The Precocious One

It’s hard to believe that Shaun ­Stewart was ever intimidated by varsity basketball.

As freshmen on last year’s Sun Valley boys basketball team, Stewart and Jalen Witherspoon comprised one of Union County’s youngest backcourts. But they also proved to be effective, helping the Spartans to a 17-9 record and a berth in the Class 3A state playoffs.

But early on, said Stewart, the learning curve was steep.

“It was very different from middle school; it was real fast paced,” Stewart recalled. “(I was) playing with people way older than (I).”

But those around him, the ones who knew what he was capable of on the court, wouldn’t let him doubt his abilities.

“Coach (Keith) Mason and my parents told me, ‘Don’t worry about what your age is; just play. You know you can play, so just play with them,’” Stewart said.

For Stewart, a steep learning curve translated to about five games.

In the Spartans’ sixth game last season, Stewart’s third as a starter, he dropped 15 points on Piedmont.

“That really got me in the groove of playing high school basketball,” he said. “That got me going to where I am now.”

He’s now among the county’s scoring leaders. He’s averaging about 20 points per game and even was named the most valuable player of last month’s CMC-Union County Holiday Classic.

But Mason said it’s Stewart’s versatility, not just his scoring touch, that has helped him develop into one of the area’s top players.

“That’s what’s making him difficult to stop: He can shoot it or he can drive right past you,” said Mason. “If you go to help, he can dish it off. You see the points and everything, but he doesn’t really care about the points; he wants to get the team involved, and he wants to do well for the team.”

In many ways, Stewart’s precocious performance on the varsity level was a product of experience. Stewart’s sister, Celeste, starred for Mecklenburg County programs at South Mecklenburg and Butler high schools and now is a freshman on the East Carolina University women’s team. Stewart attributes his fast development to playing with his sister.

“It started when we were young,” he recalled. “She used to beat me all the time when we were younger. She made me competitive. She made me better, really. She started her freshman year at South Mecklenburg. I just followed her footsteps.”

Although his sister often finished on the better end of their one-on-one matchups, he still recalls when he finally beat her. It was the summer after his seventh-grade year, and the two were playing pickup games at Charlotte’s Vance High.

“I remember that like it was ­yesterday,” Stewart said with a grin. “I wanted to play her one-on-one because I hadn’t played her in a while.”

But his sister’s influence was more than a simple boost in confidence. Stewart said his sister has been a constant fountain of good advice – advice that’s made his transition to the varsity level successful.

“She earned her playing time, and that’s what I tried to do here,” he said. “She told me that (high school coaches) aren’t just going to give you a spot on the team, even if you’re good. You’re going to have to earn your spot. Seniors want you to earn your spot. They want to keep their spot.”

Perhaps most important, his sister helped him deal with success.

“She said, ‘Just play your game when you’re out there. Mentally, you’ve got to be into the game,’” said Stewart. “’Don’t get a big head off (your success).’”

Mason said Celeste’s influence on her little brother only will become more valuable as college recruiters begin to show interest.

“She’s a humble girl, and that’s how Shaun is,” said Mason, who even allowed Celeste to practice with the team during the recent winter break.

“He saw her go through it the right way, so he’s going to know how to do it the right way,” Mason continued. “Celeste is a heck of a ball player. She was heavily recruited. His parents have been around it, so they understand it.”

Currently the Spartans are 8-4 and even brought home the coveted CMC-Union Holiday Classic title. But now it’s time for conference play, and Mason likes how his young team is developing.

“They’ve definitely bought into the team play,” he said. “We have about four guys averaging double figures (scoring). We led the tournament in assists. That’s big for us. But we know that on any given night, any one of (our players) can score 20 points.”

That should prove valuable for the Spartans. After all, Stewart, despite the gaudy scoring numbers, is just a sophomore, and there are challenges that come with a still-maturing player.

“Now that people know (what he can do), they’re going to key on him a lot,” said Mason. “I’ve told Shaun this several times: The only person who can stop Shaun is Shaun. You can put two people on him, you can key on him, you can put pressure on him, you can try to get in his head. He’s still going to do his things.

“Now, if he misses a couple of shots and gets down on himself, that’s what I’m talking about,” added Mason. “He can’t get frustrated. He’s young, and he gets frustrated a lot because he knows what he’s capable of doing. If he’s not doing that, he feels like he’s letting the team down. I told him, ‘Just keep doing other things in the game.’”

It’s a reasonable plan, considering the talent around the 6-foot Stewart. Junior Luke Maynor is the Spartans’ second-best scoring threat at 15 points per contest, but he also is averaging seven rebounds and three steals. Porter Ridge transfer Blake Dixon is also a threat on both ends of the court, while sophomore center Kyle Bluffkin, who stands 6 foot 8, has impressed Mason with his play of late. And, of course, there’s Witherspoon, the team’s point guard and a scoring threat himself.

Mason’s also extremely pleased with his team’s defense and credits the players’ work in conditioning drills for their relentless approach to that side of the court.

“They’ve bought into our pressure defense that we like to play,” Mason said. “They don’t stop; they keep going. They’re in tremendous shape. That’s the thing about it – these guys have really bought in. They just want to win.”

Stewart will most certainly play a big role in the Spartans’ success. The scary part? He might just be scratching the surface of his abilities.

“He’s only going to get better, he’s going to get stronger,” Mason said. “He’s going to grow some.

“The sky’s the limit for him.”