Diamond Stone

[brewcity77]

Safe to say Badger fans are getting worried. This seemingly "done" recruitment keeps dragging on and TAMU is far from the only one whispering that there may be complications. Looking at how vehemently jakeec disagrees just calls to mind the old "methinks thou dost protest too much" saying. There are issues, and they are sensing it. I don't know where Stone will end up other than to say I'm confident it won't be here, but if it was as cut and dried as Badger fans want everyone to believe, it'd be done already.

[Benny B]

Not all of this is true.  Look at why Gary Anderson left to back the Badger's stance on grades.   

Sorry JayBee, but your joke about longdong is going to have to settle for second place behind this one.

[jakeec]

you may want to learn how to read

Yea, my mistake.

[🏀]

Not all of this is true.  Look at why Gary Anderson left to back the Badger's stance on grades.   

Not all of this is true, Gary Anderson surely didn't leave on his own accord and that statement was fabricated on purpose.

[Ardmore Mug]

Stone would have gone to Tosa East.  He lives in Tosa and went to public schools through middle school there.

You are correct abut DS going to Tosa Middle school.  I was talking about HS.. He was going to go to the best place for BB and get and keep his grades up... MPS schools would not have been the BEST for him, hence he went to Dominican...OK ? ? ?
Jake:   The part you bolded was referring to Burton... I guess I wasn't CLEAR enuf in a couple of places  in what I wrote..   

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Safe to say Badger fans are getting worried. This seemingly "done" recruitment keeps dragging on and TAMU is far from the only one whispering that there may be complications. Looking at how vehemently jakeec disagrees just calls to mind the old "methinks thou dost protest too much" saying. There are issues, and they are sensing it. I don't know where Stone will end up other than to say I'm confident it won't be here, but if it was as cut and dried as Badger fans want everyone to believe, it'd be done already.

The only thing I am whispering is that Diamond hasn't decided yet. Everyone seems to think that its odd that he hasn't committed yet. The kid is just taking his time. Could it be because of grades? Sure. Is it? I have no idea. Personally, I think players ranked in the top 20 commonly wait until the late signing period. If you go by 247, 10 out of the top 18 kids have yet to commit.

I think assuming a kid has bad grades is a move out of a badger fans playbook. Let the kid enjoy his recruitment.

[Tugg Speedman]

The only thing I am whispering is that Diamond hasn't decided yet. Everyone seems to think that its odd that he hasn't committed yet. The kid is just taking his time. Could it be because of grades? Sure. Is it? I have no idea. Personally, I think players ranked in the top 20 commonly wait until the late signing period. If you go by 247, 10 out of the top 18 kids have yet to commit.

I think assuming a kid has bad grades is a move out of a badger fans playbook. Let the kid enjoy his recruitment.

But Diamond said he would commit during the November signing period and when that period arrived, his dad told a reporter that he would not commit until spring without offering a reason why.

If the plan was the spring all along, that would have been fine.  But the plan seemed to be November and then at the last minute something changed.

[avid1010]

But Diamond said he would commit during the November signing period and when that period arrived, his dad told a reporter that he would not commit until spring without offering a reason why.

If the plan was the spring all along, that would have been fine.  But the plan seemed to be November and then at the last minute something changed.

i am baffled by this thread...what the hell do you think changed?  could be a million and one things...yet people want to publicly question his grades/ACT scores when they have no clue what is going on.  could be he's waiting to see who goes pro, could be he's waiting to see if there are coaching changes, could be he just couldn't make up his mind...

if you have direct knowledge of the situation so be it, but that shouldn't be posted on a public message board anyhow. 

[Marquette Fan in WI]

