Prospect Spotlight: DJ Steward (2020)
Fenwick 2020 point guard DJ Steward is coming off a phenomenal freshman season. He has size at 6’3” with incredibly long arms and slender build. The first aspect that stands out about this freshman is the speed he plays with in the open floor. Lightning quick end to end. Uses his speed to push it and find open teammates. Slick ball handler that gets in and out of traffic both in the open floor and in the half court. Tough cover in one on one situations. High-major prospect in 2020 and is in contention for the #1 spot.
Steward spoke about his freshman year which included a trip downstate to Peoria.
“I had a lot of fun this year playing with my teammates. Sad to see the seniors go. It was a great experience overall playing with those kids. We had a good group of kids this year. Hopefully we can come back next year and get to the same spot and finish it off strong next year.”
Despite the loss Steward had the game of his young career against Morgan Park in the title game where he had 26 points on a perfect 10-10 from the field.
“It felt great. I never made all my shots in one game. Even though I scored all I wanted was the win. I was trying to get my teammates open in that game.”
Was that the most in a zone he has ever been playing hoops?
“Yes. It felt great. I have never experienced that before. Hitting every shot including some contested shots. It was a great experience.”
In general how does he feel his first season of high school basketball went with Fenwick?
“At first I started off a little shaky, but I improved over time. My coach encouraged me the entire year along with all my teammates. They helped me build confidence as the season went along.”
Steward was able to learn first-hand how to play the lead guard position from one of the best senior point guards in the state in Jacob Keller.
“He taught me how to stay focused and when players are guarding me up tight to stay calm and play together as a team. Always be a good teammate. Always play defense and be aggressive on defense. That is one thing that doesn’t take talent. It requires work ethic.”
The 2020 prospect is playing with Meanstreets 15U this spring on the circuit. What is he trying to show college coaches that might be checking him out for the first time?
“I am a good shooter, a great teammate, I get my teammates open, and I always play hard.”
Nothing too much going on with recruiting right now. Expect that to change in a major way in the coming months!