<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Get all of Lindsay Schnell\u2019s columns as soon as they\u2019re published. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS&amp;nbsp;or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;SPOKANE, Wash. \u2014 Diamond Stone sat down at his locker and, as many millennials do in special moments, grabbed his phone. But the 6\u201911\u201D freshman center from Maryland ignored his 115 text messages, instead choosing to focus on a social media outlet. \u201CGotta get this picture up on Instagram!\u201D he said, exuberant from his 14-point performance in the No. 5 Terrapins\u2019 73\u201360 win over No. 13 Hawaii in the South region.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To all of Stone\u2019s friends and family members still waiting for a response: Forgive him, but he has some celebrating to do first. Because Maryland is headed to its first Sweet 16 since 2003, and Stone is a (literally) big reason why.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Against Hawaii in the second round, Stone went 6 of 8 from the field\u2014including 4 of 5 the first half\u2014to steady the streaky Terrapins, who couldn\u2019t hit from the outside. As Maryland struggled from long distance, going 0 of 8 in the first half and just 1 of 18 overall, the Terps put the ball in the paint, where Stone had a decided advantage. Though the guards around him finished with better stat lines\u2014Melo Trimble scored 24 and grabbed eight rebounds and Rasheed Sulaimon scored 14 to go with three assists\u2014Maryland coach Mark Turgeon knows that without his big man, he might not be dancing to Louisville this week.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CHe got us back in the game,\u201D Turgeon said. \u201CIt was 13\u20136 [Hawaii] and all of the sudden it was 15\u201314 our lead. That was all Diamond.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It has been a season of growth for Stone, a Milwaukee native who comes from a long line of athletes. His mother, Cynthia Oliver-Stone, played volleyball at Arkansas-Pine Bluff; his dad, Robert Stone, played basketball at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater (1971-74); and his older sister, Endia Oliver, played volleyball at Tennessee State. Diamond says he\u2019s the only family member to make it this deep in a postseason. He likes that distinction, and the pressure that comes with it.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Maryland has been considered one of the most talented teams since the start of the 2015\u201316 season. But putting that talent together has been trying at times, for&amp;nbsp;Turgeon and Stone. Asked about his maturation throughout the year, Stone recalled the Terps\u2019 second game of the season, a narrow 75\u201371 win over Georgetown on Nov. 17 in which he started but played only five minutes, scoring five points and grabbing one rebound. Turgeon pulled Stone into his office after that game, and told the rookie he needed to relax. Maybe he was thinking too much about Houston\u2014Stone acknowledged a potential Final Four trip has motivated him since off-season workouts\u2014or maybe he just wasn\u2019t trusting himself. Turgeon didn\u2019t care about the reason, he just wanted Stone to hear two words: Calm. Down.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The conversation mostly worked. Stone finished the regular season as the AP Big Ten newcomer of the year, also earning All-Big Ten and All-Freshman honors. He still has some growing up to do though: Stone was suspended in mid-February for one game after he shoved Wisconsin\u2019s Vitto Brown\u2019s head into the ground during the Badgers\u2019 70\u201357 home win.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When he\u2019s focused, Stone is a borderline NBA draft lottery pick. And right now, he\u2019s one of the best big men left in the NCAA tournament, along with the likes of Gonzaga sophomore Domas Sabonis, Kansas senior Perry Ellis and North Carolina senior Brice Johnson, among others. \u201CHe\u2019s an imposing freshman,\u201D said Hawaii coach Eran Ganot. \u201C[He and Trimble] are such a potent offensive combination.\u201D&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During recruiting, Stone juggled offers from almost every major program before narrowing his options to Maryland, Wisconsin, UConn, Oklahoma State and Duke. Ultimately Stone picked the Terps because of a future teammate: Trimble has a reputation as one of the best guards in college basketball, but his abilities as a recruiter might be underrated. When Stone texted Trimble to ask if the standout planned to return for his sophomore year, Trimble not only answered yes, but also encouraged Stone to join him.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CI played with a good point guard in high school,\u201D said Stone, who won four state championships with now Dubuque point guard Austin Moutry at Dominican High School. \u201CI knew what it would mean to play with someone who could get the ball to you.\u201D&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CThose top guys have relationships,\u201D Turegon said. \u201CDiamond wanted to be part of this [second round] game and he wants to be part of next weekend\u2019s [Sweet 16] game, and he knew he had a better chance of that with Melo.\u201D&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In the Instagram photo he posted Sunday night, a smiling Stone crouches in front of a stoic Trimble, as the Terps flex or hold up the \u201CNo. 1\u201D finger. \u201CSweet 16 BABYYY!\u201D he captioned it, adding the hashtag #StillDancing.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stone was ready to start talking about Kansas, Maryland\u2019s next opponent, almost immediately after he finished his Instagram photo. The 115 text messages would have to wait.&amp;nbsp;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/03/21/maryland-hawaii-diamond-stone-ncaa-sweet-16>