and I think it was weeks later when the "burn out" started. JMO but that sounds like damage control to me.

In any case, she left and that's her choice. Unlike some I really didn't have much problem with that other than disappointment. My problem was with the way that she left. Skulking off into the night apparently without even a thought of the coaching staff that had put so much effort in recruiting her. A phone call to give Auriemma a heads up would have been the right thing to do. No guts for that, call dad and have him call Auriemma.

 

[bags27]

A phone call to give Auriemma a heads up would have been the right thing to do. No guts for that, call dad and have him call Auriemma.

I think that's a lot to expect of a kid who's 3 months out of high school and clearly emotionally in turmoil. A lot of kids have their parents intervene on their behalves for a lot less than this. And Geno and she got to be friends later down the Jersey shore, and I figure he's okay with it, the rest of us should be, too.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I'm calling it quits for the night, but she's told this story to print media multiple times and I and others have stuck um up here. She is on record as saying Geno was focused on her and supportive from the get go and told her she wasn't sick of basketball, she was homesick, and she came to realize he was right all along.

 

[warbler1055]

What Rocky posted was EXACTLY how Geno and EDD said what happened!!!! End of story. Stop the second guessing.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Just for mischief: "According to Simon & Schuster, publisher of both books, the memoir details Delle Donne’s hasty departure from the University of Connecticut, where she’d gone after being 2008 consensus national high school player of the year as a senior at Wilmington’s Ursuline Academy, and other travails. She returned home to attend the University of Delaware and be near severely disabled older sister Lizzie and the rest of her tight-knit family." Book signing event delayed to Saturday. Author of two new books, Delle Donne to have signing event at Concord Pike Barnes & Noble

 

[delawarehusky]

The book signing was well attended and had a good vibe. I haven't done a book report in decades but here are a few observations.

1. Light on details or specifics. Very fast read.
2. On the departure from Uconn front, she uses a pseudonym for the midnight rider friend who spirited her away from Storrs. I don't know what the secret is after 10 years. It was not her parents: they were shocked when she arrived home.
3. GA offered to keep her scholly open until Aug. in case she changed her mind. At a lunch at his New Jersey beach house, he told her that Uconn wanted he to enroll, no strings attached. Kathy A. told him to lay off as she knew EDD did not want to return.
4. She stopped enjoying B'ball when she was 13. She accepted Uconn offer with doubt and trepidation: it was expected of her.
5. The battle with Lyme's disease has been tough. She takes 50 supplements daily (ok, so there is some detail, but not much).
6. Passing mention of a few Uconn players, DT, MM, S. Cash (Sky teammate for a bit)
7. Her love for her sister, family, Amanda is dominant theme.