VaTech 67, TN 63, final

[CocoHusky]

Based on that, I see her leaving at the end of this season for the WNBA, to TN's advantage. Hopefully, she will find her way, there.
That's assuming the WNBA wants her. Her stats aren't exactly first round pick material. Just looking at her numbers she can't shoot and she can't take care of the ball so where did her rep come from? High school?

The WNBA is full of coaches (just like college) who will fully believe they have the magic formula to unlock the perceived potential in DD. DD will go in the first round of this draft without a doubt- might go first overall. DD life correction will only come from a grown woman whose livelihood is dependent on Diamond being a better more reliable teammate. For right now TN and all the players there are extremely happy to have her.

 

[donalddoowop]

I watched on the ESPN watch app

Thank you.

 

[JoePgh]

For all the Holly bashing Tenn fans want to heap on her, the reality is that her record in the NCAA's is something most other fan bases would envy. In fact, almost all fan bases would envy it. Couple that with her excellent recruiting class out of 2017, and I would be SHOCKED if they got rid of Holly any time soon.

Tenn fans need to remember that one of the reasons they recruited so well for the 2017 class is because of the coaches, and their relationships they built with the players AND their families. Not all coaching staffs spend THAT much time recruiting kids. Ohio State and L'ville are 2 programs that have taken YEARS to build their programs into what should be perennial top 10 teams going forward. But look at the rest of the top teams in WCBB - they almost ALL have seasoned coaches who are legends at their respective schools.
...
Teams like OSU (McGuff - 2013), UCLA (Close - 2011), Texas (Aston 2012), and Tennessee (Warlick - 2012) are all relatively new coaches. Tenn fans are realizing that there is no way to duplicate what Pat brought to the program prior to her departure. And replacing Warlick may get a more energized coach with better X's and O's, but it won't make recruiting better - Tennessee is simply not a destination school for anyone (location, quality of education, etc).

Warlick's recruiting has been consistently in the top 10 since she took over. As the Tenn fan pointed out, she's landed multiple top 10 kids since she took over. I just don't see how that AD or administration has any cause to let her go, other than Tenn fans unrealistic expectations of their place in the WCBB universe...

I confessed in another thread to being completely at a loss to understand the thought process of the three 2017 recruits (or at least the two 2017 Top 15 recruits from outside Tennessee) who are coming to Knoxville. Maybe the Vol coaches' relationships with high school coaches explains it. But at some point, players are going to have to realize that they won't develop very much there (never mind winning an NC), and that may put their WNBA and Olympic dreams in jeopardy.

As to whether the AD or the administration "has any cause to let her go", I would say that having that talent level and then losing so many regular season games, and then ONLY making the Elite 8, is plenty of reason to do so. But maybe they will wait until Tennessee fails to make the NCAA tournament, or has an extended recruiting drought, before they pull the trigger. I know some Boneyarders hope that day never comes, but really, WCBB needs a strong Tennessee program to really thrive.

 

[j66kicker]

As to whether the AD or the administration "has any cause to let her go", I would say that having that talent level and then losing so many regular season games, and then ONLY making the Elite 8, is plenty of reason to do so. But maybe they will wait until Tennessee fails to make the NCAA tournament, or has an extended recruiting drought, before they pull the trigger. I know some Boneyarders hope that day never comes, but really, WCBB needs a strong Tennessee program to really thrive.

Why?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

WCBB needs a strong Tennessee program to really thrive.

Seriously Joe? You're too smart to believe that. Not in the second decade of the 21st century.

 

[baggerbob]

The WNBA is full of coaches (just like college) who will fully believe they have the magic formula to unlock the perceived potential in DD. DD will go in the first round of this draft without a doubt- might go first overall. DD life correction will only come from a grown woman whose livelihood is dependent on Diamond being a better more reliable teammate. For right now TN and all the players there are extremely happy to have her.

Probably the only coach in the WNBA who could coach DD would be Bill, because she would sit if she didn't play his way.

 

[EricLA]

I know some Boneyarders hope that day never comes, but really, WCBB needs a strong Tennessee program to really thrive.