Good Morning guys.
Yesterday I went to see Diamond at Concordia University, they were playing Tosa West.
There were less people than the game at the Al, but not substantially less.
We were sitting behind the team's benches, towards the middle towards the top.
When we sat down we were near a pro-Diamond crowd.
Towards the end of the second quarter, my friend began engaging in discussion with the person next to him.
I got up to use the bathroom, running in to someone I knew, I returned to my seat at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
I could see my friend speaking with the person next to him the entire 3rd quarter.
I was disappointed I didn't see any D1 coaches at the game, at least none I recognized.
Afterwards we went out to dinner at the Highland House.
When we sat at dinner, my friend told me that he was speaking with someone very close to Diamond.
My friend referred to this person as Diamond's "handler", although he didn't know the exact relationship, whether it was his father or grandfather or what, the guy was a black male in his 60s with grayish hair.
He said that they got to talking about the decision-making process.
The man told my friend that at home they have a grid of about ten to fifteen schools with abouttwenty categories, things like coaching staff experience, university life, how the big men interact with coaches...
They go through and discuss each of these items on a regular basis, so this grid is in flux. They will watch a team and then update the grid.
This man told my friend that there is a lot to take in and they are going to take their time making a decision.
The second part of this, is that when we were arriving at Highland House, I ran into Wojo who was leaving.
I was told by the person I ran into at halftime that Wojo was at Concordia earlier in the evening watching Matt Heldt.
So these are my takeaways:
1. Diamond is undecided and taking his time, I give him credit for this, wish I'd done my homework and done the same.
2. Wojo was there to see a signed recruit, but didn't stay to see someone who is undecided.
3. There are games tonight at Concordia 6pm Rice Lake, 7:30pm Neenah
4. There is a big difference between high school and D1 talent

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

But Diamond said he would commit during the November signing period and when that period arrived, his dad told a reporter that he would not commit until spring without offering a reason why.

If the plan was the spring all along, that would have been fine.  But the plan seemed to be November and then at the last minute something changed.

Pretty sure it is fine either way -- it is not like he owes anything to any of the message board people and he is good at basketball so he will have a place to play when he is ready.

[Tugg Speedman]

Pretty sure it is fine either way -- it is not like he owes anything to any of the message board people and he is good at basketball so he will have a place to play when he is ready.

Not sure what that means, but in late October he had a final four (per Diamond) and that was UW, Maryland Uconn and Okla State.  He did not commit.  Something changed.  Sure it can be a million things.  But they are basically one thing.  He did not like anyone of these four schools in November and could not make a decision.

Oh and Bucky is the one that is not going to "be fine" if Diamond stiffs them.

[GGGG]

2. Wojo was there to see a signed recruit, but didn't stay to see someone who is undecided.

Right.  Because DS will not be at Marquette next year.  Just because he may be "undecided," that doesn't mean that Marquette is part of the equation.

Not sure what that means, but in late October he had a final four (per Diamond) and that was UW, Maryland Uconn and Okla State.  He did not commit.  Something changed.  Sure it can be a million things.  But they are basically one thing.  He did not like anyone of these four schools in November and could not make a decision.

Oh and Bucky is the one that is not going to "be fine" if Diamond stiffs them.

It actually may not be true that "he did not like anyone of these four schools in November."  He may have liked them all.  He may have liked two of them.  Who knows?

And UW will be fine without Diamond.  One could argue that both Maryland and OSU need him more than UW does.

[Golden Avalanche]

Right.  Because DS will not be at Marquette next year.  Just because he may be "undecided," that doesn't mean that Marquette is part of the equation.


It actually may not be true that "he did not like anyone of these four schools in November."  He may have liked them all.  He may have liked two of them.  Who knows?

And UW will be fine without Diamond.  One could argue that both Maryland and OSU need him more than UW does.

What of UConn, the program most people considered a lock to obtain his commitment over the summer?

[4everwarriors]

Good Morning guys.
Yesterday I went to see Diamond at Concordia University, they were playing Tosa West.
There were less people than the game at the Al, but not substantially less.
We were sitting behind the team's benches, towards the middle towards the top.
When we sat down we were near a pro-Diamond crowd.
Towards the end of the second quarter, my friend began engaging in discussion with the person next to him.
I got up to use the bathroom, running in to someone I knew, I returned to my seat at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
I could see my friend speaking with the person next to him the entire 3rd quarter.
I was disappointed I didn't see any D1 coaches at the game, at least none I recognized.
Afterwards we went out to dinner at the Highland House.
When we sat at dinner, my friend told me that he was speaking with someone very close to Diamond.
My friend referred to this person as Diamond's "handler", although he didn't know the exact relationship, whether it was his father or grandfather or what, the guy was a black male in his 60s with grayish hair.
He said that they got to talking about the decision-making process.
The man told my friend that at home they have a grid of about ten to fifteen schools with abouttwenty categories, things like coaching staff experience, university life, how the big men interact with coaches...
They go through and discuss each of these items on a regular basis, so this grid is in flux. They will watch a team and then update the grid.
This man told my friend that there is a lot to take in and they are going to take their time making a decision.
The second part of this, is that when we were arriving at Highland House, I ran into Wojo who was leaving.
I was told by the person I ran into at halftime that Wojo was at Concordia earlier in the evening watching Matt Heldt.
So these are my takeaways:
1. Diamond is undecided and taking his time, I give him credit for this, wish I'd done my homework and done the same.
2. Wojo was there to see a signed recruit, but didn't stay to see someone who is undecided.
3. There are games tonight at Concordia 6pm Rice Lake, 7:30pm Neenah
4. There is a big difference between high school and D1 talent

How was the food? Always liked their chicken.

