Plans for Russell/DeShields after the season?

[bballnut90]

Does anybody know if Russell or DeShields are planning to return to Tennessee for their 5th year of eligibility?

I have 0 "inside info", but based on personality types, I'll be shocked if DeShields doesn't bolt, but I think Russell likely returns.

Those 2 leaving or returning will be crucial for Tennessee's success in 2017-18. I know there will be transfers/JUCOs we can pick up, but roster is looking very thin on highly touted recruits if they do not come back:

Projected Roster for 2017-18
C: Cheridene Green, JUCO transfer coming off ACL
C: Kamera Harris, 3 star recruit
F: Jaime Nared, ranked anywhere from top 10 to top 25 coming out of HS, McD AA
F: Kortney Dunbar, ranked around #75 coming out of HS
G: Alexa Middleton, ranked #20-30 by most sites, McD AA
G: Te'a Cooper, ranked top 5 to top 15, McD AA
G: Meme Jackson, ranked in the #30-40 by most


Landing some top kids from the 2017 class and getting Russell and/or DeShields to return for a 5th year is crucial for UT's success going forward. If both leave for the W and Tennessee has another light recruiting haul, it will could be very tough times in Knoxville.

 

[Chitownvol1129]

Diamond has a lot to prove in college still, in my opinion. Russell has size which can't be taught, she is a top 3 pick no matter what. Diamond needs to prove she can be a team player and a winner, and a better shot.

 

[LadyVol1908]

I think Russell returns another year.
I think DD bases her decision on how the season goes. If she sniffs a FF or NC game and loses.....she comes back. If QTennessee somehow manages to win it all next year, I believe she's headed to the WNBA.

Regardless if they choose to come back or not, we need to sign a top 10 or top 5 class for 2017 and 18 IMO. We need the talent level to be up to par for years to come.

 

[PineyBluff Vol]

This is as good as any prediction you will see here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7pff3uqGcs

 

[Amb3096]

Diamond has a lot to prove in college still, in my opinion. Russell has size which can't be taught, she is a top 3 pick no matter what. Diamond needs to prove she can be a team player and a winner, and a better shot.

Imani Boyette was 6'7, a better player than Russell, and was only the #10 pick. Russell is by no means a Top 3 lock. She needs to get a lot better.

While Diamond does still have much to prove as a college player, I can see her upside being an attractive sell to a team like San Antonio that is in desperate need of players that can create their own shot. I suspect that LA would be quite interested in her as well if Connecticut ends up getting the top overall pick, since she would be a younger backup and eventual replacement for Beard/Carson. I have little doubt that Diamond would enter the draft if LA expressed interest in her for the opportunity to play in a major market alongside Parker and Ogwumike.

 

[Volfan2012]

You recruit like they are gone and if they stay great. I would think that we need five players in the upcoming class. I would think you might add Nared to that list if she has a breakout year and is in position to graduate.

 

[Amb3096]

I would think you might add Nared to that list if she has a breakout year and is in position to graduate.

Nared is only a junior, right?

She would be foolish to leave early to go to the draft. Given how mediocre she has been her first 2 years, she would have to be NPOY material in order to get noticed by the WNBA. We might as well say the same thing about Alexa Middleton or Kortney Dunbar.

 

[bobkitten]

This may be heresy, but I don't think Russell is a WNBA contender, nor is Nared. I doubt DeShields comes back, but I don't see her lasting long in the WNBA, either, due to my perception of her temperament. They all have talent, for sure, but don't see the guts that are needed. JMHO

 

[Voluble2]

Russell has size which can't be taught, she is a top 3 pick no matter what.

If she plays like she did during the regular season last year then she is going nowhere. If she plays like she did for a couple of games in the tournament then you might be right. Those games were the first time she looked anything like a top pick.

 

[reno tony]

Imani Boyette was 6'7, a better player than Russell, and was only the #10 pick. Russell is by no means a Top 3 lock. She needs to get a lot better.

