After making his second start in the past 14 games, Diamond Stone will remain the Terrapins men’s basketball team’s starting center, coach Mark Turgeon said Saturday.

Stone started six of the Terps’ first seven games, but he assumed a sixth man role beginning Dec. 4 against St. Francis (PA). The freshman returned to the starting lineup Jan. 6 against Rutgers, but it wasn’t intentional. Turgeon said his name was entered into the scorebook when it shouldn’t have been.

But Thursday against No. 3 Iowa, Turgeon called on Stone. And he plans to moving forward, starting with Sunday’s contest at Ohio State.

“He’s inserted himself into the starting lineup,” Turgeon said. “As long as he continues to improve, which he is, I think it helps everyone if he’s in our starting lineup.”

The 6-foot-11 center is averaging 13 points per game, third best on the team, despite averaging less than 21 minutes per contest. He had a break out game against Penn State on Dec. 30 in which he set a freshman program record with 39 points and set team records for free-throws made (19) and attempted (25) in a game.

“I’ve been wanting to start Diamond for like five games,” Turgeon said after Thursday’s 74-68 win. “There is a lot that goes into that just stays between me and Diamond. He’s been ready to start for about five games, and tonight I just decided I was going to do it. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Part of the reason Turgeon began bringing Stone off the bench earlier in the season was because the rookie had a tendency to get into foul trouble early. Plus, his defense was lagging behind, and forward Damonte Dodd brought more defensive prowess to the starting lineup.

But the fifth-year coach has seen noticeable progress from Stone on that end of the floor.

“He’s come a long way,” Turgeon said. “He’s a big, young kid, so it takes time. He’s a smart kid, though, and he gets it. I think we all have confidence that he’s going to do the right thing out there now.”

Stone still battled foul trouble against the Hawkeyes, picking up his second foul with 8:17 still left in the first half. But he was crucial for the Terps’ success down the stretch.

With the Terps up 62-60 with 1:24 left, he sealed his defender, caught a pass from forward Jake Layman and threw down a ferocious two-handed slam. Iowa never got within one possession for the rest of the game.

So even if there are lapses moving forward, Turgeon acknowledges that they provide good chances for the freshman to learn from.

“That was a high-level game,” Turgeon said. “As he gets used to it, he’ll get better. He just needs the experience.”