EDD: Why UConn wasn't for me

[UConn2SF]

Good Read

http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2012/03/08/ex-no-1-player-why-uconn-wasnt-for-me/

 

[Icebear]

A lot of material has come out lately and much of it from a limited circle of folks, Elena, Tina Martin, etc. plus old quotes like that from Kara, Geno and others dating back to the original events. This in itself can become a distraction from the tasks at hand like the tournament. Very nice addition of the material about DannyUConn. Let's hope the notoriety and attention work for them and not against them. I'd like to see Delaware play well in the tournament.

More than all this I would love to see Geno and Tina work out a game for next year's OCC schedule. Delaware's ranking next year would make it a nice addition to the SOS and playing UConn good for their program. Win-win.

In the end the headline points in the wrong direction. It wasn't that UConn wasn't for Elena simply its location. Instead she had to be true to herself and her sister. A better header would have been "How I Gave Up Someone's Dream to Find My Own." She will be an awesome Special Ed professional.

 

[Mattydog]

Amen Ice.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

Imagine, a young woman choosing family over possible fame, love over fan adulation, personal integrity over others expectations.

She has earned the respect of the rest of the country, that is for sure.

 

[pap49cba]

In the end the headline points in the wrong direction. It wasn't that UConn wasn't for Elena simply its location. Instead she had to be true to herself and her sister. A better header would have been "How I Gave Up Someone's Dream to Find My Own." She will be an awesome Special Ed professional.

Headline writer(s) took some liberties. This is the original USA Today article. BTW, Danny U gets FOUR PARAGRAPHS!!!!

LINK

 

[meyers7]

I think most of the people who are still bitter about the situation, are not bitter because she chose her family over UCONN (I mean how can you be? - though there might be a couple..) but more the way she went about it. Or the way it went down.

 

[Icebear]

BTW, the for the writer the reaction of some in the "UConn fan base was harsh", maybe even most for a time but here at the Boneyard there was always a group of fans, a significant group, who supported Elena's decision. The is no fan base per se just individual fans some who handled the decision with negative responses and, also, other fans who saw beyond the loss to UConn to the bigger picture of one gifted 17 year olds difficult decision and commitment to her sister.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I think most of the people who are still bitter about the situation, are not bitter because she chose her family over UCONN (I mean how can you be? - though there might be a couple..) but more the way she went about it. Or the way it went down.

I agree... its the basketball side of things, championships dont mean anything etc. If thats the case you can easily get a membership to the local Y to shoot some hoops.

 

[Phil]

Excellent article. Congrats Danny, for the nice mentions.

 

[Icebear]

I agree... its the basketball side of things, championships dont mean anything etc. If thats the case you can easily get a membership to the local Y to shoot some hoops.

Everything is relative. Basketball is great but family is family, at 17 she was living other folks dream for her, not her own. She mows enjoys basketball again that she has found away to fulfill both joys in her life.

 

[Bestiarius]

BTW, the for the writer the reaction of some in the "UConn fan base was harsh", maybe even most for a time but here at the Boneyard there was always a group of fans, a significant group, who supported Elena's decision. The is no fan base per se just individual fans some who handled the decision with negative responses and, also, other fans who saw beyond the loss to UConn to the bigger picture of one gifted 17 year olds difficult decision and commitment to her sister.

I'd venture to say that almost all of EDD's critics would now retract the "harsh" comments, have completely changed their attitude, and even learned something about what is important in life and basketball's place in it.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I believe it was during half-time of St. John's game that the ESPN interview of EDD on this subject was played, together with Geno's "I got news through a voice mail from EDD on my drive in that morning"(paraphrase) snippet. She said words to the effect that Geno called it right from the git go as "homesickness" and it took her a lot longer (as we all know) to figure out that it was not basketball she was sick of but the looming leaving of home/sister which had robbed basketball of joy for the last couple of years of her high school career.

I was never harsh toward EDD, but as a disappointed fan of UC basketball I did wish that we would stop devoting so much attention to her and her career post UC on the board. Now, I have succumbed and simply embrace the horror of it all! Just kidding. She has played herself and her "chicks" into relevance.