Not at all. WCBB is more popular than ever - especially with the rise/rebirth of many programs - SC, Baylor, UCLA, Texas, OSU, L'ville, etc etc. Not to mention UCONN and ND - the 2 most premier programs at this time. It's like saying baseball needs the Yankees to be popular or basketball needs the Lakers to make a profit. It's simply not true.

Same goes for Tennessee. They had a great run, like La Tech, Cheney State, USC, ODU, etc. Their time came and went, and Tennessee is following suit. WCBB does not "need" any one team. Same will be true of UCONN if/when our time comes to decline.

 

[Carnac]

Will Diamond DeShields jump to WNBA at the end of the season?
Or will she avail of the 5th year of eligibility and continue to benefit from Tennessee's coaching to improve her game?

I think DeShields has had enough of WCBB. I'd be shocked if she returns next year. This is going to be a loooooong frustrating year for the lady Vols, one I don't think she'll want to repeat.

One of the 12 WNBA teams will take a chance on her. If she comes out, she'll be taken by the end of he second round. No doubt one of the coaches there thinks they can work with her, and straighten her out. Color her gone.

 

[Justavisitor]

Why?

Due to the number of fans. WCBB struggles with getting fans, as it is. There are some top 10 teams out there that can't get butts in the seats. WCBB is not yet at a place where it can afford to lose such a large fan base.

 

[Justavisitor]

Not at all. WCBB is more popular than ever - especially with the rise/rebirth of many programs - SC, Baylor, UCLA, Texas, OSU, L'ville, etc etc. Not to mention UCONN and ND - the 2 most premier programs at this time. It's like saying baseball needs the Yankees to be popular or basketball needs the Lakers to make a profit. It's simply not true.

Same goes for Tennessee. They had a great run, like La Tech, Cheney State, USC, ODU, etc. Their time came and went, and Tennessee is following suit. WCBB does not "need" any one team. Same will be true of UCONN if/when our time comes to decline.

The NBA didn't think they needed the Boston's of the world, until they did, and that led to allowing one of the most ridiculous trades in the history of the sport.

 

[JoePgh]

I think DeShields has had enough of WCBB. I'd be shocked if she returns next year. This is going to be a loooooong frustrating year for the lady Vols, one I don't think she'll want to repeat.

One of the 12 WNBA teams will take a chance on her. If she comes out, she'll be taken by the end of he second round. No doubt one of the coaches there thinks they can work with her, and straighten her out. Color her gone.

And, agreeing with another poster, I think Bill Laimbeer would most likely be that coach. And he will probably be right. On the other hand, she might bridle at serious coaching, and might prefer to cash it in and only play overseas, where (by most accounts) selfish scorers who put up big numbers and entertain the fans are in vogue.

 

[Justavisitor]

What amazes me is how many of you continue to trash Diamond. It's actually sad that adults that do not know any thing about this young lady and have had no personal interactions or relationships with her hide behind a keyboard and have no problems going after her character. You would think that lesson would have been learned when you did the same thing to Candace Parker, who has since had an entire host of teammates and opponents come to her defense and totally contradict some of the hatred that has been spewed. When does attacking the character of these young, student athletes stop? It's one thing to discuss their basketball abilities or lack there of, but going after their character is simply sad and says more about the poster than it does about her.

 

[CocoHusky]

Probably the only coach in the WNBA who could coach DD would be Bill, because she would sit if she didn't play his way.

I don't care much for "Billy Lamebeer" but he might just be what the doctor ordered.

 

[UcMiami]

For all the Holly bashing Tenn fans want to heap on her, the reality is that her record in the NCAA's is something most other fan bases would envy. In fact, almost all fan bases would envy it. Couple that with her excellent recruiting class out of 2017, and I would be SHOCKED if they got rid of Holly any time soon.

Tenn fans need to remember that one of the reasons they recruited so well for the 2017 class is because of the coaches, and their relationships they built with the players AND their families. Not all coaching staffs spend THAT much time recruiting kids. Ohio State and L'ville are 2 programs that have taken YEARS to build their programs into what should be perennial top 10 teams going forward. But look at the rest of the top teams in WCBB - they almost ALL have seasoned coaches who are legends at their respective schools.

