Former Southmoreland star Brandon Stone commits to La Salle
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Friday, September 7, 2018 | 1:54 PM
Brandon Stone recently said he wanted to keep his college basketball recruiting private and that he had some visits to take before finalizing his decision.
But the former Southmoreland standout pulled a surprise Friday, announcing on Twitter that he has committed to La Salle in Philadelphia.
Stone, a 6-foot-11, 205-pound stretch-forward who is a reclassified senior at Christ School in Arden, N.C., had close to 20 Division I offers at one time.
“My relationship with the staff was the biggest reason,” Stone said of La Salle. “I’ll be able to play early in a great conference. It’s pretty close to home, as well.”
He had narrowed the list to a top four in February: Pitt, Penn State, Duquesne and South Carolina. But some things changed; Pitt, for instance, pulled its offer when it changed coaches, Kevin Stallings for Jeff Capel.
More recently, he said Penn State, Auburn and La Salle were held in higher standard before he became reticent of late. Other initial offers came from Houston, Kansas State, Houston, Bowling Green, St. Joseph’s and others.
La Salle plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference with Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, UMass and others.
“I felt it was the right fit for me,” Stone said. “I trust the coaching staff, and I believe that they’ll be able to help me have a very successful playing career. Plus, they have a really good business program.”
Stone averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in his final year at Southmoreland. He scored around 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds a game at Christ School.
A big name on the AAU circuit, he had been playing with the local ITPS team, which made the adidas Gold Gauntlet, but he later switched to B Maze Elite from Tennessee. His game became more well-rounded as he spent more time on the perimeter on many occasions, and developed into a formidable outside shooter.
Stone joined the Christ School football team this season and is playing wide receiver and safety.
Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.
Tags: Southmoreland
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