While Diamond does still have much to prove as a college player, I can see her upside being an attractive sell to a team like San Antonio that is in desperate need of players that can create their own shot. I suspect that LA would be quite interested in her as well if Connecticut ends up getting the top overall pick, since she would be a younger backup and eventual replacement for Beard/Carson. I have little doubt that Diamond would enter the draft if LA expressed interest in her for the opportunity to play in a major market alongside Parker and Ogwumike.

Connecticut just picked up Courtney Williams from Phoenix last month and she is twice the guard DD is. They do need some help at height so maybe Russell might be an option but certainly not as the first pick.

 

[Volfan2012]

Nared is only a junior, right?

She would be foolish to leave early to go to the draft. Given how mediocre she has been her first 2 years, she would have to be NPOY material in order to get noticed by the WNBA. We might as well say the same thing about Alexa Middleton or Kortney Dunbar.

The ones were talking about Russell and Deshields haven't done that much better. Deshields shot it a lot more but her percentages were about the same. So anybody can have a breakout year and since she has been one of the players working we'll see. I don't see any of them being drafted unless they put up some decent numbers next season and that doesn't mean taking 500 shots and shooting 34 percent.

 

[Amb3096]

The ones were talking about Russell and Deshields haven't done that much better. Deshields shot it a lot more but her percentages were about the same. So anybody can have a breakout year and since she has been one of the players working we'll see. I don't see any of them being drafted unless they put up some decent numbers next season and that doesn't mean taking 500 shots and shooting 34 percent.

I'm not sold on Russell. She is a tall girl who can hit layups when she's guarded by someone smaller and weaker than her. She got a lot of easy points off lob passes that were out of reach for smaller defenders. When she was defended with size and had to play with her back to the basket, then her limitations were glaring. She has no finesse. That hook shot is like a line drive. She is not a top 10 WNBA pick at this moment, and may not make a final roster. Ruth Hamblin was better than her defensively and was an AA the past two seasons, and she was a 2nd round pick. Unless she improves her offense and own the paint on defense, then no WNBA team is going to waste a first round pick on her.

Diamond has her limitations, but she has athleticism that allows her to do things that others can only dream of. Her game needs polish, but just that freakish athleticism will get her drafted. Even if she had a season like last year, if she entered the WNBA draft after the upcoming season, I can see her easily going in the first round, probably top 5, potentially #1.

 

[Amb3096]

Connecticut just picked up Courtney Williams from Phoenix last month and she is twice the guard DD is.

Diamond has more upside as a pro because of her athleticism. Courtney will be a solid WNBA bench player, but Diamond will become a star with the right coaching.

 

[gule]

cw never saw the day she was twice better than dd.

lay off the shine, reno tony.

 

[reno tony]

Diamond has more upside as a pro because of her athleticism. Courtney will be a solid WNBA bench player, but Diamond will become a star with the right coaching.

If you think DD is more athletic than CS you haven't seen Williams play much. At USF Courtney had to be more of a volume shooter than she would have liked but she still had decent percentages. She was a team player and didn't give up on plays. DD isn't even in the same planet when it comes to rebounding. Quite frankly, I can't think of one thing DD does as well as Williams. But I have watched Williams quite a bit in the last four years while I have only watched DD since she joined TENN. I understand she played much better before becoming a Vol but I only saw her play one tournament game her freshman so I can't judge much for her freshman year.

 

[Amb3096]

If you think DD is more athletic than CS you haven't seen Williams play much. At USF Courtney had to be more of a volume shooter than she would have liked but she still had decent percentages. She was a team player and didn't give up on plays. DD isn't even in the same planet when it comes to rebounding. Quite frankly, I can't think of one thing DD does as well as Williams. But I have watched Williams quite a bit in the last four years while I have only watched DD since she joined TENN. I understand she played much better before becoming a Vol but I only saw her play one tournament game her freshman so I can't judge much for her freshman year.

Courtney also played in a pitifully weak league against pitifully weak opposition other than UConn. No comparison to the level of competition that Diamond was playing in both the ACC and SEC.

