Not having Diamond Stone and Rasheed Sulaimon for NCAA-sanctioned team workouts this summer was a concern for Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon.
It appears Turgeon could have one of the team's newcomers on the court at Xfinity Center when those workouts begin next week.
Stone, a five-star recruit who was one of the best high school post players in the country as a senior, was in College Park on Saturday as the Terps hosted a number of area high school teams at a weekend camp, a team spokesman confirmed. He plans to stay on campus, and must register for classes before working out with the team.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound center had been invited to the U.S. under-19 world championship team tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colo., and wasn't expected to be at Maryland until early next month. The world championships, held in Greece, conclude July 5. But Stone was one of three players on the preliminary roster to withdraw from consideration, the spokesman confirmed.
During Thursday's Maryland Pride Tour event in the Inner Harbor, Turgeon said it would be good for Stone to play against such high-level competition, but added that it also would be beneficial to have Stone begin to work out with Kyle Tarp, the team's director of basketball performance.
Stone is expected to start as a freshman. Having him in College Park for the first of the team workouts, which continue over the next two months, would help him get comfortable with his new teammates and the team's offense.
Sulaimon, the 6-4 rising senior guard who announced last month that he planned to transfer from Duke, won't be at Maryland until he graduates Aug. 9. He, too, is expected to start for the Terps, picked by many to be among the favorites to reach the 2016 Final Four.