University of Tennessee Athletics
DeShields, Russell Named Preseason All-SEC
November 03, 2016 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Redshirt juniors Diamond DeShields and Mercedes Russell were named to the Preseason All-SEC Team, and the Lady Vols were picked to finish third in the SEC Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll released Thursday afternoon.
DeShields, who was recently named to the media’s preseason first team, earned preseason All-SEC First Team recognition from the league’s skippers for the second consecutive season. Russell was a second-team choice by the coaches for the second year in a row.
Defending champ South Carolina claimed the top spot in the poll, followed by Mississippi State in second. Florida was fourth, just behind Tennessee, with Kentucky, Auburn, Missouri, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss rounding out the order as voted by the league’s coaches.
DeShields, an extremely-athletic 6-foot-1 guard, led UT in scoring (14.3 ppg), steals (1.6 spg) and three-pointers made (36) while also averaging 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the 2015-16 season. She overcame injuries to be named AP All-SEC Second-Team, SEC All-Tournament and NCAA Sioux Falls Regional All-Tournament for her handiwork.
In 36 games in 2015-16, DeShields scored in double digits 28 times while crossing the 20-point plateau 10 times with 30+ point games against ETSU and Stetson. She was her team’s leader in scoring 20 times while also pacing the squad in assists nine times and in steals on 12 occasions.
Russell, meanwhile, averaged 9.9 points and led the team with 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting a team best 54.8 percent from the field. She finished third all-time among UT sophomores with 11 double-doubles, trailing only Candace Parker (21) and Chamique Holdsclaw (16) on that list.
The 6-6 center, who joined DeShields on last season’s NCAA Sioux Falls Regional All-Tournament Team, recorded 66 blocks in 2015-16 to tie Kelley Cain (2011-12) for eighth-most blocks in a single season by a Lady Vol. Russell currently ranks sixth in career blocks per game with an average of 1.49 rejections per contest.
Each coach voted for an eight-player All-SEC First Team, an eight-player All-SEC Second Team and the Player of the Year. Coaches could not vote for their own team or players and ties were not broken.
The Lady Vols play their lone exhibition game on Monday, welcoming Carson-Newman at 7 p.m. ET. Tennessee will tip off its 2016-17 campaign on the road on Nov. 11, playing at James Madison at 7 p.m.
PRESEASON SEC COACHES POLL
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Tennessee
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. Auburn
7. Missouri
8. Texas A&M
9. Vanderbilt
10. Arkansas
11. LSU
12. Georgia
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
Preseason Player of the Year
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Preseason First Team All-SEC
Jessica Jackson, Arkansas
Ronni Williams, Florida
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Preseason Second Team All-SEC
Brandy Montgomery, Auburn
Elenna Christinaki, Florida
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Dominique Dillingham, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Marqu’es Webb, Vanderbilt
