Hoops star Brandon Stone doubling as 6-11 wide receiver at Christ School

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 | 1:54 PM

Brandon Stone transferred to The Christ School in Arden, N.C. because he believed he’d get a better shot at big-time college basketball.

Fair enough. But even Stone can’t play basketball every single day, even at a prep school.

So what does the former Southmoreland star do when the prep and AAU seasons end?

He plays football, apparently.

At least that is what the 6-foot-11, 205-pound senior prospect is up to this fall. And he’s hard to miss on the field because, just like on the basketball court most games, he towers over everyone.

Someone remarked on an Instagram post that he looked like a player who was created on Madden.

The surprise move is a year in the making; Stone finally caved. Now, he’s blending in as he glares down at teammates from inside the huddle.

“The coaches met with me last year and asked me to play,” said Stone, who is playing wide receiver and safety. “I had two (receptions) last game but should have had three and a touchdown. But it got called back.”

Stone has nearly 20 Division I scholarship offers for basketball, including Penn State, South Carolina, Auburn, La Salle, Houston, Kansas State and others. Pitt offered when Kevin Stallings was the coach but Stone has not heard from the Panthers since Jeff Capel took over.

Stone played AAU for Pittsburgh’s ITPS in the spring before switching to B Maze Elite out of Knoxville, Tenn.

One has to wonder why a player of Stone’s caliber would risk injury in a sport he only dabbled in growing up before giving it up in high school. He played youth football briefly and was on the team at Southmoreland for one season.

His return to the game has become a for-fun turned serious venture for Stone. His prep experience has taken a different “route” than he’d first imagined.

“I try not to think about it and just go out and play,” Stone said of the injury risk. “It’s been really exciting. There’s no feeling like Friday night lights.”

He’s still waiting for a jump ball in the red zone.

“Yeah … our offensive coordinator hasn’t called any fades,” Stone said with a laugh, “yet.”

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Southmoreland