Versatile Stewart Leads Bobcats into Big Sky Play
12/15/2012 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Senior wing looking forward to first league action
If Jamie Stewart played a college sport other than basketball he'd likely be a super-utility player in baseball or an all-purpose back in football, able to make good things happen for his team in a wide variety of roles.
Brad Huse is glad, though, that Stewart, with his wide-ranging offensive skill set, is on the Montana State basketball team.
“Jamie's really taken on the role of being able to do what this team needs him to do,” said Huse, whose team begins conference play in the expanded Big Sky on Monday at Northern Arizona. “He's accepted that role, and is growing into it.”
Stewart is one of three Bobcats averaging in double-digits scoring through the bulk of the team's non-conference schedule, scoring 11.0 points per game. After a slow start in that category, Stewart has been in double figures in three straight games, including a 22-point effort against San Jose State.
The 6-4 senior's contributions hardly end with scoring. Stewart is second on the team with 31 rebounds, leads the squad in free throw attempts. He also has six assists and six steals.
In which manner he helps the team is not important to Stewart. “I think my role is just to be a playmaker,” he says, “to make plays, provide what the team needs from me from the aspect of scoring, assisting, taking (attention) from other players. When teams have to guard me, have to stick to me, it opens the floor for the other players. Coach has given me an unlimited role on offense.”
Carrying his share of the offensive load is nothing new for Stewart, a former NJCAA All-America at Henry Ford College in Detroit. He averaged 18 points as a sophomore after scoring 15.3 points a game as a freshman. He also earned All-State honors twice at Clarenceville High School, scoring 28 points a game as a senior.
“I'm pretty comfortable all around,” Stewart says. “I think that's why coach gives me so much freedom on offense, and I think that's why coach put that offense in, not just me but our personnel. We have a lot of guys that can create and attack the basket, a lot of guys that can handle the ball. I think this offense is very fitting for our personnel. Now we just have to go out there and execute and perform defensively and we can win a lot of games.”
MSU's situation in 2012-13 is unique. The Bobcats return five players who started games in 2011-12, but none will have the opportunity to start or play as major contributors for two full seasons. Sophomore guard Mike Dison played his way into a major role as a true freshman last year. Senior wing Xavier Blount missed the late part of last season with non-basketball injuries, and he and junior forward Jeff Budinich missed the first two games this season due to a suspension for violation of team rules. Senior guard Christian Moon rejoins the team at some point soon after sitting out the first semester due to academics.
Those personnel situations have led to the introduction into the Bobcat lineup of a host of talented newcomers. Stewart says that has created both obstacles and opportunities, but is likely to benefit the team in the long run.
A lot of people don't know a lot about our players,” Stewart says. “Three of our starters, this is their first time playing Division I basketball, this is their first time starting. We have guys coming off the bench that haven't played in Division I games. Myself especially, I only played in 11 games last year. So there's an adjustment that people have to make. It's around this time when people start building that relationship. After you've been playing with each other for a long time you start getting things together.”
As for Stewart, he also missed a huge chunk of his junior season because of academics. He was ruled ineligible for the second semester, a situation he says arose as part of a tough initiation into a high level of college athletics.
“There's a lot of things to juggle, and I think that's what I struggled with my first season, balancing it all out,” he said. “Being a Division I athlete there are so many things being thrown at you from a school aspect, from a basketball aspect, travelling, the daily grind of things. That's the adjustment period that these guys are facing right now, that I faced last year.”
Stewart didn't enjoy watching his mates battle through a conference season without him, but he said the experience benefits him. “It hurt,” he says. “But that adversity, the best players have to go through that, everybody goes through adversity. I think that's made me stronger today, having to fight a little harder, knowing that you're a student-athlete first and you have to take care of academics as well as basketball.”
After missing the last three months of the 2011-12 season, Stewart tastes his first Big Sky action at NAU on Monday and Sacramento State on Wednesday. He can't wait.
“I'm excited. I didn't play (conference games) last year, and this is what it's all about. Every game matters – not saying that non-conference games didn't matter, but conference games really matter. You're playing for something every night. Our goal since from the start, since the summer, has been to win a Big Sky Championship. We feel that with this team we can do that, or at least compete at a very high level to where we're in the top three in the conference, make the tournament, have a good run at it.”