1. UCONN - Geno
2. ND - Muffet
3. SC - Dawn
4. Baylor - Kim
5. FSU - Sue Semrau
6. Maryland - Brenda
7. Stanford - Tara
8. Mississippi State - Vic Schaefer
9. L'ville - Walz (since 2007)

Teams like OSU (McGuff - 2013), UCLA (Close - 2011), Texas (Aston 2012), and Tennessee (Warlick - 2012) are all relatively new coaches. Tenn fans are realizing that there is no way to duplicate what Pat brought to the program prior to her departure. And replacing Warlick may get a more energized coach with better X's and O's, but it won't make recruiting better - Tennessee is simply not a destination school for anyone (location, quality of education, etc).

Warlick's recruiting has been consistently in the top 10 since she took over. As the Tenn fan pointed out, she's landed multiple top 10 kids since she took over. I just don't see how that AD or administration has any cause to let her go, other than Tenn fans unrealistic expectations of their place in the WCBB universe...

Tony - well reasoned, and I think that is the stance of most of the 'give Holly a break' TN fans. People sort of forget some of the history of the program - Pat had a stretch of 8 years without a championship from 1999-2007, but during that period they also made 5 FF and 3 NC games. And they forget that it was already four years since her last championship - a period that included her first opening round loss, a S16, and two elite eight losses - that four year stretch represents the worst 4 year stretch in TN's NCAA history, including the last four years of Holly being the coach. Who knows how much her undiagnosed disease was effecting her coaching at the end, but I don't know that it really made a difference - the basketball landscape around her was changing rapidly and I am not sure she had the capacity to significant change her system. We will never know.

What I think is of concern for TN is that Holly is very much 'continuing Pat's legacy' - she is not a creative basketball mind, and is trying to do everything she learned and saw as one of Pat's loyal assistants. And she is living on Pat's legacy in terms of recruiting - Pat built a world class program with top of the line facilities and staffing and the reputation for years as the destination for top end talent - like Storrs and Uconn, the actual location didn't and still doesn't matter that much to HS WBB players. The change is that not only is Uconn an equally good choice now, but so are SC, and ND, and Stanford, and Louisville, and MD, and Baylor, and TX, and ... when Pat and Geno started the options for HS talent were pretty limited with a bit of rotation but never extending that broadly.While Holly has continued to land high quality recruits, I think it is as much 'Tennessee' as Holly that is the attraction.

When you look around the landscape the universe of 'old school' coaches has dwindled significantly - a few have hung on because of inertia - they are institutions at their institutions and live on in reputation. I actually think of Holly in that light - she is new to the HCing profession, but has been in place for 30+ years. The ones that actually succeed do so because they are students of the game and adapt, the others play out their string with recruiting success as much a matter of reputation as anything they actually bring to the table - and recruiting success still goes a long way to having a winning record as a college coach, which in turn keeps the recruits coming.

And administrators are much more lenient in WCBB - don't make waves, don't lose more than you win, and don't create a scandal, and you'll have a job as long as you want it. I think that is JPM's situation at Duke, it was certainly Andy's at Georgia, and I think it is likely Holly's at TN - the loyal fan bases may be screaming loudly, but the ADs don't really hear that amidst the cacophony coming from the FB and MCBB fans.

 

[reno tony]

What amazes me is how many of you continue to trash Diamond. It's actually sad that adults that do not know any thing about this young lady and have had no personal interactions or relationships with her hide behind a keyboard and have no problems going after her character. You would think that lesson would have been learned when you did the same thing to Candace Parker, who has since had an entire host of teammates and opponents come to her defense and totally contradict some of the hatred that has been spewed. When does attacking the character of these young, student athletes stop? It's one thing to discuss their basketball abilities or lack there of, but going after their character is simply sad and says more about the poster than it does about her.

I will say something nice about DD. I love her sense of humor. During an interview she was asked if she was the best player to ever come out of Georgia and she answered "Yes!" When reminded that Maya Moore came from Georgia and did DD still think she was the best she answered "Absolutely." How can a person not like a woman who comes up with a joke like that during a serious interview.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Unfortunately not many or enough will be schooled in a way that will make a real difference. I agree that this is a generational thing, not limited to young women though. Besides the instant gratification of this generation too many are also being taught that that there is nothing greater than themselves. This makes teaching lessons about sacrifice, team, growth, and winning championships increasingly harder to deliver because the immature mind will always reason: "Because there is nothing greater than me I don't need to sacrifice and grown & of course I'm going to win a championship(s)."

