As junior Brandon Stone stood in line for his school picture he was taken aback by what he was told to do. Stone had to pose for his school picture while on his knees.
“I never had to do that before,” said Stone. “It looked funny and everyone laughed at me.”
The commonly asked question for Stone everywhere he goes is “How tall are you?”
Stone has to duck through doorways and order special pants and shoes, wearing a size 15. While being tall has many disadvantages, Stone’s height of 6-10 has helped him with the thing he is most passionate about: basketball.
Stone has high hopes for his future in his basketball career beyond just college.
This past summer, Stone traveled with a select few from his AAU team, Train to Gain team (TTG), for 20 straight days to Myrtle Beach, Las Vegas, and Orlando. Stone got the opportunity to play in front of many college coaches and against a high level of competition.
Stone said Playing AAU and showcase tournaments is a very different environment than playing in high school against local rivals.
“People are more physical, and it’s a more developed game,” said Stone. “Everybody is strong and athletic.”
Stone enjoys playing AAU because he gets to see higher competition and the level of talent that exists.
“At AAU everyone can play” at a higher level, said Stone.
Stone’s team as a whole was successful, losing only eight games out of a total of 25 games which combined under 16 and 17. Stone said he “played much better than I did previously that summer,” gaining confidence and improving his ball handling skills.
Stone, a junior, has already received two Division 1 offers from Youngstown State and Mount Saint Mary’s.
Despite his height, Stone said his coaches told him he needs to get “physically stronger and put on some weight and muscle.” That shouldn’t be a problem for Stone as he plans on improving aspects of his game by lifting weights throughout the fall.
On top of all the traveling Stone did in the summer and receiving two division 1 offers, he has also visited West Virginia and Duquesne and plans on visiting RMU and Pitt.
Stone plans on going back to Vegas with his AAU team next summer to experience the same competition as he did this summer.

“I will continue to work hard in every aspect of my game to be sure I go D1 and maybe further,” said Stone.