Diamond Stone (Committed to Maryland)

[tcf15]

If this is true, then looks like UConn could get the last official visit, which is very good news:

 

[husky99]

If this is true, then looks like UConn could get the last official visit, which is very good news:

View attachment 7208

last is great if he is still on the market....(i think he will)

 

[sammydabiz]

All in all, if Diamond ends choosing Maryland over UConn..... It wouldn't be a decision based basketball

 

[mauconnfan]

Don't encourage Mau!

Low blow

 

[Chief00]

Of course Nolan and Stone know each other from being from the same hometown.

 

[Rico444]

All in all, if Diamond ends choosing Maryland over UConn..... It wouldn't be a decision based basketball

Don't know Maryland's roster at all, but I'd imagine he wouldn't be fighting with a guy as talented as Amida Brimah for minutes.

 

[UCweCONN]

Don't know Maryland's roster at all, but I'd imagine he wouldn't be fighting with a guy as talented as Amida Brimah for minutes.

Brimah will be in the NBA after this season.

 

[Rico444]

Brimah will be in the NBA after this season.

I could live with that trade.

 

[Stinger92860]

Stone could play at Sacred Heart and he will play in the NBA, with a shoe contract and make at least several million dollars. If he become a turtle, he will fine. Based on the very little I know, which is nothing really, it seems that this young man wants to maximize his skills and not leave anything on the floor. I recall Lebron saying he wanted to setup his family for generations. Stone also has this opportunity and possibly the drive to get everything he can out of his body and mind. Good luck to him. If he chooses to increase his skills at uconn, awesome. Wherever he goes, barring unforeseen circumstances, he will be successful.

 

[UConn990411]

Brimah will be in the NBA after this season.

Not sure why so many people are predicting this, but there's a very small chance of this happening.

 

[mauconnfan]

Okay my worthless thoughts.

I would love for a big improvement on all fronts - Brimah, Purvis, Nolan, TSam, Facey - etc etc. But I believe Brimah will be good enough for them to want him to come out because heck, the NBA is all about potential in the draft anyway so even when he's too thin still and maybe not fundamentally sound he will be someone they see as a future player without a doubt. But he will stay to become a lottery and everyone else will be back too as I think our next BIG year is 2015-16........they will be good this year, maybe very good, but much like Rip's soph year when they went to UNC and lost this team will have a similar year. Then they will be scary as all return to hoist up the bling!

 

[upstater]

Okay my worthless thoughts.

I would love for a big improvement on all fronts - Brimah, Purvis, Nolan, TSam, Facey - etc etc. But I believe Brimah will be good enough for them to want him to come out because heck, the NBA is all about potential in the draft anyway so even when he's too thin still and maybe not fundamentally sound he will be someone they see as a future player without a doubt. But he will stay to become a lottery and everyone else will be back too as I think our next BIG year is 2015-16...they will be good this year, maybe very good, but much like Rip's soph year when they went to UNC and lost this team will have a similar year. Then they will be scary as all return to hoist up the bling!

I agree with this but, and I never expected to say this a year or so ago, but Ryan Boatright is going to be an enormous loss for them.

 

[mauconnfan]

I agree with this but, and I never expected to say this a year or so ago, but Ryan Boatright is going to be an enormous loss for them.

Yeah that's possible but they have horses in the barn to replace him and have a youngster coming in who may be the best of them all. Remember the reality is we have no idea how he will be as a pure PG because he is a 2G by nature. No matter, we have TSam, Cassell Jr and Adams waiting in the wings so I really don't know how much we lose except potentially on the defensive end. He is special on that end when he wants to be!

 

[UChusky916]

Not sure why so many people are predicting this, but there's a very small chance of this happening.

Chances of Brimah going to the NBA after this year is more than 'very small'. True centers are valued more than any other position in the NBA. He's a legit 7 footer, you can't teach height. NBA is also all about POTENTIAL. Brimah has it.

Want to know why so many people are predicting the jump to the NBA? Look at how raw he was this time last year. Compare that to his game at the end of last year. His growth was exponential. Also, by all accounts Amida is an extremely bright kid with a tremendous work ethic and a high motor. There's a reason he was named captain of the team as a Soph. If his growth continues on the same trajectory, he polishes his game a bit offensively and he can stay on the floor more this year, there's no reason why he couldn't be a first rounder next year.

 

[mauconnfan]

Brimah going to the NBA after this year is more than a 'small' chance. True centers are valued more than any other position in the NBA. He's a true 7 footer, you can't teach height. NBA is also all about POTENTIAL. Brimah has it.

