Maryland guard Melo Trimble and center Diamond Stone will enter their names in this year’s NBA Draft, the school announced.
Trimble will not hire an agent to preserve his NCAA eligibility, while Stone will officially declare for the draft and hire an agent. They are the projected 35th and 23rd picks, respectively, in the draft, according to Draft Express.
“I am looking forward to taking advantage of this opportunity and entering my name in the NBA draft,” Trimble said in a press release. “I am excited that the new rules allow me the chance to go through this process.”
Trimble led the Terps with 14.8 points per game and 4.9 assists per game as a sophomore, as Maryland advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 13 years. Stone, a freshman, averaged 12.5 points per game.
“My family and I spent a great deal of time discussing my future and we felt this was the best decision as I pursue my dream of playing professional basketball,” Stone said in a release. “I want to also thank all of the Terp fans and the students on campus who have been very supportive since the day I arrived to College Park. It means a great deal to me. I’ll always be a Terp for Life.”
An NBA executive assessed both players for SNY.tv.
“Trimble needs to go back to school,” the executive said. “He is a borderline second-round pick.”
Of Stone, the executive added: “He’s a first-rounder who needs to work on his body and play consistently harder than he did as a freshman at Maryland. I would not be surprised to see him spend some time in the D-League next year regardless where he gets drafted.”
NMatt Eisenberg and Adam Zagoria
