Four-star Stewart a priority for Big East, ACC schools
There are not many harder playing prospects in the 2019 class than Isaiah Stewart, a 6-foot-7 power forward that brings his hard hat and lunch pail to the playing floor every game. Despite missing most of his sophomore campaign this winter, a bevy of college programs remained in hard pursuit of the McQuaid Jesuit star.
Suffering a freak hamstring injury in October at the USA Basketball Mini-Camp, the thought was that Stewart would miss his entire sophomore campaign. Even if he wouldn’t have been able to get back on the floor last month, Georgetown, Providence, Syracuse and a plethora of other programs had remained in pursuit of the blue-collared workhorse.
Having played nine games with at least one more postseason game on the horizon, Stewart now has a clean bill of health.
“I feel like I have been playing pretty good so far for me being out so long. The team has been trying to get used to me being back but we have been playing really good,” he said.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Despite the injury, a number of renowned college programs have continued to chase after the talented and physical forward.
“I know after the injury, my coach with the City Rocks told me that Duke contacted him and Notre Dame came up and saw me at a practice a week ago,” Stewart said. “I also went down to Georgetown in January, that’s when they offered me. Providence came up to my practice even when I was hurt and they offered a scholarship to me then. St. Bonaventure and Oregon has been contacting my coach, too.”
Stewart gave his thoughts on some of the schools tracking him.
Notre Dame: “Their program is much different than any other program. Usually on visits, they room you with a basketball player, but there, they room you with anybody; that stood out to me. It is a great school with academics and basketball. Their facilities are real nice, a great coaching staff and while others are about the one-and-done, Notre Dame builds their guys over the years and helps you grow as a player.”
Georgetown: “It was a great visit. One thing that stood out to me was that the facilities are crazy good. Five or six years ago, they were the place to go if you were a big man. Even though they haven’t had great years lately, they still are known as a program that can be a powerhouse program. I liked how the coaches treated me and I had a good, fun time while I was there. Overall, it stood out as a great school and a good basketball program.”
Syracuse: “To me, it definitely is a powerhouse school. I would say for me right now, I don’t have a dream school, though. For me, it could be eventually one of my top schools. Coach (Mike) Hopkins definitely sticks out with me since he is just such a hyper guy. It is a great feeling being around him. He is always in a good mood and happy. Me and my family have a great relationship with him and he always talks about me ending up at Syracuse.”
Providence: “It is another Big East school that sticks out to me. When they played Georgetown, Coach (Ed) Cooley came over and asked me how I was doing. That shows me a lot since he came up to Rochester even when I was hurt. That just shows a lot about his character and how much they would want me at their program. They already have a Rochester guy on their roster; it seems like it is an overall good program. I would love to visit them in the near future.”
WHAT'S NEXT
Look for Stewart to get out to a few schools this spring for unofficial visits. He currently carries close to a dozen scholarship offers, but with more eyeballs placed onto him, his recruitment should skyrocket.
Stewart will compete on the 17-under level this summer and play for the Albany City Rocks squad on the Nike EYBL circuit while also making a return back to the USA Trials in June.
RIVALS REACTION
Stewart is the ideal, small-ball power forward. He brings great length, an already well-put-together body, a physical mentality, and good ball skills from 15-feet and in. Look for the local Big East and ACC programs to prioritize, but Syracuse could be the early favorite thanks to his close proximity to the Orange campus and his family’s relationship with Hopkins.
