Diamond Stone - C (2015) - Bucky's 5th Quarter

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Class	Position	Height	Weight
2015	C	6'10"	253 lb
School		AAU
Whitefish Bay (WI) Dominican HS		~~The Family~~ / Milwaukee Young Legends

Rankings

Rivals: (#1 C / #6 overall)
Scout: (#2 C / #6 overall) Red_arrowdown_medium
ESPN: 95 (#2 C / #6 overall)
24/7: 100 (#2 C / #8 overall) Green_arrowup_medium
Wishoops: (#1 player in 2015)

Last updated: May 5, 2015
Previous Rankings: 5-star (#3 C/#6 overall > #2/#5 > #1/#6 > #1/#3 > #2/#4) by Rivals; 5-star (#2 C/#4 overall > #1/#1 > #1/#3 > #2/#2) by Scout; 5-star/95 (#2 C/#7 overall) > 96 (#1 C/#4 overall > #2/#5) > 95 (#2/#2 > #2/#3) by ESPN; 5-star/99 (#2 C/#10 overall > #1/#9 > #1/#8 > #2/#10 > #3/#9 > #1/#4) by 24/7
Rankings at time of commitment: 5-star (0.9977) by 247 Composite, #2 C/#5 overall/#1 in WI; 5-star by Rivals, Scout & ESPN

Honors

2015 Co-Mr. Basketball (WBCA)
2015 McDonald's All-American
2015 All-State - Div. 4 (WBCA)*
2014 FIBA U17 World Championship All-Tournament Team
2014 First Team All-State (AP)*
2014 All-State - Div. 4 (WBCA)*
2013 Second Team All-State (AP)
2013 All-State - Div. 4 (WBCA)*
2012 Honorable Mention All-State (AP)
2012 Second Team All-Midwest Classic Conference - North
2011 WBY Shootout All-Tournament Team (Wishoops.net)

*unanimous selection

Statistics

2014-15: 24.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 2.9 bpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 70% FG, 75% FT, 35% 3PT | Senior (Dominican)
2014: U17 World Championships | USA Basketball
2014: 22.0 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.9 bpg, 1.3 apg, 3.5 TO/g | UA Association
2013-14: 24.3 ppg, 13.1 rpg | Junior (Dominican)
2013: 13.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 54% FG, 14-23 FT in 20 mpg | FIBA Americas U16
2012-13: 16.9 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.1 bpg | Sophomore (Dominican)
2011-12: 13.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.1 bpg | Freshman (Dominican) - MaxPreps

Verbally committed to Maryland on March 27, 2015

Stone's recruitment was jump-started in April 2012 with offers from heated, in-state rivals Wisconsin and Marquette. However, it was inevitable that heavyweight players nationwide got involved. Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and UCLA turned up the heat, but this 6'10" baby-faced monster has dealt relatively well with being touted as one of the top pivot prospects in the country -- regardless of class -- for several years now. Instead of seeing his rankings slip, Stone has adapted. He's been developing good footwork and refining his already impressive array of post moves. Twice he was elevated to the top-ranked 2015 prospect, most recently by Scout:

Stone has a big frame with soft hands and is incredibly skilled for a young center. He can step out and shoot or back you in and score with his footwork, touch or skill set. He's not an elite athlete, but makes up for it with his size and skill.

Stone wowed onlookers at the LeBron James Skills Academy in 2013, then started trimming his physique in hopes of leading Dominican to a third-straight WIAA championship (which he did). He always said that he intended to wait until his junior or senior season to decide on a college, and with so many options, why not? Mississippi shooting guard Malik Newman, the top overall player in 2015, has been quoted several times saying he and Stone want to become a package deal at the college level. That development scared a lot of Wisconsin fans who hoped the Badgers would land the Dominican star. Though the package deal theory has been debunked to some degree on different occasions, the "will he or won't he" nature of the rumors were constant. The death knell seemed to be UConn reportedly ending its recruitment of Newman.

At the Reebok Breakout camp, a touted matchup fizzled when Stone experienced a macaroni-and-cheese "mishap." Stone informed scouts he would take all five official visits and make a decision in time for the November 12 early signing date. Battling a groin injury, Stone traveled to Dubai in August to play in the U17 World Championships with Team USA. There he set a standard for blocked shots while regaining his reputation as a double-double machine.

When Duke dropped off of Stone's list, he said he intended to make a decision during the signing period in November, even though he may not sign paperwork until the spring. While Wisconsin and Connecticut seemed to have an edge, Maryland had the Under Armour angle in its corner and gained a ton of momentum in the recruitment. Oklahoma State offered great facilities and the aura of a sneaky darkhorse (a la UCLA for Kevon Looney). Stone followed through on his four official visits to each finalist, with the last coming on the Thursday and Friday of Halloween weekend at Connecticut.

With speculation swirling about Stone's academics and whether Wisconsin was waiting for a test score or transcript clearance to take's Stone's pledge, Maryland's Mark Turgeon came in and stole the recruitment with an in-home visit in late March, which led to Stone announcing his surprise decision on a Friday night via Twitter as Wisconsin was out in Los Angeles preparing fort the Elite Eight.

Diamond Stone - C (2015)

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Verbally committed to Maryland on March 27, 2015

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