This past June, former Maryland basketball players Diamond Stone and Jake Layman were selected in the second round of June’s NBA Draft.
Four months later, Stone and Layman have made the opening day rosters of the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers, respectively. Layman is poised to make his NBA debut Tuesday night, while Stone’s chance will come on Thursday.
Knowing that two of his former players got drafted and will soon appear in the NBA was understandably a source of pride for head coach Mark Turgeon.
“I’m proud of all my former players, but I’m really happy for those two guys,” he said.
Turgeon was happy to see Layman make an NBA roster after coaching and developing him for four years.
“Jake followed the process, never got ahead of himself and got better every year,” Turgeon said.
He also noted that Layman making Portland’s roster despite being injured for two weeks of training camp was a testament to how much they liked him.
As for Stone, Turgeon said everyone knew that he would have a chance to play in the NBA. He also added that Stone has approached his rookie season in a “great way.”
Stone and Layman’s former teammates were just as happy to see them get drafted and have a chance to succeed at the next level.
“I thought it was pretty cool giving them the opportunity to chase their dreams,” guard Jaylen Brantley said.
Seeing the pair get drafted was particularly special for Brantley; he has known Layman since high school and was Stone’s roommate last season.
“I was extremely happy for those guys because I think they deserved it,” added forward Ivan Bender.
Stone and Layman have given themselves the chance to make it at the next level, and you can be sure that their former coach and teammates will be rooting for them every step of the way.
