Jan. 19, 2004
by Simit Shah – At 5-foot-5, Alex Stewart is one of the shortest players in the ACC, but what the Georgia Tech point guard lacks in height, she makes up for with heart and desire.
“I wish I had 10 players like Alex,” stated first-year head coach MaChelle Joseph. “She’s the type of person that you’d want your daughter to be like. She’s a good person on and off the court. She’s the hardest worker everyday in practice, and she comes to every practice and game prepared to play.
“For me, it’s like having another coach on the floor, because she understands the game so well. She’s like an extension of me out on the court.”
For the past two seasons, Stewart has shined as the Lady Jackets’ floor general. The fifth-year senior led the league in assists last year with 5.6 per game and was second in both assist-to-turnover ratio and free throw shooting.
This year, she’s once again leading the ACC in assists with 5.47 a game, while also ranking 14th in rebounding with nearly six per contest. The fifth-year senior has also moved into third place in school history with 428 career assists through mid-January.
Her talent for directing traffic on the court is nothing new for the native of Norcross, Ga., where she was twice named the county’s high school player of the year.
“As long as I’ve been playing, I’ve always been a point guard,” she said. “I’ve been the type of player to make sure people are in the right position. I’ve also been there to give encouragement. That’s just part of my personality.”
“Alex is such an unselfish player,” added Joseph. “She has a way of finding her teammates. She understands our offensive system. She knows how to run the plays and where the ball needs to go in certain situations.”
Stewart’s play, as well as her leadership, has been an important element in the Lady Jackets’ recent resurgence, helping the team earn just its second NCAA Tournament berth in the school’s history last year.
The most amazing aspect of Stewart’s accomplishments is that the coaching staff had relegated her to a minor role prior to last season. A foot injury forced her to take a medical redshirt in 2001-02, and she found herself buried on the depth chart heading into last year’s opener.
That all changed in literally the first minute of the season when starting point guard Nina Barlin went down with a serious knee injury. Her backup, Mallorie Winn, suffered a stress fracture in her leg a few games later, and suddenly the team’s high hopes rested on Stewart’s shoulders.
“The thing about Alex that is so special is that last year we told her she was going to play zero to five minutes and be third in line to play point guard behind Nina Barlin and Mallory Winn,” said Joseph. “Alex was able to step in and take over that position. Not only that, she became the heart and soul of the team.”
In a way, Stewart believed she had preparing for that moment her whole life. Her mother had raised her to face challenges head on, and this was a chance to beat the odds.
“Even though I was a backup, the team looked to me as a leader,” Stewart said. “Unfortunately, someone’s mishap is an opportunity for someone else. Coach is always telling us to be ready for anything, and make the best of an opportunity when it comes.”
As the season progressed, Stewart became more comfortable marshalling the talents of her teammates, and her success was translating into victories. Joseph points a February game against Clemson where things really started to click, as Stewart notched 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 78-63 win.
“That’s when she went from being an average point guard to a good point guard,” said Joseph. “It seemed she put the team on her back and said, ‘We’re not going to lose. We’re going to the NCAA Tournament.'”
And that’s where the team ended up. The Lady Jackets tied a school record with 20 wins, including nine ACC games. A first-round victory in the ACC Tournament was the program’s first in three seasons, and it sealed an at-large bid for the Big Dance.
“It was awesome and amazing,” Stewart recounted. “It showed that the hard work was paying off. The first three years I was here, it seemed like we always finish a little short. Finally breaking that wall down felt great.”
Before she graduates in May with an international affairs degree, Stewart wants to lead the team back to the postseason. She has made some adjustments this season, as the Lady Jackets can’t take opponents by surprise anymore.
Averaging seven points a game entering this season, Stewart has also taken a more aggressive approach to offense. “I’m not really surprised by how steady she is as a point guard,” Joseph said. “What has surprised me is the way she’s improved her outside shooting. That creates better matchup situations for us. Last year, people didn’t even guard her.”
Stewart is averaging over eight points a game, second on the team, while improving her shooting percentage from both inside and outside the arc. Her 12 three-pointers this season eclipsed the nine she had hit over the past three years.
As her time at Georgia Tech nears an end, Stewart hopes her legacy will be in the mentoring of younger players on this team.
“Hopefully, I can leave something with them,” she said. “I think I’ve helped lay the foundation for great things for the future. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we know that in a few years, Georgia Tech can be like Duke or some of the other great teams out there.”
