Playing at the Division I level is a dream that’s shared amongst virtually every young basketball player, no matter what part of the country they hail from. In Ithaca, Kyaija Stewart was once one of those aspiring hoopers. In a journey that’s taken her across the South, Stewart now gets to live out that dream in the Lone Star State.
Stewart is in the midst of her first season at Texas State University. The Bobcats have gotten off to a 6-8 start, including a 2-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. They’re already defying expectations given that they were predicted to finish 12th out of 14 teams in the preseason poll.
“At first our chemistry wasn’t really there yet, but now I think we move the ball a lot better,” Stewart said. “We have people that are consistently scoring now. When we have a lot of people in double digits, that’s when we win a lot of games. I feel like our defense has gotten a lot better from where we were.”
Stewart brings a wealth of experience to the Bobcats, having played the last two seasons at the junior college level at Daytona State College. While Stewart has seen a downtick in playing time, averaging about six minutes per game compared to 14.5 at Daytona State, she has embraced her new role on the Bobcats.
“I feel like I’m really just being there for the team and working with them, working hard together, having their back and stuff like that,” Stewart said. “I know I’m helping the team, even if I’m not hitting the floor. That kind of transition from JUCO where I was starting to now where I’m not exactly starting, I feel like my voice and my energy alone really does help the team.”
Stewart’s trek to Division I hoops began at 10 years old when she played at the AAU level with the GIAC Firebirds. She was coached by current Ithaca High boys basketball coach Rahmel Mack. She still works on her game with Mack whenever she’s back in Ithaca. The biggest lesson she’s learned and has kept with her ever since then? Simply to have fun.
“When I step in the gym, it’s always good vibes,” Stewart said. “I went home for Christmas break and I was in the gym with him because that’s just like a happy place. He really made that environment something that I’m never scared to step into. When you get to higher levels, practice becomes a little scary. You’ve got to mentally prepare yourself for practice. But back then, he always just made it fun and everything was very teachable.”
At the high school level, Stewart played on the Little Red’s varsity team for her freshman and sophomore years. She then moved to Florida and attended Tampa Catholic High School. She was coached by Kevin Knox, a former NFL wide receiver whose son Kevin Knox II played in the NBA and is currently on the G-League’s Windy City Bulls.
Stewart stayed in-state to begin her college career at Daytona State. After not playing much in her first year, she could have easily left the program, especially since her coach departed. But she decided to stick around for another year, and it paid off tremendously with more minutes and more production.
“I took the risk to stay another year at Daytona because I knew the competition that I was working with,” Stewart said. “Staying at Daytona really helped because there I was just getting better and better. Even if I wasn’t playing or touching the court, I was in the gym or I had coaches that were really on me about just staying in the gym and just being consistent.”
Besides moving all around the country, another transition Stewart has had to make is with her positioning on the court. After playing as a guard in Ithaca, she moved to the small forward spot at Daytona State and has remained in that position at Texas State. Now going up against bigger players, Stewart put in the work to get ready for the step up in competition.
“Coming into the Division I level, I had to get stronger,” Stewart said. “I had to gain weight. I had to eat more. I had to push myself harder, because these girls are big. I knew that coming in, so I just had to prepare myself mentally and physically for that battle.”
For the many local basketball players hoping to replicate this successful journey to Division, Stewart offers two pieces of advice.
“First off, don’t get put in a box thinking that you gotta be a certain position or you gotta just work on this because you’re this size,” Stewart said. “[Secondly], no dream is too big. Anytime that you’re in the gym, you’re getting better. If you don’t see the results tomorrow, you’ll see the results in two, three, four years. The results come. You can’t really look for it… It really does pay off, even if you can’t see the finish line.”
