Diamond Stone, a center who was named a McDonald’s All-American and is considered one of the top players in the high school class of 2015, signed a national letter of intent with Maryland on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound Stone, from Milwaukee, made a commitment to Maryland last month, choosing the Terrapins over Wisconsin and UConn, among others. He helped Dominican High School with four consecutive state championships and averaged 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and three blocks per game this past season.
“Maryland has a great group of guys who I can see myself playing with next year,” Stone said in a statement released by the school. “I’m looking forward to playing for Coach [Mark] Turgeon. He’s a great coach, he loves to win and he knows how to develop his players. I’m excited about this opportunity. I’m just looking forward to starting a new chapter of my life.”
Stone was ranked as one of the top 10 high school seniors in the country by a variety of recruiting services. He scored 14 points off 7-for-9 shooting and had three rebounds and two blocks in the McDonald’s All-America game earlier this month.
“This was a four-year process in which we developed a great relationship with Diamond and his parents,” Turgeon said in that statement. “He fits perfectly with the personality of our team. Diamond is an old-school low post player who is a skilled shooter, passer and ball handler. He runs well, has terrific hands and has an insatiable desire to be great. Diamond loves Maryland and wants to win at the highest level.”
Stone will join Jaylen Brantley, a 5-foot-11 point guard who spent last season at Odessa Community College in Texas, as part of Maryland’s incoming recruiting class.
Maryland, which went 28-6 this past season and was ranked as high as No. 8 in The Associated Press poll, advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years last month.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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