Whether Maryland men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon was trying to send a message to Diamond Stone or simply believed that sophomore Michal Cekovsky deserved to start at center against Rider Friday, the effect on the 6-foot-11, 255-pound freshman was exactly what Turgeon wanted.
After getting pushed around during a five-point, one-rebound performance in 16 minutes of Tuesday’s win over Georgetown and seemingly still a bit out of sorts during the first half against Rider, Stone had his most impressive stretch since becoming a Terp. It was more comeback than coming-out party for Stone.
Getting another chance after Maryland fell behind by as many as 14 points early in the second half, Stone scored 10 of his 12 points, made one steal that led to a layup by Jake Layman, blocked two shots and grabbed three rebounds, including a pair of offensive putbacks that ended with a layup and a dunk.