Diamond Stone

NBA Draft Combine starts today

May 11, 2016 By Bill Scott

Nigel Hayes

Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes and Marquette’s Henry Ellenson will try to put their best foot forward for the pro scouts over the next several days. They’ll join about 70 other players who were invited to the NBA Draft Combine which opens today in Chicago.

Ellenson has already signed with an agent, which means he can’t change his mind and return to school.

Hayes did not sign with an agent, which means he’ll have ten days after the combine ends to decide if he wants to continue with his pro plays, or return to the Madison for his senior season with the Badgers.

Former Whitefish Bay Dominican standout Diamond Stone of Maryland is also at the combine, in advance of the June 23rd NBA Draft.

Everybody’s accountable except for Big Ten Officials

February 16, 2016 By Bill Scott

Maryland has suspended freshman center Diamond Stone one game for his actions against Wisconsin‘s Vitto Brown last Saturday.

The athletic directors, coaches and even players have shared apologies and the Big Ten Conference has reprimanded Stone for his actions.

The Big Ten did what it normally does, get the last word. The conference issued a press release that says at the end, “The Big Ten Conference considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.”

What the Big Ten didn’t do is reprimand its officiating crew for not ejecting Stone from the game in the [Read more…]

Maryland suspends Stone for incident against Badgers (AUDIO)

February 16, 2016 By Bill Scott

Maryland has suspended freshman center Diamond Stone one game on Monday for an incident late in the first half of its 70-57 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night in College Park, Maryland.

Stone shoved Badgers junior forward Vitto Brown’s head to the floor after the two scrambled for a rebound with 1.8 seconds left in the half. Officials went to replay before assessing a contact technical foul to Stone and a technical foul to Badger forward Charlie Thomas, who came to Brown’s defense.

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon suspended Stone for the Terrapins’ game Thursday at Minnesota. Turgeon also issued [Read more…]

Stone should have been ejected

February 14, 2016 By Bill Scott

The Wisconsin Badgers beat Maryland 70-57 on Saturday night and Greg Gard decided not to make Diamond Stone’s actions any more of an issue than they already were. But the Badger coach certainly had a right to because the Big Ten officiating crew assigned to the game screwed up.

When Stone shoved Vitto Brown’s head hard into the court at Maryland’s Xfinity Center, that was only one legitimate conclusion that should have been drawn. The officials should have ruled a Flagrant 2 and an ejection of Diamond Stone.

Instead, referee D.J. Carstensen told a pool reporter after the game that it was a Flagrant 1. Plus, he issued a technical foul on Wisconsin’s Charlie Thomas for doing nothing more than coming to the aid of his teammate without any physical contact.

The fact that both teams were issued free throws after that incident was a clearly the wrong conclusion, which seemed like such a simple solution. [Read more…]

Dominican makes history, Germantown denied at 100th WIAA Basketball Championships

March 23, 2015 By Bill Scott

Two teams entered the 100th WIAA Boys State Basketball Championships with an opportunity to add their name to the list of teams to win four-straight state titles, and only Whitefish Bay Dominican accomplished the task at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Six-foot-10 Diamond Stone a game-high 23 points as three-time defending champion Dominican beat previously undefeated Mineral Point 75-49, joining the Randolph teams of 2002-2005 as the only schools in state history to pull off the four-peat. Both did so in Division 4.

Earlier in the Day, Stone and Rice Lake’s Henry Ellenson were named co-Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Mr. Basketball. Ellenson, who is headed to Marquette, did not play in the Division 2 title game against Mt. Horeb due to a broken left hand suffered in Friday’s semifinals. [Read more…]

Badgers get commitment from 6’5 Ohio forward

February 13, 2015 By Bill Scott

Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan received an oral commitment from 6’5 forward Khalil Iverson from Rutherford B. Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio.

Iverson joins forward Alex Illikainen and Charlie Thomas and guard Brevin Pritzl as recruits in the 2015 recruiting class.

The Badgers are still hoping to add Whitefish Bay Dominican recruit Diamond Stone who remains one of the top unsigned players left.

Badgers receive 3rd commitment for 2015 class

October 15, 2014 By Bill Scott

The University of Wisconsin has added a third piece to its 2015 freshman recruiting class on Tuesday, receiving an oral commitment from 6’7 power forward Charlie Thomas from Clarksville, Maryland.

Thomas joins Brevin Pritzl (De Pere) and Alex Illikainen (Grand Rapids, Minn.) in Bo Ryan’s 2015 class.

Thomas passed on offers from Rutgers, DePaul, Vanderbilt and George Mason. He’s considered a power forward but his skill set allows him to play multiple positions.

Wisconsin still remains in the hunt for two other big men for the 2015 class: Diamond Stone (Whitefish Bay Dominican) and Josh Sharma (Northfield, Mass.).