Re: University of Tennessee and Crystal Dangerfield

[JavaMan]

Upsets, lack of 2016 signees cause of alarm for Tennessee

Crystal Dangerfield is a do-it-all point guard who has won back-to-back Gatorade player of the year awards in her state. She has won two international gold medals with USA Basketball and two state titles with her high school team. She's the top-ranked point guard in the senior class, and is considered the No. 3 prospect nationally, No. 1 in her state.

And she's symbolic of a cause for anxiety among Lady Vols fans. Her home state is Tennessee, but she doesn't plan on wearing orange in college.

Dangerfield, from Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will go to UConn. Dangerfield made it official in November, becoming the first Tennessee native to sign to play for coach Geno Auriemma.

[LINK]

The VolNation folk aren't going to like this article.

 

[Wbbfan1]

From what I've been told, once the Lady Vols had assurances they were going to get Te'a Cooper there wasn't a need for Crystal. I'm sure they would have liked to sign Crystal, but she wasn't a high priority for them. Not sure even if she was a high priority that the Lady Vols would have signed Crystal anyway.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Upsets, lack of 2016 signees cause of alarm for Tennessee

Crystal Dangerfield is a do-it-all point guard who has won back-to-back Gatorade player of the year awards in her state. She has won two international gold medals with USA Basketball and two state titles with her high school team. She's the top-ranked point guard in the senior class, and is considered the No. 3 prospect nationally, No. 1 in her state.

And she's symbolic of a cause for anxiety among Lady Vols fans. Her home state is Tennessee, but she doesn't plan on wearing orange in college.

Dangerfield, from Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will go to UConn. Dangerfield made it official in November, becoming the first Tennessee native to sign to play for coach Geno Auriemma.

[LINK]

The VolNation folk aren't going to like this article.

Fun read. I was amused to see the term "Alarm" used in the headline, while over on VolNation the words are "dire," "all time low," "misery," and worst of all "lower level than Georgia." And yeah, why would a top recruit be looking at Knoxville at this point. It's one thing if a team is injured and losing, but it's different when a team is pretty dysfunctional, the coaching staff is clueless, and the fans are howling for blood.

 

[jcoton56]

Memories are long in college sports esp.ina conference you used to own. The LVs better buckle up because every team on their slate is comming hard. Like it or not, the blood is in the water and the sharks are hungry. Could get ugly.

 

[HGN]

I don't believe Dangerfield would have gone to UT even if they were doing well and not on a slide. Crystal has stated that she has wanted to go to UConn from an early age. Unfortunately , the Tenn slide started when Summit stepped down , and it could get worse before it starts to get better. Getting Te'a Cooper was a good pick-up. But who's to say whether Cooper was THE prize or a consolation ? Both are good.

But I am elated to have the Dangerous One pulling on a Huskie jersey next year. Maybe when they meet in the FF in the near future they can settle which one was THE PRIZE. And which was the Consolation.

 

[EricLA]

 

[sarals24]

From what I've been told, once the Lady Vols had assurances they were going to get Te'a Cooper there wasn't a need for Crystal. I'm sure they would have liked to sign Crystal, but she wasn't a high priority for them. Not sure even if she was a high priority that the Lady Vols would have signed Crystal anyway.

I think that's a bit of revisionist history. I am betting they could have found room for the top ranked player in the state. And their guards are uniformly pretty bad (is Diamond a guard? Doesn't really matter, really), so I'm sure she would have played a lot there.

 

[ctfjr]

But I am elated to have the Dangerous One pulling on a Huskie jersey next year. Maybe when they meet in the FF in the near future they can settle which one was THE PRIZE. And which was the Consolation.

"near" is a very relative term. I'd bet Geno is going to be retired before TN makes it to a FF again

 

[DobbsRover2]

I think that's a bit of revisionist history. I am betting they could have found room for the top ranked player in the state. And their guards are uniformly pretty bad (is Diamond a guard? Doesn't really matter, really), so I'm sure she would have played a lot there.

Perhaps, because you can never have too many elite PGs, but UTenn fans firmly believed that they had gotten one of the best ever in Cooper, and that there were enough strong back-ups so that there was no point in chasing another point with Dangerfield. I also believe that Dangerfield's strong UConn leanings had gotten back to the Vols and that they just wanted to put the best face on things. Cooper has 3 3/4 more seasons to go before her career performance can be completely judged, and she has a starter's role from the beginning unlike MoJeff who got to play backup to Faris in her FR year, but there are going to be a ton of TOs and missed shots before she reaches any kind of high-level PG status.

 

[Zorro]

Fun read. I was amused to see the term "Alarm" used in the headline, while over on VolNation the words are "dire," "all time low," "misery," and worst of all "lower level than Georgia." And yeah, why would a top recruit be looking at Knoxville at this point. It's one thing if a team is injured and losing, but it's different when a team is pretty dysfunctional, the coaching staff is clueless, and the fans are howling for blood.

If a prospect reads the VolNation board, she is sure as hell not going to be attracted to the LV!