Tipoff is 6:35 Monday in NAU's Walkup Skydome. The game is televised on Fox Sports Arizona Plus and Fox College Sports. It is available on DirecTV channel 695 and Dish Network channels 446 (SD) and 9516 (HD).
Brad Huse is glad, though, that Stewart, with his wide-ranging offensive skill set, is on the Montana State basketball team.
“Jamie's really taken on the role of being able to do what this team needs him to do,” said Huse, whose team begins conference play in the expanded Big Sky on Monday at Northern Arizona. “He's accepted that role, and is growing into it.”
Stewart is one of three Bobcats averaging in double-digits scoring through the bulk of the team's non-conference schedule, scoring 11.0 points per game. After a slow start in that category, Stewart has been in double figures in three straight games, including a 22-point effort against San Jose State.
The 6-4 senior's contributions hardly end with scoring. Stewart is second on the team with 31 rebounds, leads the squad in free throw attempts. He also has six assists and six steals.
In which manner he helps the team is not important to Stewart. “I think my role is just to be a playmaker,” he says, “to make plays, provide what the team needs from me from the aspect of scoring, assisting, taking (attention) from other players. When teams have to guard me, have to stick to me, it opens the floor for the other players. Coach has given me an unlimited role on offense.”
Carrying his share of the offensive load is nothing new for Stewart, a former NJCAA All-America at Henry Ford College in Detroit. He averaged 18 points as a sophomore after scoring 15.3 points a game as a freshman. He also earned All-State honors twice at Clarenceville High School, scoring 28 points a game as a senior.
“I'm pretty comfortable all around,” Stewart says. “I think that's why coach gives me so much freedom on offense, and I think that's why coach put that offense in, not just me but our personnel. We have a lot of guys that can create and attack the basket, a lot of guys that can handle the ball. I think this offense is very fitting for our personnel. Now we just have to go out there and execute and perform defensively and we can win a lot of games.”
MSU's situation in 2012-13 is unique. The Bobcats return five players who started games in 2011-12, but none will have the opportunity to start or play as major contributors for two full seasons. Sophomore guard Mike Dison played his way into a major role as a true freshman last year. Senior wing Xavier Blount missed the late part of last season with non-basketball injuries, and he and junior forward Jeff Budinich missed the first two games this season due to a suspension for violation of team rules. Senior guard Christian Moon rejoins the team at some point soon after sitting out the first semester due to academics.
Those personnel situations have led to the introduction into the Bobcat lineup of a host of talented newcomers. Stewart says that has created both obstacles and opportunities, but is likely to benefit the team in the long run.
A lot of people don't know a lot about our players,” Stewart says. “Three of our starters, this is their first time playing Division I basketball, this is their first time starting. We have guys coming off the bench that haven't played in Division I games. Myself especially, I only played in 11 games last year. So there's an adjustment that people have to make. It's around this time when people start building that relationship. After you've been playing with each other for a long time you start getting things together.”
As for Stewart, he also missed a huge chunk of his junior season because of academics. He was ruled ineligible for the second semester, a situation he says arose as part of a tough initiation into a high level of college athletics.
“There's a lot of things to juggle, and I think that's what I struggled with my first season, balancing it all out,” he said. “Being a Division I athlete there are so many things being thrown at you from a school aspect, from a basketball aspect, travelling, the daily grind of things. That's the adjustment period that these guys are facing right now, that I faced last year.”
Stewart didn't enjoy watching his mates battle through a conference season without him, but he said the experience benefits him. “It hurt,” he says. “But that adversity, the best players have to go through that, everybody goes through adversity. I think that's made me stronger today, having to fight a little harder, knowing that you're a student-athlete first and you have to take care of academics as well as basketball.”
After missing the last three months of the 2011-12 season, Stewart tastes his first Big Sky action at NAU on Monday and Sacramento State on Wednesday. He can't wait.
“I'm excited. I didn't play (conference games) last year, and this is what it's all about. Every game matters – not saying that non-conference games didn't matter, but conference games really matter. You're playing for something every night. Our goal since from the start, since the summer, has been to win a Big Sky Championship. We feel that with this team we can do that, or at least compete at a very high level to where we're in the top three in the conference, make the tournament, have a good run at it.”
Tipoff is 6:35 Monday in NAU's Walkup Skydome. The game is televised on Fox Sports Arizona Plus and Fox College Sports. It is available on DirecTV channel 695 and Dish Network channels 446 (SD) and 9516 (HD).
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