If she was as good as you claim she is, then she would have been drafted higher than #8 in a pretty weak draft after the top 2. She also wouldn't have sat languishing on Phoenix's bench for 1/2 the season. She will be a role player in the WNBA; Diamond has the potential to be a star.

I'm willing to bet the farm that Diamond won't be as low as #8 in her draft.

 

[Chitownvol1129]

Imani Boyette was 6'7, a better player than Russell, and was only the #10 pick. Russell is by no means a Top 3 lock. She needs to get a lot better.

While Diamond does still have much to prove as a college player, I can see her upside being an attractive sell to a team like San Antonio that is in desperate need of players that can create their own shot. I suspect that LA would be quite interested in her as well if Connecticut ends up getting the top overall pick, since she would be a younger backup and eventual replacement for Beard/Carson. I have little doubt that Diamond would enter the draft if LA expressed interest in her for the opportunity to play in a major market alongside Parker and Ogwumike.

Russell's sophomore stats rival her best stats from any year in college, against tougher competition. While recovering from yr off.

 

[vol-un-tear]

They have to improve a lot! I look forward to seeing big improvement this coming season. GLV!!

 

[reno tony]

Courtney also played in a pitifully weak league against pitifully weak opposition other than UConn. No comparison to the level of competition that Diamond was playing in both the ACC and SEC.

If she was as good as you claim she is, then she would have been drafted higher than #8 in a pretty weak draft after the top 2. She also wouldn't have sat languishing on Phoenix's bench for 1/2 the season. She will be a role player in the WNBA; Diamond has the potential to be a star.

I'm willing to bet the farm that Diamond won't be as low as #8 in her draft.

If she goes after this season then she will need to play a lot better than she has so far or she will be lucky to go in the third round. This is going to be a weak draft year but the WNBA still wants players that produce, not ones with potential that don't produce. Now Courtney Williams was the third guard drafted behind Moriah Jefferson and Rachal Banham but before Tiffany Mitchell. Where exactly would you place DD amongst those four guards. And let's face facts, DD shot 39% from the floor, 25% from behind the arc for 14 points per game with 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game and an A/TO ratio of .7. Not exactly a top draft pick resume. Unless you are going to blame those stats on the SEC. As far as Phoenix is concerned, I suppose she should have knocked Taurasi or Bonner out of the starting line-up. DD has excellent potential and maybe this will be her year, TENN is certainly going to need a floor general. She just hasn't proven anything at TENN yet.

 

[Amb3096]

Russell's sophomore stats rival her best stats from any year in college, against tougher competition. While recovering from yr off.

Which means that Boyette still put up better numbers playing about the same level of competition, including outplaying Russell in their only H2H meeting. She's an all around a better player. And she was taken #10 in the WNBA draft.

I don't buy the year off excuse. She wasn't hurt when she came back; she was fully healthy. And she was inconsistent in her play because a.) she's not aggressive and b.) she's not very skilled. Russell isn't going in the top 5 unless she gets a whole lot better.

 

[Amb3096]

If she goes after this season then she will need to play a lot better than she has so far or she will be lucky to go in the third round. This is going to be a weak draft year but the WNBA still wants players that produce, not ones with potential that don't produce. Now Courtney Williams was the third guard drafted behind Moriah Jefferson and Rachal Banham but before Tiffany Mitchell. Where exactly would you place DD amongst those four guards. And let's face facts, DD shot 39% from the floor, 25% from behind the arc for 14 points per game with 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game and an A/TO ratio of .7. Not exactly a top draft pick resume. Unless you are going to blame those stats on the SEC. As far as Phoenix is concerned, I suppose she should have knocked Taurasi or Bonner out of the starting line-up. DD has excellent potential and maybe this will be her year, TENN is certainly going to need a floor general. She just hasn't proven anything at TENN yet.