 

[meyers7]

I'd venture to say that almost all of EDD's critics would now retract the "harsh" comments, have completely changed their attitude, and even learned something about what is important in life and basketball's place in it.

Well I doubt most have learned anything about what is important. Most people already realize that. And those that don't aren't gonna be swayed by EDD's story. What many have learned (and even EDD) is why she left. At the time it wasn't presented as "for her family".

 

[Icebear]

Well I doubt most have learned anything about what is important. Most people already realize that. And those that don't aren't gonna be swayed by EDD's story. What many have learned (and even EDD) is why she left. At the time it wasn't presented as "for her family".

I disagree, the relationship with Lizzie was discussed from the very start as one of contributing pressures. It was not couched in the terms of the importance of touch being the sole or key way to communicate between the two of them and the obstacle that even the distance to UConn created for that.

 

[meyers7]

I disagree, the relationship with Lizzie was discussed from the very start as one of contributing pressures. It was not couched in the terms of the importance of touch being the sole or key way to communicate between the two of them and the obstacle that even the distance to UConn created for that.

It was presented as burnout.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Very few people had a problem with her decision. It was most definitely the sequence of events that was an issue. By commiting to UConn, showing up in the summer and then leaving, she hurt the program. Geno, and all of us, would have had NO problem with her commiting to Delaware to stay close to home. Makes perfect sense. But, by doing what she did, she took a roster slot that would have been filled by another highly rated recruit. That clearly hurt the program for AT LEAST that one season. And while that slot may have been filled the following recruiting season, who is to say that we ended up with a player as good as we could have grabbed if EDD had not taken that slot when she did.

The kid had to do what made her happy. She is responsible to no one but herself. I understand that as much as anyone. But make no mistake, she hurt the program by not honoring her commitment. In the end she made the right decision and, yes, other top athletes can learn from her choice of priorities. But I also hope they learn from her mistake as well. Do everything you can to commit to the right school so you can minimize the negative impact on those around you. Basically, she made the wrong decision and then she made the right one. As much as people would like to ignore it, she did make a mistake along the way and it had a negative impact.

 

[PacoSwede]

I disagree, the relationship with Lizzie was discussed from the very start as one of contributing pressures. It was not couched in the terms of the importance of touch being the sole or key way to communicate between the two of them and the obstacle that even the distance to UConn created for that.

Discussed by people in the BY. yes. Discussed by the Delle Donnes, NO.

That was one of my major beefs with the whole BY reaction at the time. Lots of people were declaring that "Oh, It's because of her sister. It's all about that." Such folks were making assumptions that certainly had not been confirmed by anyone in a position to make a confirmation. But, it was a pleasant out, and easy to accept -- regardless of whether it was true or not.

But, that was only one possible explanation -- and not the one Elena herself offered. Yet some people absolutely insisted that they knew that was what it was all about. And that irritated me, for one. It is nice that this pleasant explanation has indeed been confirmed by someone who really knows the facts.

Meanwhile, folks gave Kalana grief for making an honest, upfront comment!!! KG didn't deserve that, and she wouldn't have been open to it if Elena had not been so unclear about what was really going on.

I doubt very many BYers ever thought Elena "owed" anything to UConn or the BY, though many were disappointed at not being able to see her play (and STILL are) and were rightly unhappy that UConn perhaps missed other recruit(s) because of the misdirection of the phantom EDD commitment.

 

[Icebear]

It was presented as burnout.

That was one of a multitude of presentations and was her self appraisal but the wider discussion included homesickness and the desire to be near her sister.

 

[Icebear]

Discussed by people in the BY. yes. Discussed by the Delle Donnes, NO.

That was one of my major beefs with the whole BY reaction at the time. Lots of people were declaring that "Oh, It's because of her sister. It's all about that." Such folks were making assumptions that certainly had not been confirmed by anyone in a position to make a confirmation. But, it was a pleasant out, and easy to accept -- regardless of whether it was true or not.

But, that was only one possible explanation -- and not the one Elena herself offered. Yet some people absolutely insisted that they knew that was what it was all about. And that irritated me, for one. It is nice that this pleasant explanation has indeed been confirmed by someone who really knows the facts.