A number of years ago, I thought seriously about getting into AAU WBB--now this may or may not have been a local issue (not in Broadway), in the questioning of the leaders it became clear they did no 'teaching/training'--lots of playing. I have doubts this is a nation wide approach. \
Coco --you know more about this--is that the trend or was this localized??

 

[RockyMTblue2]

A number of years ago, I thought seriously about getting into AAU WBB--now this may or may not have been a local issue (not in Broadway), in the questioning of the leaders it became clear they did no 'teaching/training'--lots of playing. I have doubts this is a nation wide approach. \
Coco --you know more about this--is that the trend or was this localized??

Very coy B'Va: Let's be real. Geno has been outspoken for years that AAU ball is very much part of the problem everywhere. Here's one. Geno Auriemma UConn Coach

Make no mistake, AAU is a money making enterprise for a bunch of can't coach, but can promote dudes.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Also this angle on the whole AAU parade: Several women's basketball programs to boycott recruiting weekend

If I'm hopscotching around the country in the fall playing lookey lookey how is that helping the kids on my college team?

 

[j66kicker]

Due to the number of fans. WCBB struggles with getting fans, as it is. There are some top 10 teams out there that can't get butts in the seats. WCBB is not yet at a place where it can afford to lose such a large fan base.

Good point. It's only Knoxville that would benefit from keeping those fans though. Away crowds still come out to see and root against the LadyVols. Anyway, I still don't care if TN ever wins another game. Sorry - just a "UCONN" thang...

 

[j66kicker]

What amazes me is how many of you continue to trash Diamond. It's actually sad that adults that do not know any thing about this young lady and have had no personal interactions or relationships with her hide behind a keyboard and have no problems going after her character. You would think that lesson would have been learned when you did the same thing to Candace Parker, who has since had an entire host of teammates and opponents come to her defense and totally contradict some of the hatred that has been spewed. When does attacking the character of these young, student athletes stop? It's one thing to discuss their basketball abilities or lack there of, but going after their character is simply sad and says more about the poster than it does about her.

Couple points:
1) I don't like the comparison with Candace - Candace was actually a great player and carried her teams to championships.
2) All I've seen/heard is Candace's "basketball" character being questioned - taking plays off, not playing defense, needing to be the focus of the offense, etc. To me her teammates coming to her defense publicly is not a vindication. I have eyes.

 

[CocoHusky]

A number of years ago, I thought seriously about getting into AAU WBB--now this may or may not have been a local issue (not in Broadway), in the questioning of the leaders it became clear they did no 'teaching/training'--lots of playing. I have doubts this is a nation wide approach. \
Coco --you know more about this--is that the trend or was this localized??

Unfortunately I think it has become a national bad trend. Geno himself has spoken about this as a bad thing in that there really is no teaching going on in AAU, just games being played in show case style events. Incidentally this brings to mind another urban legend. During the National championship game the legend went something like: Stewie would drive from Syracuse NY to practice with Brittney Sykes her Philadelphia Belles teammates. Brian is a good dude but that drive was 4 hours each way.
Typically those teams met on the weekend and played a bunch of games, I know this because I was in the gym and Jannah Tucker (formerly at TN now at 'Nova) might have been the best player there.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

During the National championship game the legend went something like: Stewie would drive from Syracuse NY to practice with Brittney Sykes her Philadelphia Belles teammates

Yup, I remember that vividly and thought at the time: how wacked is that. I do understand the need to measure yourself against your peers, as opposed to whomever shows up for tryouts at your high school. This is what we have 'til something better comes along. Oh, wait, there is something better, however elitist; it's private schools and schollies! What a novel idea. For example: Home – Girls Basketball – Mater Dei High School

 

[UcMiami]

AAU has changed significantly in just the last ten years - teams used to be localized which allowed them to get together occasionally for serious practice (not an hour before the games start is some distant city's AAU tournament.) A lot of those teams still exist and still practice, but those teams no longer attract the local stars - the stars all get recruited by the 'super teams' - those teams recruit regionally, super regionally and nationally and because of the distances almost never get together to practice except in the city of one of the big national viewing AAU tournaments. And they have sucked the air out of the other non-school related training environment - the training camps run by good coaches with large staffs that worked on both individual and team oriented skills during the summers. Most of them had some college coaching talent involved and a lot of the staff was college or post college players helping train the next generation. The 'viewing' window at those camps for college coaches was almost entirely limited to the participating staff.

