Report: DD to TN

[Tonyc]

This whole DD thing is a mess. Leaving UNC after recruiting players to join her and pouting on the court during games and pouting with Ivory Latta on the bench is a problem that your not going to change. It may change as she matures but not in the near future. Surrounding her with great talent wont help the situation at all. It will hurt it. BTW DD is not leaving UNC alone. So what are we talking about. Having what happened at UNC happen at Tenn is what could very well happen. Like I said it is a mess. UNC had a nice class coming in and when DD and her friends all committed the question was where will the schollies come from. Well the next question is how will Tenn handle the same situation? This is not a good situation and if you think it is just look at where UNC is now. I look at UNC and see Tenn's future.

 

[UcMiami]

There have been numerous NBA teams to disprove your premise. It may not be everything but it is important. You may not need great chemistry but you cannot have negative or acidic chemistry.

A good point and I think in the NBA you can actually get away with negative chemistry - Lakers proved that I think at the end of the Shaq era. But, I believe it is easier at that level with more mature players.
This is all speculation.
I do think practice during the 'sit-out' year would be interesting. You have a unique player who can practice with the team, but then not play in games. If DD wants to be 'creative' in the way she plays, how do you run your offense in practice with her and then run an offense without that creative player in games.

 

[Shenandoah]

The Tennessee system has always accommodated a player that takes pretty much whatever shot she likes. Chamique, Candace, more recently Simmons have taken that role without disrupting what the team tries to do offensively. Rather it becomes what the team tries to do. I think Diamond can take that role successfully, and this in one step puts the LVs back in play as NC contenders.

Remind me again what the LV's do offensively...Oh yeah...throw up a shot from anywhere, and crash the boards...

 

[GoUconn7961]

So, where is DD supposed to go (besides UCONN) that would make everyone happy happy? This cry about team chemistry is just fear (imo) that TN will be a formidable talent once DD can play - and get them back in the mix with UCONN. Isn't that what we want? Isn't that what we've been asking for? To be the best you have to beat the best. So in that vein TN will still have to try and beat UCONN to be the best. It's up to the coaches to develop the talent they have in order to do that. I'll take Geno over Warlick any time, any day, any place... I don't care who's on her roster.

 

[EricLA]

This is not a good situation and if you think it is just look at where UNC is now. I look at UNC and see Tenn's future.

One can only hope...!

 

[Wbbfan1]

If, as many expect that Te'a Cooper is going to Tenn and she announced it at the end of her MTV reality show, then Diamond won't make her announcement until then. This presumes that Te'a and Diamond are a package deal to the Lady Vols. However, I do believe that if Te'a is going to sign with the Lady Vols, her decision was made before Diamond had made her decision to leave UNC. I also believe Diamond was unhappy at UNC for who knows what reason, and her family led the conversation that maybe she should have signed with the Lady Vols as they wanted her to. This is speculation on my part and just reading into what others are saying that Diamond and Te'a will end up at Tennessee. However, it was commonly known that Diamond's family wanted her to sign with the Lady Vols if she would be happy there.

 

[Icebear]

Any where she wants.

Every time I read this thread though I think it is doggydaddy going to the Summitt.

 

[EricLA]

Any where she wants.

Every time I read this thread though I think it is doggydaddy going to the Summitt.

THAT would result in an epic meltdown...!

 

[FairView]

Any where she wants.

Every time I read this thread though I think it is doggydaddy going to the Summitt.

I think that would cause a chemistry problem at the Summitt.

 

[Dove]

This post is the 250,000th on this board.

Sad, huh?

 

[Kevin G]

So DD wasn't getting good coaching at UNC and if these rumors are true she still would not be getting good coaching! I see another Meghan Simmons situation (jacking up crazy shots) but more talented on a bigger stage. Sounds like a win-win for DD and Tenn

 

[intlzncster]

There have been numerous NBA teams to disprove your premise. It may not be everything but it is important. You may not need great chemistry but you cannot have negative or acidic chemistry.

That's the big take away on chemistry. Everyone claims all or nothing, but the reality is somewhere in the middle. A team doesn't need to be best friends. As long as they get along well enough on the court and are committed to team play, your fine from a chemistry standpoint. Locker room cancers or tension in the locker room is a problem.

