Diamond

[ecompt]

Am I the only one whose reaction to this is grudging respect for UW that they didn't just automatically accept her, as Bo's kid?

I would have just assumed that every university vip gets their kids in automatically.

Usually legacies are asked to pledge automatically.

[MU82]

Did Diamond's father Bob just take a shot at Bo? (highlighted below)

Diamond Stone chooses Maryland

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/diamond-stone-chooses-maryland-b99470549z1-297856071.html

Diamond Stone had made up his mind.

On Friday the Dominican High School senior told his father, Bob, that he'd decided where he wanted to play his college basketball. Bob Stone suggested his son sleep on it, but Diamond said he was sure. Bob Stone asked his son if he wanted to make the announcement at school in front of his classmates, but Diamond wasn't interested.

"He didn't want none of the fanfare; he just wanted to make his decision and he was emphatic," Bob Stone said. "I always told him we picked four real good schools (as finalists), and I always told him that whatever school you pick I'll be supportive."

And so at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Diamond Stone took to his Twitter account (All Eyes on Me@Diamond_Stone33) and sent the following:

I Am Committing To The University Of Maryland #Terps.

And then, according to Bob Stone, Diamond went to hang out with his friends and wasn't available for comment. On Saturday, he heads to Chicago to take part in the McDonald's All-American game festivities.

Stone's final four schools also included Wisconsin, Connecticut and Oklahoma State. He can make his commitment binding during the spring signing period, which begins April 15.

The announcement ends the recruitment of one of the best prep players the state has produced, a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball who led Dominican to its fourth straight Division 4 state title last week.

He averaged 24.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, three blocks and 1.4 assists per game for the Knights, who finished 25-3.

For the Badgers, the announcement marked another time when they've come close to oh-so-close to getting a commitment from an elite prospect from the area. Last year, McDonald's All-American Kevon Looney (Milwaukee Hamilton) chose UCLA, and three years ago, Menomonee Falls' J.P. Tokoto chose North Carolina.

There has been some speculation that academic reasons would keep Stone from UW, an assertion that Bob Stone denied.

"As of tonight until Diamond told me he was going to make his decision, UW was still on the table," Bob Stone said. "They were in full effect."

Diamond Stone's ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the nation for the 2015 class, according to scout.com. Rivals.com has him ranked sixth and ESPN seventh in the class.

All those sites list Stone as a center, but his father, who has guided his development, thinks he can play power forward.

"He can face up and he can make a couple of dribbles and finish and he can post up, so I think they'll probably play him at a four," Bob Stone said.

At Maryland, Diamond Stone will play for Mark Turgeon, who just completed his fourth season, and he'll play with a team that is expected to return former McDonald's All-American Melo Trimble.

"He seems to have an affection for his players," Bob Stone said of Turgeon. "He's a laid back guy. He's not all that flamboyant. He seems to connect very well with his players. We watched him with Melo Trimble, and he let Melo Trimble play through some mistakes.

"We went there. Nice campus, great area. They have a good team coming back."

Bob Stone declined to say much about his son's recruitment by Wisconsin or any of the other finalists.

"I'm not getting into anything about any of the coaches or any of the schools because I love them, and I know people will try to pick what you say apart and read between the lines," he said.

"I don't want anything I say misconstrued or used as a negative because Bo (Ryan) is a great guy; he has a great program. He's going to be playing on TV tomorrow in the Elite Eight....Diamond just decided to go somewhere else."

One can parse any quote for hidden meanings. I didn't read that thinking, "Oh, what a slam of Bo!"

[CTWarrior]

One can parse any quote for hidden meanings. I didn't read that thinking, "Oh, what a slam of Bo!"

Yeah, just sounds like a recruit's dad saying some boilerplate nice things about his son's new coach to me. 

I imagine it is very stressful for a kid with Stone's options to pick a school.  It's ridiculous that fans of any particular program should bash an 18 year-old kid in a public forum simply for selecting a school different than the one they would have liked.  Good luck to the kid.