What Weakness? Stewart Determined to be a Complete Player
As the Washington basketball season slips into oblivion, Isaiah Stewart remains a very determined player.
He's down to at least nine college college games before he gives up his eligibility and makes himself available for the NBA draft. Usually in the case of a talented underclassman, teams tend to hedge on a player's future prospects and drag out the inevitable.
Not with Stewart.
Discussing the freshman forward last week, Huskies coach Mike Hopkins without prompting stated the obvious and no one blinked, "Unfortunately, we're going to have him for only one year."
That said, the NBA is awaiting a very motivated individual with a 74-inch wingspan. A 35-inch vertical leap. Great hands and feet. Physically ready for the pros right now. Motivated shot blocker. Astute passer. Shoots effectively inside with both hands.
The only quibble is his 3-point shot: Stewart has connected on only 3 of 12 in 23 games. It's his weakness.
However, watch him in pregame and improving this part of his game has become a priority. After he's stretched out his legs with help, dunked some and gone through drills where he gets hit hard with a pad while shooting, he moves out beyond the 3-point line.
From there, Stewart and assistant coach Will Conroy go through a routine in which the 6-foot-9 big man first runs to midcourt, turns, accepts a pass on the run and launches the trey. He later takes passes simply standing outside the line. He might toss up 25 to 30 of these long-range balls before tipoff.
His shooting form is good, his accuracy is getting better each time and his devotion to these drills unwavering.
"One more!" Conroy shouts out as Stewart tries to walk away. The UW assistant coach does this to the first-year player three more times.
While a lot of things have fallen through the cracks for the Huskies over the past month, their freshman sensation has lost none of his drive and willingness to get his entire game ready for the pros.
Watch him in the video.