Want to know why so many people are predicting the jump to the NBA? Look at how raw he was this time last year. Compare that to how he was at the end of last year. His growth was exponential. Add to that the fact that by all accounts he is an extremely bright kid with a tremendous work ethic and a high motor. There's a reason he was named captain of the team as a Soph. If his growth continues on the same trajectory, he polishes his game a bit offensively and he can stay on the floor more this year, there's no reason why he couldn't be a first rounder next year.

Not sure where in the first round, but there is no reason to believe they wouldn't want him somewhere. The problem is if he's not a projected lottery, which will be really close to impossible, I doubt he even takes a chance as another year will only benefit his growth. I will disagree on one thing, he is not a 7 footer, he may play like one and is as long as one, but he's lucky if he's 6'10". His growth last year was good but I really would have liked a full summer for him to have leaned more about the game itself. He still has a ways to go on where to be on the court, reading rebounds, positioning on offense and the basic fundamentals. He certainly is an intelligent kid and a quick learner so it wouldn't be surprising to see a real positive transformation this year. I think there's a slight chance he leaves but a better chance he will see his junior year at UConn.

 

[UConn990411]

Chances of Brimah going to the NBA after this year is more than 'very small'. True centers are valued more than any other position in the NBA. He's a legit 7 footer, you can't teach height. NBA is also all about POTENTIAL. Brimah has it.

I'm aware of all that, which is why I'd be surprised if he isn't a 1st round draft pick at some point. But we're talking about a guy who averaged 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on a team with limited frontcourt depth.

Let me repeat that: Last season, Brimah averaged 4.1 ppg and 3.0 rpg. On a team whose weakness was the frontcourt.

It's not all that common for guys as raw as Brimah was last year to make that big a jump in just one season. I expect Brimah to follow a similar trajectory as Thabeet, albeit with a much higher offensive upside. Even Okafor - who was significantly better as a freshman than Brimah - played three years before declaring for the NBA draft.

 

[UChusky916]

Not sure where in the first round, but there is no reason to believe they wouldn't want him somewhere. The problem is if he's not a projected lottery, which will be really close to impossible, I doubt he even takes a chance as another year will only benefit his growth. I will disagree on one thing, he is not a 7 footer, he may play like one and is as long as one, but he's lucky if he's 6'10". His growth last year was good but I really would have liked a full summer for him to have leaned more about the game itself. He still has a ways to go on where to be on the court, reading rebounds, positioning on offense and the basic fundamentals. He certainly is an intelligent kid and a quick learner so it wouldn't be surprising to see a real positive transformation this year. I think there's a slight chance he leaves but a better chance he will see his junior year at UConn.

Agree there's a better chance he stays for Jr year. Just disagreeing with the poster's assumption that the chance of him going is 'very small'. That's not accurate.

And I also do think he is 7-ft with shoes. Maybe 6-11 without. But his freakish wingspan makes him as LONG as a legit 7 footer.

 

[UChusky916]

Let me repeat that: Last season, Brimah averaged 4.1 ppg and 3.0 rpg. On a team whose weakness was the frontcourt.

You say on a team who's weakness was it's frontcourt... thats why almost ALL of our offense ran through our guards. For good reason too... we were deadly from 3. Brimah was too raw to isolate in the low block and have offense run through him. Not anymore.

I also said Brimah has to stay on the floor more and polish his game offensively for him to make the jump. If that's the case, he could easily average 10-7-3. That's about what Andre Drummond averaged his 1 year here and we all see what he's become.

 

[UConn990411]

I said he has to stay on the floor more and polish his game offensively for him to make the jump. If that's the case, he could easily average 10-7-3. That's about what Andre Drummond averaged his 1 year here and we all see what he's become.

Drummond's and Brimah's situations are not comparable.

 

[donyell34]

man lets make him 7'0" from now on. Heck let's make him a legit 7'8".

 

[Jluc]

Still don't understand how a guy who averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds is being predicted by people here to go to the NBA after this year.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Still don't understand how a guy who averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds is being predicted by people here to go to the NBA after this year.

Hardly the most absurd prediction being made about someone on this team.

 

[Fishy]

Still don't understand how a guy who averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds is being predicted by people here to go to the NBA after this year.

He's a long, long way from being an NBA player - obviously tall and athletic, but still so raw.

 

[caw]

Still don't understand how a guy who averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds is being predicted by people here to go to the NBA after this year.

Brimah? He would need a big improvement in rebounding, strength and skill from last year to leave, IMO. So I agree with you for the most part. That said, the NBA does draft on potential andBrimah has a ton. He's tall, coordinated, quick, fast and long. That could bean enticing combination for an NBA team. If he gets up to 25 minutes and puts up 8-8-3, I could see NBA scouts being very interested. Remember he only averaged around 15 MPG last year.

 

[Matrim55]

Still don't understand how a guy who averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds is being predicted by people here to go to the NBA after this year.

Because there's more to the game than boxscore stats.