All that said, in my experience, a locker room with a tight bond is beneficial towards more winning, adding another element to success.

 

[Icebear]

See the Red Sox 2012 vs 2013.

 

[intlzncster]

Do you think that will happen for Tenn after watching what evolved at UNC? This is not a good situation and if you think it is just look at where UNC is now. I look at UNC and see Tenn's future.

There are significant differences between the UNC and TN situations. One, TN will not be fille with a bunch of freshman and sophomores. That is a huge factor in how a team plays together; veteran leadership can't be discounted.

TN's HC will very likely not spend most of the season dealing with illness and not on the sideline. Think of both HCs what you will, but that consistency it presence and message is critical.

Also, you are presupposing that DD does not develop as a player or a person. She will be a junior maturity wise by the time she gets on the court again. She'll have a year off to develop her game, and just as importantly watch the team play and learn from the assistants on the sidelines. This can be invaluable to a player. Also, I've read elsewhere that DD is Meighan Simmons 2.0; Simmons isn't half the player DD is.

She's a player that thrives in big time environments. TN will give her that every home game.

The circumstances of her leaving are far from ideal, and were inexpertly handled, but the fact remains that she finished out the season. IMO, EDD left UCONN in more of a lurch, by leaving in the summer. At best, it was similar circumstances from a team planning perspective. Sure EDD talked to coach, but the timing of her leaving was not ideal. Ultimately, DD wasn't happy, so what's wrong with her leaving?

 

[stwainfan]

Let's say she does go to Tennessee. She will have too sit out next year. I think the guard position is pretty good this upcoming year. Next year Massengale will be gone.
How do you see the guard rotation when Diamond can play?

 

[intlzncster]

Let's say she does go to Tennessee. She will have too sit out next year. I think the guard position is pretty good this upcoming year. Next year Massengale will be gone.
How do you see the guard rotation when Diamond can play?

Who will be your PG?

 

[stwainfan]

Who will be your PG?

I am going too say Carter.

 

[bballnut90]

I find it comical how all season long The Boneyard praised DeShields as one of the best talents in the country and once the rumors surface that DeShields is Tennessee bound, many people here are now saying she'll cause issues with team chemistry, is a ball hog, Simmons 2.0, is high maintenance, etc. Gimme a break. DeShields was the consensus NFOY, broke the ACC freshman scoring record, and led an underclassman dominated team to the Elite 8. If DeShields does transfer to Tennessee, the LVs will improve immensely.

 

[bballnut90]

Let's say she does go to Tennessee. She will have too sit out next year. I think the guard position is pretty good this upcoming year. Next year Massengale will be gone.
How do you see the guard rotation when Diamond can play?

If DeShields chooses Tennessee, the projected lineup as of today would be:
PG-Carter/Reynolds
SG-Nared/Tucker/Middleton/Dunbar
SF-DeShields/Jones
PF-Graves
C-Russell

Nared/Tuck/Middleton/Jones/Dunbar would see reduced minutes with DeShields in the lineup.

 

[intlzncster]

I find it comical how all season long The Boneyard praised DeShields as one of the best talents in the country and once the rumors surface that DeShields is Tennessee bound, many people here are now saying she'll cause issues with team chemistry, is a ball hog, Simmons 2.0, is high maintenance, etc.

Actually, many people on here have been saying those things all season.

 

[meyers7]

So, where is DD supposed to go (besides UCONN) that would make everyone happy happy?

Anywhere but Tennessee I'd be ok with. Wasn't even concerned with her coming to UCONN.

This cry about team chemistry is just fear (imo) that TN will be a formidable talent once DD can play - and get them back in the mix with UCONN. Isn't that what we want? Isn't that what we've been asking for?

Not me. I don't want TN to ever win a game again. I want them to be so bad that people don't even feel sorry for them, they just laugh. If they never got another top 500 recruit, I would be very happy.

I certainly don't want to ever play them again. Ever.

 

[meyers7]

That's the big take away on chemistry. Everyone claims all or nothing, but the reality is somewhere in the middle. A team doesn't need to be best friends. As long as they get along well enough on the court and are committed to team play, your fine from a chemistry standpoint. Locker room cancers or tension in the locker room is a problem.

