Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 12:14 pm  |  22 responses

Elena Delle Donne update

This still raises almost as many questions than answers, but we wish her the best regardless. We’ll have an old feature on her up shortly.

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  • B. Long

    Mooseknuckle.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Ok, someone explain something to me: Apparently, at least in college football, you can transfer from a Division 1-A college like Penn State, and then enroll at a Division 1-AA college (which Delaware is) and play immediately. You don’t have to sit out a year. So why exactly would Delle Donne have to sit a year? Is basketball rules different than football?

  • http://sdfjkl.com Jukai

    I don’t know the reasoning, but 99% of the reasons she can give aren’t smart. College is very expensive, you know, and if she ain’t going to be in the WNBA, she may need some actual cash.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Jukai: Her parents have loot. The high school she went to was a very expensive private school. But money is not the issue: the NCAA says that she has to sit out one year because she originally accepted a scholarship from UConn and now wants out of that commitment, which happens a lot. Now, if she was going to Tennessee or Rutgers, I can understand why she would have to sit a year. But the University of Delaware is a much smaller school and actually plays in a lower division, so she should be able to play right away.

  • H to the Izzo

    TAD:As far as I know,the Div1-A and Div1-AA stuff doesn’t apply when it comes to college basketball,so she would have to sit a year regardless of what team she was moving to-I think.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    I love that an Irish guy is explaining the intricacies of college sports to an alleged Michigan fan/alum. Everything I’ve ever believed about UM grads is reinforced.
    Izzo’s pretty much right, though, Tad. There is no exact 1-AA equivalent in college hoops – it’s D1, D2, D3, and 1-AA is more like D2 in this case than it is like D1. Just as you’d have to sit a year while transferring between 1A football schools like Florida and USC, you’d have to sit out a year transferring between UConn and Delaware, both of which are D1 for hoops.
    What does this teach us? That the NCAA makes things needlessly confusing. But we knew that.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Ryan couldn’t resist adding a cheapshot. But thanks for the clarification. I selfishly wanted to see what Delle Donne would do against college comp.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Hey Ryan: do you guys get tickets for the PSU home games?

  • http://slamonline.com Ben Osborne

    TAD, I still say she plays college ball someday, likely at Delaware. Go Northwestern!

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    I hope so Ben. The funny thing is, she would KILL the competition Delaware plays.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Russ Bengtson

    I’ll repeat my comment from the last post, since it’s likely no one saw it: She literally laughed off my suggestion that she go to Delaware back in June of ‘06. I meant it as a joke anyway—you don’t expect the bluest of blue chippers to become Blue Hens. But she struck me as someone to whom family mattered more than anything, and this decision really doesn’t surprise me much. Basketball has been her life forever—she’s been working with a trainer since SECOND grade and playing in AAU tournaments since she was 12. It wouldn’t surprise me if she just needs a break.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Yeah, I remember that article Russ. Said something to the effect that it would be too small for her or something. But yeah, I wouldn’t doubt that she needed the break.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    Tad: I have to buy them, but yeah. I’m five rows from the top in the north end zone, which are actually dope seats. You can see the world from up there, or at least miles of the tree-covered part of it where I live.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    And what Russ said: Makes me wish I’d tried harder to convince LeBron to spend a year at the U. of Akron, just on principle.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Is that the student section for you guys? I actually tried to get some tickets to the UM/PSU game, but they were soldout online in a matter of minutes.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    You mean the Best Student Section in Ameria™? Nah, I’m in faculty/staff seats, the opposite end of the field. And yeah, considering we sold out our Labor Day weekend opener against… wait for it… Coastal Carolina, you didn’t have much chances getting tickets for Michigan here.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    Oh ok. The student section at UM and the faculty/staff seats are right near each other at Michigan Stadium. So, how much did you want for your seats, Jones?

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    Non-negotiable, my friend. I’m sure you can find plenty of scalpers, though, if you don’t need to pay your rent this month.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ TADOne

    There-in lies the problem. It’s ok, my health is much better away from your football team.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Ryan Jones

    You and me both.

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » SLAM 101: Elena Delle Donne, The Golden Child

  • GoTerps

    where are ppl getting the idea that she’s going to play volleyball for delaware? it didn’t mention anything about that in the article, despite the fact that her friend was on the team…i think shes done, unfortunatley, since most high school girls basketball players would KILL to play at UConn.

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