Kingfisher’s Stone commits to UNT

When Matthew Stone was younger and headed to basketball tournaments in Dallas, he was always curious about the college campus that sat at the I-35 split in Denton.

Little did he know then, but that school was the focal point of Stone’s announcement last week.

In a ceremony at the APB in front of family, teammates, coaches, friends and several others, the Kingfisher High School senior announced his commitment to the University of North Texas basketball program.

“I always wondered what that school was driving by it,” Stone said. “To find out, I want it to be my second home.”

Stone had multiple offers, including Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, which were all represented with hats at his announcement.

Stone made about a three-minute speech thanking the Kingfisher school district and community, his coaches, teammates and family members before standing up, unzipping his jacket and revealing a North Texas t-shirt.

Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals, Stone said the Mean Green coaching staff, location and immediate playing time played big roles in his decision.

“We built our relationship so fast and so well,” he said of the coaches. “I liked how they had so much confidence in me to come play as a freshman.”

UNT was 20-11 overall in 2019-20 and won the Conference USA regular season championship with a 14-4 record before all postseason events were canceled due to COVID-19.

A bulk of that roster returns for 2020-21, but will lose six seniors after the season.

“For me, being able to come into North Texas and play right away as a freshman (played a big role),” Stone said. “The coaches are giving me the green light to do that and I’m ready to take that role right away.”

Stone will be a four-year starter for KHS and the Jackets are 82-3 during his first three years. They won the 2019 Class 4A state title, were the 2018 state runners-up and were ranked No. 1 the entirety of last season before the state tournament was canceled.

Stone averaged 17.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals a game.

He shot 55.6 percent overall, including 72.2 percent from two-point range.

“I’m very excited for him,” KHS head coach Jared Reese said. “He’s as hard a worker as you’ll find, so it’s great to see him get rewarded with a moment like this.”

Stone is the second member of his team to commit to a Division I program. Fellow senior Bijan Cortes committed to Oklahoma earlier this year.