Diamond Stone (Committed to Maryland)

[RipCity]

Waiting for the spring signings is nerve racking but you have to like our chances with Jones and Stone is a guy who you roll the dice on.

 

[UConNick]

I like the part in the article where Stone's father says they want to make an educated decision, not an emotional one. If you look at his list, only one school is an obvious educated choice; guess who?

 

[7774]

I like the part in the article where Stone's father says they want to make an educated decision, not an emotional one. If you look at his list, only one school is an obvious educated choice; guess who?

I wouldn't say there is only one educated choice at all. It seems like the opposite actually.

 

[Tenspro2002]

Given that we will have Brimah and Nolan at the 5 in 2015-16, Stone isn't exactly a need. In that sense, he's the ideal guy to wait around for in the spring. If he goes elsewhere, fine. If he comes here, gravy.

But in that case, and maybe either way, a center in 2016 becomes a must.

 

[Husky999]

Not to be critical of Wisconsin because they have been a very competitive hoops program year in and year out but I can't name a single current NBA player that went there?? Why on earth if you were a 5 star recruit would you go to a school that doesn't put players in the NBA?

 

[huskyniner]

Not to be critical of Wisconsin because they have been a very competitive hoops program year in and year out but I can't name a single current NBA player that went there?? Why on earth if you were a 5 star recruit would you go to a school that doesn't put players in the NBA?

Because if you're a 5-star recruit, you could attend Central Connecticut and still be a first round pick. And in Diamond's case, still be a top 5 pick.

 

[UConnRock]

Other Factors-

Bo Ryan will be 67 at the end of the 2015 season. Wisconsin will be relying heavily on a group of seniors this year with Kaminsky, Gasser and Jackson. Wisconsin makes another nice run in the tournament and Ryan may look at retirement as an option. That recruiting card was played against UConn and Calhoun for years.

 

[mauconnfan]

Because if you're a 5-star recruit, you could attend Central Connecticut and still be a first round pick. And in Diamond's case, still be a top 5 pick.

Chris Smith started some stuff for UConn........kids like to stay home and they are definitely a competitive program.

I like the fact it seems to he his home state school and a couple others not named Kentucky, UNC, UCLA etc etc........this is a good kid with his head on straight as it looks to me.

 

[Final4 42]

Not sure if it has been said but Diamond Stone is Wisconsin's Andre Drummond. A home state kid that is 5 star big man (in Andre's case the best recruit in the class) that they have been on since before high school. It would be devastating for them to lose out on him to a different school in this situation. If we pull it off it would be amazing.

 

[mauconnfan]

Not sure if it has been said but Diamond Stone is Wisconsin's Andre Drummond. A home state kid that is 5 star big man (in Andre's case the best recruit in the class) that they have been on since before high school. It would be devastating for them to lose out on him to a different school in this situation. If we pull it off it would be amazing.

I like Andre a lot but this kid looks a lot more polished at this point. Andre was a athletic freak but needed a lot more coaching on the fundamentals when he entered. Just watching DS's post game and footwork he's prepared to hit the low blocks and be a threat, although not close athletically.

 

[Drame]

I like Andre a lot but this kid looks a lot more polished at this point. Andre was a athletic freak but needed a lot more coaching on the fundamentals when he entered. Just watching DS's post game and footwork he's prepared to hit the low blocks and be a threat, although not close athletically.

I think he was just comparing the in state recruiting situation... not the actual players, with the exception that they are both bigs.

 

[7774]

I think he was just comparing the in state recruiting situation... not the actual players, with the exception that they are both bigs.

Luckily for us it's pretty clear that Diamond is not nearly as close to the Wisconsin program as Andre was to ours.

 

[Husky999]

Because if you're a 5-star recruit, you could attend Central Connecticut and still be a first round pick. And in Diamond's case, still be a top 5 pick.