Meanwhile, folks gave Kalana grief for making an honest, upfront comment!!! KG didn't deserve that, and she wouldn't have been open to it if Elena had not been so unclear about what was really going on.

I doubt very many BYers ever thought Elena "owed" anything to UConn or the BY, though many were disappointed at not being able to see her play (and STILL are) and were rightly unhappy that UConn perhaps missed other recruit(s) because of the misdirection of the phantom EDD commitment.

This is true and more accurate than meyers statement but those of us who recognized the homesickness just like Geno were right. Also, there were those among us who literally knew more about the situation in short order. No, Kalana never deserved the grief some gave her. In addition, the context of Kalana's comments were lost for many.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I would not characterize my criticism about her leaving as harsh. I have always felt that it was her life and her decision to make. I was very critical of how she chose to leave, skulking off in the middle of the night. At the time I thought it was a cowardly and disrespectful act and I haven't changed my mind about that.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Well I doubt most have learned anything about what is important. Most people already realize that. And those that don't aren't gonna be swayed by EDD's story. What many have learned (and even EDD) is why she left. At the time it wasn't presented as "for her family".

maybe the "in crowd" knew the truth all along and even knew she was leaving in the middle of the night

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

I would not characterize my criticism about her leaving as harsh. I have always felt that it was her life and her decision to make. I was very critical of how she chose to leave, skulking off in the middle of the night. At the time I thought it was a cowardly and disrespectful act and I haven't changed my mind about that.

Bully for you.

Here's what I think...hiding behind a pseud and hurling insults at a 17 year old is more than cowardly…BTW, you were there when she left?

At least in a newspaper, if you editorialize, you have to step up and be identified. Here at The Boneyard you can hide in the bushes and lob grenades at a teenager.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Bully for you.

Here's what I think...hiding behind a pseud and hurling insults at a 17 year old is more than cowardly…BTW, you were there when she left?

At least in a newspaper, if you editorialize, you have step up and be identified. Here at The Boneyard you can hide in the bushes and lob grenades at a teenager(s) & very young adults.

thats what I say about those who call ANY player (Diggins) names... and hurl insults at their family members

it amazes me... all over basketball

as I said last night "its a reflection of their character" IMO

 

[Husky68]

Quoting ESPN of a couple of years ago:

“She said after leaving UConn last year that she had realized she was burned out on basketball and no longer had the passion to compete at the sport's highest level. She spent last year playing volleyball at Delaware, making the Colonial Athletic Association's all-rookie team.

But in an interview Tuesday with the Hartford Courant, Delle Donne said in hindsight she now realizes that she was homesick.”

She sees it different in hindsight, I go with what is said at the time. Uconn looked too hard and wasn’t willing to do it. She didn’t run out in the middle of the night ‘cause of the onset of 48 hour homesickness – she saw what was up and decided wasn’t for her. All the other reasons for being home are all well and good (and good reasons to be happy with her decision), just not the reason she pulled the big vamoose.

By the way, she was born Sept 5, 1989. When she was at Uconn in the summer of 2008 she was a couple of months short of 19, not 17 years old.

 

[meyers7]

Discussed by people in the BY. yes. Discussed by the Delle Donnes, NO.

That was one of my major beefs with the whole BY reaction at the time. Lots of people were declaring that "Oh, It's because of her sister. It's all about that." Such folks were making assumptions that certainly had not been confirmed by anyone in a position to make a confirmation. But, it was a pleasant out, and easy to accept -- regardless of whether it was true or not.

But, that was only one possible explanation -- and not the one Elena herself offered. Yet some people absolutely insisted that they knew that was what it was all about. And that irritated me, for one. It is nice that this pleasant explanation has indeed been confirmed by someone who really knows the facts.

Meanwhile, folks gave Kalana grief for making an honest, upfront comment!!! KG didn't deserve that, and she wouldn't have been open to it if Elena had not been so unclear about what was really going on.

I doubt very many BYers ever thought Elena "owed" anything to UConn or the BY, though many were disappointed at not being able to see her play (and STILL are) and were rightly unhappy that UConn perhaps missed other recruit(s) because of the misdirection of the phantom EDD commitment.

Yep, pretty much what I was saying....but Paco with more detail.