University of Tennessee Athletics
DeShields An NCAA Convention Delegate
January 12, 2016 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Diamond DeShields, a member of the Tennessee women's basketball team; Brady Bramlett, a member of the Ole Miss baseball team; and Jay Hughes, a former member of the Mississippi State football team, will represent the Southeastern Conference on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA's Division I autonomy process at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio this week.
The three student-athletes will represent the SEC as part of the Autonomy Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) to "engage and empower student-athletes by giving them both a voice and vote within a transparent decision-making process."
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August of 2014 to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves, paving the way for student-athletes to have a voice at every level of decision-making.
The new model grants flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac 12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in a list of specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes three student-athlete representatives from each conference who will vote on rule changes. Voting on autonomy issues includes 15 student-athletes (three from each of the Five Conferences) who, collectively, will cast votes in greater number than four of the Five Conferences.
"The participation of student-athletes is critical and central to the new autonomy structure and we are well-represented by these three SEC student-athletes," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "Our young people are well-equipped to make important decisions about NCAA matters and I look forward to seeing their participation at the convention when they will be side-by-side with athletics administrators and other leaders in intercollegiate athletics."
DeShields, a redshirt sophomore communications studies major from Norcross, Ga., is a starting guard on the Lady Vol basketball team after transferring to Tennessee from the University of North Carolina prior to the 2014-15 athletic year. She was named the 2014 National Freshman of the Year by several news organizations, honorable mention All-America and first team all-conference. She began competition for the Lady Vols this season and is leading 12th-ranked UT with 15.3 points per game average.
DeShields comes from a family rich in athletic prowess. Her mother was an All-America track and field athlete at Tennessee, her father played 13 years in Major League Baseball and her brother is an outfielder for the Texas Rangers.
"It means a lot to have everyone who's anyone within Division I Athletics want to take into consideration the voices of the student-athletes," DeShields said. "I am just really thankful to be one of those voices they have selected to be part of the process."
Bramlett, a junior biological science major from Bartlett, Tenn., is a starting pitcher for Ole Miss, returning to the field last season after missing the 2014 campaign due to injury. He posted a 7-4 record in 2015 with an ERA of 3.74 in 15 starts. He was a member of the SEC's Spring Academic Honor Roll.
Bramlett represents the SEC and serves as the Vice-Chair of the NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a representative on the NCAA Strategic Vision and Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the NCAA Division I Council. He is also a representative on the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee. Bramlett sings in the university choir.
Hughes graduated in May 2014 with a Bachelor's degree in history and is currently teaching. A native of Hattiesburg, Miss., Hughes was a regular starter his senior year at strong safety and helped lead Mississippi State to a 10-2 record in a 2014 regular season that saw the Bulldogs rank as high as No. 1 in the country.
Hughes was a team captain for the Bulldogs in 2014 and a member of the SEC Community Service Team. His father, Tony, was recently named head football coach at Jackson State.
The NCAA Convention in San Antonio will be the second for DeShields and Hughes to serve as SEC student-athlete voting members and the first for Bramlett.