I disagree wholeheartedly… why would you not want to be with the best program that can develop you? Regardless of how good you are in higschool or if your only going to spend 1 year in college… and it doesn't appear that Sone is a surefire top 5 pick 2 years from now. Clearly as good as Bo Ryan has been he has had some player development issues….. or Wisconsin would have players in the NBA??

 

[champs99and04]

I disagree wholeheartedly… why would you not want to be with the best program that can develop you? Regardless of how good you are in higschool or if your only going to spend 1 year in college… and it doesn't appear that Sone is a surefire top 5 pick 2 years from now. Clearly as good as Bo Ryan has been he has had some player development issues….. or Wisconsin would have players in the NBA??

Just because Wisconsin doesn't have a lot of guys in the NBA doesn't mean Bo Ryan struggles with player development. The Badgers have historically been comprised of three and four star recruits under Ryan - guys who are good enough to play well at the college level fairly quickly but not good enough to seriously consider a jump. I don't buy the "he does less with more" narrative that the media loves to push because he does get recruits, but not many of those guys are NBA material upon entering campus.

I think the point that @huskyniner was trying to make was that the NBA pedigree of a school won't factor into his decision too much since he knows he can get there no matter where he goes. Andre Drummond, for example, literally would have been a top ten pick even if he decided to prep for another year. That's why a lot of people roll their eyes at the Calipari "I get guys to the NBA" sales pitch - there are literally hundreds of high school coaches good enough to get John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins to the NBA.

 

[tcf15]

 

[BlueMAB]

We've got a good shot here. Recruiting is about relationships, and Ollie has built a great one with Stone.

 

[BearJWS]

Thanks for posting that. That was an impressive interview. He flat out answered every question asked of him, off the fly, no B.S. or sugar coating. He seems quite intelligent & honest. Almost Okafor-esque! I actually like him more after seeing that. He's going places... hopefully UConn!

 

[Dove]

He "connects" with KO. Liking that a lot

 

[B1GEast]

Confidence s high

 

[CallMeBruce]

Maybe this is just the wishful thinking of my drug-addled mind, but he certainly seemed the most enthusiastic when talking about UConn.

 

[husky99]

Interesting interesting. .sounds like he could still sign early

 

[jfuchs91]

For what it's worth, on Wisconsin forums they seem to think he'll end up at UConn. For those comparing Stone's hometown recruitment to Drummond's, I don't think we ever really had a doubt that Andre was coming to UConn if he went to college at all.

He clearly has a strong relationship and connection with Ollie. I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that he'll end up at UConn.

 

[champs99and04]

Really thoughtful kid, but I thought it was interesting when they asked him about Maryland being an Under Armour school. He laughed in a seemingly uncomfortable way and went on to mutter something about Alex Len, almost like he was trained to say that. I feel like there's some smoke there with Stone and Maryland - some think they're a favorite, others don't. Regardless, I should probably take a couple days off from recruiting.

It made me laugh when he was asked about Duke - one of the first things out of his mouth was, "Coach K, USA basketball...that means a lot". This just days after Coach K and others downplaying the recruiting advantages gained from his gig with Team USA.

 

[UConNick]

Decent interview. One thing I took away was that he really doesn't have a timetable for a decision; he could sign before Nov. 12, or after. He's going to pull the trigger when he feels right, and I'm confident that when he takes that OV to UConn, Ollie will pull out all the stops. I can't see this kid saying no to the connection with Ollie, Purvis's (our de facto tour guide, I guess) hospitality, and Brimah's goofiness.

He also seems very well spoken, as others have alluded to; it wouldn't surprise me if Stone is an honors student, as well. He also looks like he is in much better shape. His face, neck, and shoulders all looked skinnier than in videos from the past ~10 months. Is it the end of the world if we don't get him? Of course not. But damn it this kid belongs in National Flag blue.

 

[DreamSeason]

Both Abu and Govan claimed to love Ollie above other coaches that were recruiting them but we got neither. Hope this time is different. I really like Stone. I think he can accomplish a lot here.