[Benny B]

Bear in mind... UK only has 3 commits right now.  However, they certainly have more than 3 players headed to the NBA draft next year (read: more schollies are going to be available), yet there is no telling right now who might stay another year.  That, however, should start to firm up over the next several weeks as scouts, players, handlers and Cal can fully evaluate the players & their options.  I would guess that by mid-February, Cal is going to know exactly who is going to the draft, who is returning, and can finalize the rest of his class knowing how many schollies he is going to have and which positions he needs to fill.

Not to say that DS has his heart set on UK - or is even a UK target for that matter - but until the dominoes in Lexington fall, DS may not know exactly where his options stand, and so it would be a good idea to keep his recruitment open a bit longer.  Same thing typically happens in baseball free agency... all of the upper echelon FAs wait (and to a certain extent, the big payroll teams) for the top player at their position to sign, then the rest will sign.

With Calipari's game-changing system at UK, this is simply the new reality with the elite recruits -- those who really don't care about where they go (so long as they get the pro-scout exposure they're looking for) are not going to sign until spring.

Moral of Story: There is nothing strange about the fact that DS has not yet committed.  The only thing this does say is that he is going to a blue-blood program for the sole purpose of prepping for the NBA.  Sadly, that is not UW.

[brandx]

But Diamond said he would commit during the November signing period and when that period arrived, his dad told a reporter that he would not commit until spring without offering a reason why.

If the plan was the spring all along, that would have been fine.  But the plan seemed to be November and then at the last minute something changed.

So what? Did you write the book on recruiting and what is and isn't acceptable?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

But Diamond said he would commit during the November signing period and when that period arrived, his dad told a reporter that he would not commit until spring without offering a reason why.

If the plan was the spring all along, that would have been fine.  But the plan seemed to be November and then at the last minute something changed.

I think you overestimate the reliability of teenage boys. This happens all the time. Jaylen Brown and Malik Newman announced they would have final 5 lists by September. Still no updates. Briscoe was supposed to commit in the summer but ended up waiting until November. Blakeney committed to Louisville then backed out a week later. These are teenage boys. Just because they don't meet an arbitrary deadline that they placed doesn't mean something sinister is going on. It could be something sinister, but none of us know that.

All I know is that if Diamond doesn't go to Wisconsin, Badger fans everywhere will be bashing the kid for not having high enough grades to get into Madison. I'd rather not stoop to their level.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Not sure what that means, but in late October he had a final four (per Diamond) and that was UW, Maryland Uconn and Okla State.  He did not commit.  Something changed.  Sure it can be a million things.  But they are basically one thing.  He did not like anyone of these four schools in November and could not make a decision.

Oh and Bucky is the one that is not going to "be fine" if Diamond stiffs them.

11/16 of the remaining unsigned ESPN 100 recruits had announced a final 3-7 by the time of the early signing period and still didn't commit. Even if you have a final list, it doesn't mean you are ready to pick your school yet.

[Silkk the Shaka]

I think you overestimate the reliability of teenage boys. This happens all the time. Jaylen Brown and Malik Newman announced they would have final 5 lists by September. Still no updates. Briscoe was supposed to commit in the summer but ended up waiting until November. Blakeney committed to Louisville then backed out a week later. These are teenage boys. Just because they don't meet an arbitrary deadline that they placed doesn't mean something sinister is going on. It could be something sinister, but none of us know that.

All I know is that if Diamond doesn't go to Wisconsin, Badger fans everywhere will be bashing the kid for not having high enough grades to get into Madison. I'd rather not stoop to their level.

Yeah this definitely wreaks of a "didn't have the grades" setup by badger fans if he goes elsewhere. So pathetic.

[Tugg Speedman]

I Googled the phrase "Diamond Stone Basketball"

https://www.google.com/search?q=marquette+basketball&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=diamond+stone+basketball

Here are the top four links (in order)

Diamond Stone - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles ...
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/145063/diamond-stone

Diamond Stone - 247Sports
http://247sports.com/Player/Diamond-Stone-20022

Paint Touches | Tag Archive | Diamond Stone
http://painttouches.com/tag/diamond-stone/

Hangin' at the Al - MUScoop
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?board=2.0


Yes, I know he's not coming to MU.  But google sorts links based on activity ... so which school is showing him the most love?