Diamond was shackled last year by an incompetent coach who didn't know how to use her and by backcourt teammates who don't know how to move without the ball and would throw the ball at Diamond with 2 seconds on the shot clock on more occasions than I care to remember. There is no chance that she would fall to the third round even if she skipped the upcoming season and declared for the WNBA in April.

As for Courtney, she didn't need to displace Bonner or Taurasi, but if she was as All-World as you proclaim her to be, then she should have at least been part of the regular rotation. She wasn't, but Petkovic, Harden, Quinn were.

As for where Diamond would have been drafted, I would have had her as the best off-guard in the draft and 2nd overall guard behind Moriah. If the team needed a PG, then go with Moriah. If they needed a SG/Wing, then Diamond would have been my first choice (with Mitchell a close second) and neither Banham or Williams on the radar. Diamond will be a better rookie and a better overall player than both of those.

 

[And1]

Imani Boyette was 6'7, a better player than Russell, and was only the #10 pick. Russell is by no means a Top 3 lock. She needs to get a lot better.

While Diamond does still have much to prove as a college player, I can see her upside being an attractive sell to a team like San Antonio that is in desperate need of players that can create their own shot. I suspect that LA would be quite interested in her as well if Connecticut ends up getting the top overall pick, since she would be a younger backup and eventual replacement for Beard/Carson. I have little doubt that Diamond would enter the draft if LA expressed interest in her for the opportunity to play in a major market alongside Parker and Ogwumike.

I don't don't see how LA (or NY, MIN either for that matter) would have any chance of getting Diamond through the draft unless they trade up, which would mean giving up one of their best players. More likely she would end up at SA, CON or WAS. God help us if PHX misses the playoffs and wins the draft lottery. Personally I would love to see her in WAS.

 

[Amb3096]

I don't don't see how LA (or NY, MIN either for that matter) would have any chance of getting Diamond through the draft unless they trade up, which would mean giving up one of their best players. More likely she would end up at SA, CON or WAS. God help us if PHX misses the playoffs and wins the draft lottery. Personally I would love to see her in WAS.

LA gets Connecticut's first round pick because they traded Jonquel Jones for Chelsea Gray and the Sun's 2017 first round pick. So if Connecticut wins the lottery, then LA would get the #1 overall pick.

Unfortunately, it looks like San Antonio will finish last in the league and will be nearly unbeatable to that goal, but hopefully Connecticut is right behind them and gets the overall #1. Phoenix would have to really work one of their magic tank jobs to get the #1 this year. Besides, last season would have been the year to pull that trick.

 

[reno tony]

Diamond was shackled last year by an incompetent coach who didn't know how to use her and by backcourt teammates who don't know how to move without the ball and would throw the ball at Diamond with 2 seconds on the shot clock on more occasions than I care to remember. There is no chance that she would fall to the third round even if she skipped the upcoming season and declared for the WNBA in April.

As for Courtney, she didn't need to displace Bonner or Taurasi, but if she was as All-World as you proclaim her to be, then she should have at least been part of the regular rotation. She wasn't, but Petkovic, Harden, Quinn were.

As for where Diamond would have been drafted, I would have had her as the best off-guard in the draft and 2nd overall guard behind Moriah. If the team needed a PG, then go with Moriah. If they needed a SG/Wing, then Diamond would have been my first choice (with Mitchell a close second) and neither Banham or Williams on the radar. Diamond will be a better rookie and a better overall player than both of those.

You are obviously a big DD fan and that is fine. Let's see how she plays this season and revisit this in March.

 

[Nuyoika]

LA gets Connecticut's first round pick because they traded Jonquel Jones for Chelsea Gray and the Sun's 2017 first round pick. So if Connecticut wins the lottery, then LA would get the #1 overall pick.

Unfortunately, it looks like San Antonio will finish last in the league and will be nearly unbeatable to that goal, but hopefully Connecticut is right behind them and gets the overall #1. Phoenix would have to really work one of their magic tank jobs to get the #1 this year. Besides, last season would have been the year to pull that trick.

That is based on this correct: WNBA Announces Rules Changes To Draft Lottery Format - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA and not the previous format?