University of Tennessee Athletics
DeShields, Russell Make USA Team
May 17, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- News already had trickled out on social media, but now it is official. Tennessee rising redshirt sophomores Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell have been selected by USA Basketball to play on the 2015 World University Games Team, the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee announced Sunday.
DeShields, a 6-foot-1 guard from Norcross, Ga. (Norcross H.S.), and Russell, a 6-6 center from Springfield, Ore. (Springfield H.S.), will join 10 other players headed to Gwangju, South Korea, to compete in the World University Games on July 4-13. Players eligible for the 2015 U.S. USA World University Games teams must be U.S. citizens who currently are enrolled as full-time college students with remaining eligibility for the 2015-16 school year.
Tennessee head coach Holly Warlick previously had been named an assistant on that staff by USA Basketball. She'll join head coach Joe McKeown (Northwestern Univ. head coach) and assistant Tanya Warren (Northern Iowa head coach) for the trip to South Korea. Players and coaches will return to Colorado Springs for training camp on June 18-July 2 before departing for the event.
In addition to Jim Foster, the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee includes NCAA appointees Melanie Balcomb (Vanderbilt), Lindsay Gottlieb (California) and Joi Williams (UCF); and athlete representative Kara Lawson Barling, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist and Tennessee alum.
"Well, I am really excited," McKeown said. "I feel like we have tremendous talent and balance. We have size, we have quickness and the ability to score the basketball a high level. The challenge will be, obviously, to blend everybody together. But I feel like we have a real unselfish group, and it is going to be a lot of fun."
Russell, who redshirted last season at Tennessee after having surgery on both feet, will try to win her third gold medal with USA Basketball. She was part of the victorious squads at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championships and the 2011 FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
"It feels really great," Russell said of making the team. "It is always a blessing and an honor to represent your country in any type of event. I knew what to expect with these trials, because I have been here before. I knew the competition would be high, as you are playing with the best players in college at this point. I knew that and expected it to be great competition with a lot of high energy.
"I will be focusing on what I have been doing, running and trying to get in better shape. When we get to training camp, the focus will be learning to play together and having fun."
DeShields, who sat out last season after transferring to Tennessee from North Carolina, will be aiming for her fifth international gold medal. The 2014 consensus national college freshman of the year played alongside Russell on the 2012 U17 World Championship squad and also struck gold at the 2012 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship, the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship and the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
"It was relieving," DeShields said. "I worked really hard over this past year to come up here and be able to make a team. I am really appreciative of the opportunity.
"There was nothing different that I did during trials. I just tried to be that veteran leader that they expected me to be. I was more vocal, which I think helped me out along the way, seeing as I was not playing at my best.
I will be getting a lot of treatment between now and training camp. I want to come back healthy and able to play, as I know playing through the tournament is really physically demanding. I want my body to be able to last. I will be doing a lot of strengthening to get my body healthy and ready to go."
Warlick was very pleased with how well her highly-touted redshirts, the No. 1 (Russell) and No. 3 (DeShields) rated high school seniors in 2013, performed in Colorado Springs.
"It was the first time Diamond and Mercedes were on the floor (really competing) since their freshmen seasons, and I thought they both did just exceptionally well," Warlick said. "Diamond was a little sore, but I thought she did some great things. Mercedes was absolutely awesome and got better and better each session. She's gotten stronger, and it was good to see her run up and down the floor."
Tennessee signee Te'a Cooper of Powder Springs, Ga. (McEachern H.S.) participated in the Trials for the USA U19 Team that will participate in the FIBA World Junior Championships. Despite what Warlick perceived to be a sterling performance by the point guard, the UT newcomer did not make the USA roster.
"Te'a was outstanding," Warlick said. "She did everything that I would have wanted her to do. In my opinion, I thought she was the best guard out here. She's a very talented player who is going to be a tremendous addition to our Tennessee team."