 

[DaddyChoc]

VolNation posters may be clapping for Crystal... they're not that foolish, reasonable site overall in my opinion

 

[Waquoit]

Unfortunately , the Tenn slide started when Summit stepped down ,

The slide was well underway before PHS left.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

Their attendance is really slipping. I think Tennessee is currently 4th in WBB and many more losses like Virginia Tech will cause it to slide even more.

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes posters are right, in that Crystal was early probable for UConn...... and then after she committed, UT boards said Te'a was better anyway..... well they are right about Te'a being very good, but I am glad we have Crystal

 

[Outside Shot]

Interesting on a few levels- they hired assistant Kyra Elzy (sp?) away from Kentucky and Jolette Law, former Illinois HC and Rutgers assistant, based reportedly on their recruiting prowess. They seem to have landed quite a few highly "ranked" players, but that is no guarantee that those rankings are accurate.

They've also been competitive in the SEC and to the Elite Eight and Sweet 16 recently, which most programs would gladly take.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Lady Vols have been ranked in Top 25 since 1984/85 Season. After next weeks game with Stanford and Oregon State will they fall out of the Top 25. Don't think they lose to Wichita State this week. http://www.knoxnews.com/govolsxtra/basketball/lady-vols-tumble-to-16th-in-ap-poll_42443513


Sure the Lady Vols would have signed Crystal, what I said was she wasn't a high priority They had their PG of the future in Te'a Cooper close friend of Diamond DeShields. The Lady Vols biggest need for 2016 was Posts and Power Forwards and that's where most of their recruiting emphasis was placed on. IF Crystal called, no doubt Lady Vols would have found room.

 

[Zorro]

One has to wonder about how Te'a and especially DD must feel about now about their plan to restore the LV to their former glory. Doesn't seem to be working out.

 

[Carnac]

One has to wonder about how Te'a and especially DD must feel about now about their plan to restore the LV to their former glory. Doesn't seem to be working out.

Agreed, things are not going as planned in Knoxville thus far. However I'd hold off at least until the end of next season before writing off the lady Vols.

Five or six games does not a season make. Let's see how they finish THIS season and next. If nothing changes between now and April of next year, there could be a changing of the guard at the helm of the Lady Vols. Volunteer Nation will not tolerate a losing program longer than that. There are already rumblings in the nation suggesting that Warlick is not the answer to stopping the Vol's slide.

 

[Sonny44]

One has to wonder about how Te'a and especially DD must feel about now about their plan to restore the LV to their former glory. Doesn't seem to be working out.

You may see her declare for the draft after this season.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

One has to wonder about how Te'a and especially DD must feel about now about their plan to restore the LV to their former glory. Doesn't seem to be working out.

The Volamites are already grumbling about T'ea. What is a point guard to do when she matriculates into the offensive disaster that is Tennessee. Meantime, they are doubling down on DD, convinced that she can lift the whole program. Yeah, the person who scored zero points in the second half of the VT game; that person.

 

[easttexastrash]

It's pretty early in the season. It is not going well but they have time to turn things around...lots of new parts that they are trying to piece together.

 

[easttexastrash]

You may see her declare for the draft after this season.

Will she be old enough? If so it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[EricLA]

It's pretty early in the season. It is not going well but they have time to turn things around...lots of new parts that they are trying to piece together.

Not really. Only 1 new part that's of note and she's not a starter. Diamond had to sit out last year but I assume she practiced daily with the team. Mercedes has been there for 2 full years now and even tho she was injured for a year, she's been there and played for a while.

Graves is a senior. Reynolds is a junior. Carter is a junior. Russell is a sophomore but has been with the team 3 years. Deshields is as sophomore but has been with the team 2 years. This team is far more experienced than many other top teams out there as they have zero starters who are freshmen, and 4 who have been at Tennessee for at least 3 years.

I know they have some injuries, but none of the injured would be starters and all would come off the bench. It's like UCONN having Butler, Boykin injured and if they also had Ekmark injured as well. My point is Tennessee is NOT a young team nor are they filled with a bunch of contributing players who are brand new to college hoops or Tenn...

Tenn fans, or anyone who wants to make excuses for them, can say "but they will be so much better by March because they are so young". They may be better by March, but it will have zero to do with the core of the team growing up because they were so "young" to start the season...

 

[Nuyoika]

Does anyone really believe that the AD at TN cares if they do well? WCBB doesn't make them money. Also with TN being a low tax state they aren't gonna be willing to pay a new (Seasoned) coach what they would be worth. Plus as bad as TN looks right now I've seen coaches with waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse records than Warlicks keep their job a lot longer. I don't know what the "right" decision is nor do I really care all that much, but I doubt they will fire her. The fans can howl all they want but I doubt the AD there gives a crap.

 

[easttexastrash]

Three players receiving significant minutes were not playing with the team last year. So that is 3 of their 6 main players who didn't get to play in games last season. I consider that quite a bit of change from last year's team.

• Diamond sat out last year
  
• Russell sat out lat year
• Cooper is a freshman

UT also has a lot of injuries. If they can get healthy they will look like a much different team.