Maryland's Trimble, Stone to declare for NBA draft

Diamond Stone is gone, and Melo Trimble has one foot out the door.

Maryland announced Monday that both Trimble and Stone will declare for the 2016 NBA Draft. Trimble, the Terrapins' star guard, will not sign with an agent, while Stone will hire representation and turn pro.

Trimble, a sophomore, averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 assists per game this season. Though he struggled with his jumper down the stretch, the dynamic guard still flashed a smooth offensive game that combines both scoring and passing abilities.

Stone, a freshman, often came off the bench but was also an important piece of the Maryland puzzle. The big man from Milwaukee averaged 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and his skill around the basket has prognosticators predicting he'll be a first-round pick come June.

Head coach Mark Turgeon addressed the plans of both players in a statement.

On Trimble:

Melo will go through the draft process, which will provide him a stronger understanding of where he could potentially be selected. Melo has worked very hard and we will continue to support and guide him throughout this process.

On Stone:

When we first met with Diamond and his family, one of our goals was to help him achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. Diamond has always been a very skilled and talented offensive player, but he worked hard in other facets of his game this past year. He has vastly improved his strength and conditioning and has made strides defensively. This will be beneficial as Diamond pursues a career in professional basketball. We are happy for Diamond and wish both him and his family the very best.

Should Trimble elect to keep his name in the draft, it could mark the beginning of a rebuild for Maryland. Along with him and Stone, the Terps are losing Robert Carter to the draft, and Rasheed Sulaimon and Jake Layman to graduation.