Maryland freshman big man Diamond Stone is heading to the NBA while his teammate, point guard Melo Trimble, will also declare for the draft but not hire an agent, sources told ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). The school confirmed in a release that Stone will hire an agent, while Trimble will also declare but not hire an agent, the Washington Post’s Roman Stubbs tweets.
Stone has signed with Tandem Sports & Entertainment’s Jim Tanner and Derrick Powell, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt tweets.
The 6’11” Stone, who averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.6 minutes during his lone college season, is considered a mid-to-late first-round draft pick. He’s rated No. 18 overall and third among centers on ESPN Insider Chad Ford’s Big Board. He’s ranked No. 23 on DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospect list. Stone is considered an outstanding low-post player with a physical presence in the paint, though not an elite athlete.
The 6’3” Trimble has work to do to become a first-round consideration. Ford pegs him at N0. 58, while Givony provides a more optimistic view, rating him No. 36 overall. Trimble averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists in 32.7 minutes as the sophomore floor leader for the Terrapins. Trimble opted against the draft after his freshman season, when he was considered a mid-second rounder.