There is a lot of marketing by the AAU crowd around the super teams and the related tournaments selling parents on the importance of getting their young baller seen - and they drown out the 'sensible' advice articles and talks by others who try to counteract that marketing by suggesting training camps and HS practice are better developers of skills. Talented kids will be noticed even if they aren't playing in every AAU tournament, but it can be hard to be rational when your babies future might change with a single viewing by coach X.

 

[chuck.r]

Come on Chuck---The Vols barely got by JMU --until the 4th quarter --a Mid Major, in a tiny pond. Kenny Brooks (Va Tech) took over an less than successful team, recently, without time to recruit or put his stamp on this team--and THEY BEAT --the VOLs??
The Admin and Fans of UTn must be wondering about Holly.
With the level of talent Holly has had--I'm reluctant to say this--but if any of the other top 10 coaches had this team--MY OpinION--the outcomes these past few years would have been different.

I don't disagree with anyone's comments on this thread regarding the lack of development/improvement from year to year in Holly's recruits. I've silently noted the same in observing Tennessee in action over the last few years. Simmons was a good example of a talented freshman phenom who started out setting the court on fire her 1st season...and then just plateaued - no new kinks to her game, no sense of maturation. The only Lady Vol player that caught my eye as advancing her game year-to-year was Isabel Harrison. She became their one indispensable presence on the court as a result, and it was Tennessee's bad luck she was hampered by injury her senior season.

Regarding my remarks on Holly, I am merely observing the atmosphere around her in relation to the Tenn. AD. He is far more focused on the Men's programs, particularly football, and I think as long as she manages the women's program decently without scandal or controversy, he's cool with her. Regardless of the hue and cry from the Vol Nation fanbase (which is loading up with the tar and pitchforks), he seems content with her. This recent recruiting success and the press the program got from their tournament run last spring doesn't help their cause. Neither does the fact that the fans still come out in reasonable numbers for all their home games. And we can't discount the fact that Warlick is "from the Vol family", which counts for a lot in the SEC.

BTW - I do like the observations on here regarding the good fortune she has had with tournament match-ups that have inflated her post-season success. That speaks to the fact that, despite her middling coaching acumen, the team has enough talent to win against similar middling competition.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I don't disagree with anyone's comments on this thread regarding the lack of development/improvement from year to year in Holly's recruits. I've silently noted the same in observing Tennessee in action over the last few years. Simmons was a good example of a talented freshman phenom who started out setting the court on fire her 1st season...and then just plateaued - no new kinks to her game, no sense of maturation. The only Lady Vol player that caught my eye as advancing her game year-to-year was Isabel Harrison. She became their one indispensable presence on the court as a result, and it was Tennessee's bad luck she was hampered by injury her senior season.

Regarding my remarks on Holly, I am merely observing the atmosphere around her in relation to the Tenn. AD. He is far more focused on the Men's programs, particularly football, and I think as long as she manages the women's program decently without scandal or controversy, he's cool with her. Regardless of the hue and cry from the Vol Nation fanbase (which is loading up with the tar and pitchforks), he seems content with her. This recent recruiting success and the press the program got from their tournament run last spring doesn't help their cause. Neither does the fact that the fans still come out in reasonable numbers for all their home games. And we can't discount the fact that Warlick is "from the Vol family", which counts for a lot in the SEC.

BTW - I do like the observations on here regarding the good fortune she has had with tournament match-ups that have inflated her post-season success. That speaks to the fact that, despite her middling coaching acumen, the team has enough talent to win against similar middling competition.

I appreciate the kind and generous comments. Many remember the home and home games---for some they were one step below the NC's. Good luck on your season.