Not true. They thought they had a lock on Moore, yes. But not EDD and certainly not Doty (they were targeting Bjorklund more).
Bjorkland was the same year as Moore (who their fans mostly lauded as just as good as Maya). The following year was their huge class headlined by Glory and Shekinna. From reading their board back then, they thought EDD and Caroline would never go to the same school. When Caroline verbaled to UCONN in November 2006, some/many Tennessee fans thought they'd land EDD.
When she ultimately chose UCONN over Tenn, 'nova, and MTSU, Tennessee fans were surprised. She'd taken several unofficial visits to Knoxville, but turned down the option of an official visit. Maybe towards the end they saw the writing on the wall, but as recently as the week before her announcement, it was reported by her father that EDD still did not know where she was going.
GoVolsExtra article on EDD's decision
Now I can't speak for all Tennessee fans, but I do recall reading their board and a good number of them were surprised and shocked. Of course, this is in the heels of Pat canceling the series, among other reasons, because Tennessee lost out on Maya to UCONN. But the ridiculous hanky panky they accused UCONN of is a whole other story.
One of the really interesting things about something Tony has said for years was echoed by Elena herself in an article in August 2007...
"I loved Tennessee, but it was not the program for me," Delle Donne said. "I have to be with players who complement me, and they just have so many recruits. It's not so much anything negative about them, as it is that UConn is just the best fit. The players really complement me. The games will be so much closer to home. And I love Geno. He really recruits pieces to a puzzle instead of trying to get every recruit he can."
That's pretty much something that Geno has done from day 1, and it's clear when you look at the hodgepodge Tennessee has often recruited in the past they indeed were going after every top kid they could get, regardless of how they played, what position they played, or how the players would complement each other. That a high school kid sees it and gets it indicates it's something Geno probably mentioned when recruiting against Tennessee and something recruits and their families were well aware of.
It seems that Holly finally learned that lesson as they certainly have recruited much more of a variety of kids each year. But still, they are quite a bit behind UCONN in the talent department, in spite of the protestations from some Tennessee fans who think otherwise...