All that said, in my experience, a locker room with a tight bond is beneficial towards more winning, adding another element to success.

See the Red Sox 2012 vs 2013.

Some of you are talking two completely different things here. A male locker room and a female locker room are very, very different.

 

[meyers7]

I find it comical how all season long The Boneyard praised DeShields as one of the best talents in the country and once the rumors surface that DeShields is Tennessee bound, many people here are now saying she'll cause issues with team chemistry, is a ball hog, Simmons 2.0, is high maintenance, etc. Gimme a break. DeShields was the consensus NFOY, broke the ACC freshman scoring record, and led an underclassman dominated team to the Elite 8. If DeShields does transfer to Tennessee, the LVs will improve immensely.

Maybe she can get them to the Elite Eight.

 

[rocky rococo]

I find it comical how all season long The Boneyard praised DeShields as one of the best talents in the country and once the rumors surface that DeShields is Tennessee bound, many people here are now saying she'll cause issues with team chemistry, is a ball hog, Simmons 2.0, is high maintenance, etc. Gimme a break. DeShields was the consensus NFOY, broke the ACC freshman scoring record, and led an underclassman dominated team to the Elite 8. If DeShields does transfer to Tennessee, the LVs will improve immensely.

Ha! True to some degree, but if she had chosen to go to UConn, I think we can be certain the reaction from VolNation/Checkerboard Square would be so close to identical as not to quibble over. Just one of those entirely too predictable human behaviors. BTW, just speaking for myself, I think it's great for the sport that she's going to TN, the only really big thing missing in the most recent years of UConn dominance of the game has been a fully competitive LV team.

 

[UcMiami]

So, where is DD supposed to go (besides UCONN) that would make everyone happy happy? This cry about team chemistry is just fear (imo) that TN will be a formidable talent once DD can play - and get them back in the mix with UCONN. Isn't that what we want? Isn't that what we've been asking for? To be the best you have to beat the best. So in that vein TN will still have to try and beat UCONN to be the best. It's up to the coaches to develop the talent they have in order to do that. I'll take Geno over Warlick any time, any day, any place... I don't care who's on her roster.

I think it is an interesting issue to discuss with any team. I do not think there is any chance she is coming to Uconn and I personally think it would be problematic for the team if she did - Geno would have to be very sure of what she wanted and how she would respond before he would accept her. He has been 'burned' with the last two transfers he did take, and I think he took them because the team was light on tall players, and he regretted that. He has a very good team coming in next year and solid prospects for the new players likely to be able to play in 2015. I suspect he doesn't want to complicate things with a player who will be academically a junior when she is first able to play for him.
I don't really care which team she chooses, I think the same sorts of issues apply. Next year you have this incredibly talented and creative player on your team who cannot play. That is not an easy situation to manage in practice. If she plays with your starters, it messes them up because she is not available in the games, if she plays with your reserves is she going to be unhappy? I suspect she may well choose TN, and personally I do not think the TN coaching staff is good enough to manage that. You had a USA star player who appeared to regress significantly last year and there were some 'strange' tweets. It seemed to be a pretty fragile team from a confidence/chemistry stand point. I am not sure how they or any other team would handle a 'star' sitting on the bench. And I am not really sure how DD would handle that situation either. I had a pretty clear idea of what her career at UNC would look like - I have no idea of what it looks like anywhere else.
For an analogy - think of Sims 2013-4 version transferring into your program to sit on the bench for a year and how you would handle 4 months of practice and how your freshmen, sophomore, and junior guards would feel looking over their shoulder at what the next year would be like.
And ... what your recruiting for the 2015, 2016, 2017 classes would be like - in effect you have three starting guards on your team already - not a lot of playing time for your recruits. And not knowing if you are planning for 2 years or 3 years of having this great guard on your team.
I agree - TN with DD is not something I fear, nor SC or TX or GA or ND or wherever she ends up. I do think a lot of good coaches would think long and hard before offering her a scholarship, but some definitely would. I think it really is a gamble and a 50/50 proposition, especially for a team with a lot of talent already.