[Tugg Speedman]

I think you overestimate the reliability of teenage boys. This happens all the time. Jaylen Brown and Malik Newman announced they would have final 5 lists by September. Still no updates. Briscoe was supposed to commit in the summer but ended up waiting until November. Blakeney committed to Louisville then backed out a week later. These are teenage boys. Just because they don't meet an arbitrary deadline that they placed doesn't mean something sinister is going on. It could be something sinister, but none of us know that.

All I know is that if Diamond doesn't go to Wisconsin, Badger fans everywhere will be bashing the kid for not having high enough grades to get into Madison. I'd rather not stoop to their level.

TAMU, I hear you but see below.  I don't follow recruiting as closely as you but this seems unusual.  To have this much fanfare for a decision in two weeks and then noting.  It smacks of "something changing" and while we don't know what, grades/eligibility is a reasonable guess.

-----

Set in Stone? Five-star center closing in on decision
Sporting News
November 6, 2014
By Brian Flinn

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-11-06/diamond-stone-decision-date-wisconsin-maryland-uconn-ok-state-scouting-report

With early signing period just around the corner, it seems as though a number of high profile recruits will be holding off on making a decision until the spring. That being said, at least one five-star recruit will be announcing his decision, and it's a big one.

Diamond Stone tweeted out on Wednesday that he will be making his college decision on Nov. 21. The date is actually two days after the early signing period ends, so it is clear that he's ready to wrap up the recruitment process and settle on a team.

With his final list comprised of UConn, Maryland, Wisconsin and Oklahoma State, Stone is ready to hear the final pitches from all four programs before ultimately making a decision. Stone started the visit process by heading to Oklahoma State on the weekend of Oct. 10.  He then headed to Maryland during the Terrapins' midnight madness festivities the following weekend. Stone visited Wisconsin the weekend of the 24th and followed that up with visiting the defending national champion Huskies this past weekend.

Kevin Ollie and assistant coach Ricky Moore visited the Stones in their home on Tuesday night, no doubt to further cement the fact that he is, in fact, their biggest priority in this class.

And this was tweeted November 5...

‏@Diamond_Stone33  November 21st I will make my college decision

[martyconlonontherun]

I Googled the phrase "Diamond Stone Basketball"

https://www.google.com/search?q=marquette+basketball&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=diamond+stone+basketball

Here are the top four links (in order)

Diamond Stone - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles ...
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/145063/diamond-stone

Diamond Stone - 247Sports
http://247sports.com/Player/Diamond-Stone-20022

Paint Touches | Tag Archive | Diamond Stone
http://painttouches.com/tag/diamond-stone/

Hangin' at the Al - MUScoop
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?board=2.0


Yes, I know he's not coming to MU.  But google sorts links based on activity ... so which school is showing him the most love?

Ummmm..... doesn't google also sort based on your activity and location? Were you ever curious why you keep getting those google ads for the new one direction album after you searched for their new album?

ETA: Even so, your link had Marquette in it. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=diamond+stone+basketball  Bucky 5th Quarter comes up first before MuScoop for my at this link.

[Tugg Speedman]

Ummmm..... doesn't google also sort based on your activity and location? Were you ever curious why you keep getting those google ads for the new one direction album after you searched for their new album?

ETA: Even so, your link had Marquette in it. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=diamond+stone+basketball  Bucky 5th Quarter comes up first before MuScoop for my at this link.

Yes I know that.  Yo must be in Wisconsin, I am not.

[naginiF]

Ummmm..... doesn't google also sort based on your activity and location? Were you ever curious why you keep getting those google ads for the new one direction album after you searched for their new album?

ETA: Even so, your link had Marquette in it. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=diamond+stone+basketball  Bucky 5th Quarter comes up first before MuScoop for my at this link.

same here. 5th quarter was #4, PaintTouches #9, Scoop wasn't on page 1 or 2 and i refuse to be the first person in internet history to click on page 3 of a Google search

edit = i'm in Kansas City

[Litehouse]

Right.  Because DS will not be at Marquette next year.  Just because he may be "undecided," that doesn't mean that Marquette is part of the equation.

Yep.  The fact Stone was playing minutes from Wojo's house, Wojo was already there earlier to watch Heldt, and then left before Stone's game to catch dinner at the Highland House pretty much says all you need to know.