My University of Maryland basketball team has a tough freshman in the middle this season.
The young man making noise for my alma mater is Diamond Stone.
Yes, that’s his real name. Precious, I think.
A gem of a game for Diamond Stone. (Getty Images)
Says the university media guide: “Father named him Diamond because a Diamond is the hardest rock on the planet … ”
Diamond Stone hails from Wisconsin. Milwaukee, to be more specific. That’s where he grew to be 6-foot-11 and 255 pounds, a physical stature that gained the attention of university basketball coaches across the land. He was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game, a contest that showcases the couple dozen best high school seniors that are either stepping on to the college game or skipping that level and trying to make it directly in the Big Show, the NBA. You’ve heard of LeBron James, right, who went right from high school to the Cleveland Cavaliers in his day. And a generation before that, Kobe Bryant, who went from his prom to the Los Angeles Lakers.
But this Diamond decided to take his talents to College Park, where a long, long time ago, I studied journalism.
Kid can play. (Getty Images)
He’s got good blood lines. That bio says: “Parents are Cynthia Oliver-Stone and Robert Stone…has one older sister, Endia Oliver…Father played basketball at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, mother played volleyball at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and his sister played volleyball at Tennessee State University.”
Now I watch my Maryland games on TV.
Last week my wide-screen was tuned to Maryland’s Big Ten opener, a game in College Park against Penn State.
It was Diamond Stone’s coming out party.
He scored 39 points in a contest in which Maryland beat Penn State 70-64.
How good was this big man with the funny name?
Wrote Washington Post sports reporter Roman Stubbs:
“Sold-out Xfinity Center was chanting Stone’s name as he walked off the floor after the win. Fans snapped photos and videos with their phones to record this piece of history — and for good reason. Stone shattered the single-game freshman scoring record of 33 set by Joe Smith in 1993. He made 10 of 15 shots from the field and 19 of 25 from the line and was a menace on the defensive end as Maryland rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit.”
So take notice of that name. Diamond Stone. It will shine in headlines to come. It’s already in my U of Maryland Name Hall of Fame, along with track star Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah (graduated in 1981), football QB Norman “Boomer” Esiason (1983) and basketball forward Xree Hipp (1996). Yes, he pronounced it X-Ray.
One more shiny Diamond fact: His favorite basketball player of all time is Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain.
Here’s the link for Stone’s Maryland media guide biography.
Here’s the link to the Washington Post story about Stone’s 39-point performance.
The Blog of Funny Names 
“. . . Mark takes that b-ball and dropkicks it through the hoops for a resounding double bogey . . .”
“. . . this Diamond in the rough flies over the fairway like a Field of Dreams . . .”
“. . . it’s a Stone cold win for Mark as he toggles another hockey stick into the dugout . . .”
“. . . we haven’t seen a half-court reception like this since the curling team swept their way to victory in the Demolition Derby . . .”
Here he comes, just a runnin’ down the court … Doo-Wah Diddy, Diddy-dum, Diddy-do. …”
Well, played, Markmeister!
I’m lovin it! Only about 2 minutes to read and comment, but super awesome. Also, I love that he has a parent with the last name Oliver-Stone. I wonder if he grew up learning about real history or the Oliver Stone version of history?
I’ll be back!
Good catch on the conspiratorial parental guidance theory, King Dave! Happy New Year, my friend. 🙂
Who knew the biggest diamonds grew in Wisconsin? This kid is something else.
I love the rationale behind the name. That’s pretty awesome.
Yes, he’s “mining” his talents, I’d say, Arto. I know, oh, cheese, please stop with the puns, right? 🙂
Never! Puns are the most valuable commodity on earth.
I like that vein of thought, Arto.
I have a nagging feeling I should x-ray my hip now. Well, who can argue with Diamond Stone? That’s a good solid name. He should be stable and unwavering. Of course, when he proposes, he’ll have a lot to live up to.
And he’ll have a long way to go to get down on one knee, too, Kerbey! 🙂
Oh, yikes! That’s true. She’d be waiting around for him to get down that far!
love his name and interesting that he only eats ‘karats.’ important to stay healthy –
I missed that facet of his lifestyle, Beth. Thanks for putting a shine on it! 🙂
The BoFN crew is killing it in the comments department.
“. . . “Sparkling!” . . .
“. . . Shining! . . .”
“. . . real gems . . .”
“. . . absolute treasures . . . many facetted . . .”
High ho, high ho, it’s down the court he goes, the ball he throws and up it goes and through the hoop it blows. SWISH. Score one for Diamond.
Three-pointer for Tracy! Nothing but net!!