On top of earning All-State status, Chance Stewart (center) had a chance to play with younger brother Tristen (left).
(Photo by Wes Morgan)
As nice as the individual recognition is for Chance Stewart, who made the Associated Press Class B Boys Basketball All-State First Team for his senior exploits at Sturgis, there’s a bigger picture here.
In a time when more and more high school athletes are beginning to specialize in one sport, Stewart, who is headed to Western Michigan University on a football scholarship, felt obligated to not let a narrative that began with friends in elementary school come to a selfish end.
When Stewart decided not to enroll early at WMU, where he could have participated in spring practices and perhaps helped position himself higher on the depth chart heading into fall camp, he chose to stay at Sturgis to finish out his senior year, which included basketball and baseball.
Rightfully so, there were some individual goals that motivated him to stay. But it mostly came down to a sense of brotherhood — both of the blood and non-blood variety.
“When I talked to my parents about it in the fall when that decision came up, is it something I want to give up?” Stewart asked himself. “I knew going into the season there was a good shot of scoring 1,000 points and a good shot I could break the single-game scoring record.
“There was a good shot we could win another district and that would be four in a row. Is that really something I want to give up? I’m beyond blessed to have people in my life at that time to help me make the decision I did and to stay. The memories I created with (younger brother) Tristen during basketball were incredible. It’s stuff we’ll cherish, we’ll tell our kids and their kids will tell their kids. It’s just awesome.”
Stewart finished his four-year hoops career with 1,344 points, which is second only to Matt Hildebrand (1,434) in program history. Stewart also scored a school-record 43 points against Kalamazoo Loy Norrix.
A fourth straight district title was not to be, however, with the Trojans falling to Edwardsburg in the finals. Even in the closing minutes, when the realization that his career was coming to and end, Stewart remained a leader, both encouraging and at times chastising Tristen like he would any other teammate.
“It was a great, great season to spend with my brother,” Chance Stewart said. “There were ups and downs and times I wanted to kill the kid. That’s the brotherhood of it. It was awesome to play with him. I hope he learned a lot from it because next year he’ll be able to take control of that leadership role. I’m excited for what the future holds for him and what the future holds for me now.
“On the court we’re teammates; off the court we’re brothers. It’s that kind of attitude. It was tough in those last couple minutes knowing we’re down and the game was over and letting that sink in that my basketball career is officially going to be over in a couple minutes. It was hard. I wanted to stay as professional as possible and try to let as [few] people as possible see me cry. I was trying my hardest to keep it together.”
Tristen Stewart
Tristen, whom Chance affectionately refers to as ‘Boot’, a nickname that originated from the younger Stewart’s affinity for cowboy boots at the age of 5, didn’t take the extra time with his brother for granted.
“It’s sweet; it’s a pretty cool experience,” he said. “Most people don’t get the chance to play with another family member. For football, he taught me a bunch. He taught me quarterback stuff and my three-step drop. [In basketball] sometimes he would get kind of [ticked] off if I had a stupid turnover or something. But when I did something good he was there. He was there to guide me through it.”
Chance Stewart is quick to point out others that helped him get through a grueling athletic schedule over the last four years, including Jim Lioy, who has developed one of the finest athletic training programs one will find anywhere in prep sports.
“The thing about our athletic training program is it’s probably the best in the state,” Stewart said. “The things Doc Lioy does for our school are unbelievable. It’s amazing. We’re lucky to have him because he keeps the three-sport athletes fresh. Towards the end of basketball season my legs … I was just physically getting tired. It’s tiring playing 32 minutes every night in basketball. It’s a drain on you. Every day before the game I was getting treatment, I was getting taken care of [with] stretching, icing and all that kind of stuff that makes your body feel better to go out there and perform at a high level. We’re just blessed to have it. Doc Lioy is that one guy that is really a staple in SHS’s program. He’s always there to benefit everyone.”
Doctor’s orders after basketball season were for Stewart to do, well, nothing.
“I have a really good relationship with Doc,” Stewart said. “It started probably in fifth or sixth grade in baseball. He’s always looked out for me. He could tell after basketball I was mentally and physically drained. I was done. It was really emotionally hard on me that game. He gave me six days off and it was great.
“He gave strict orders. After school I was just to go home. He didn’t want me anywhere near a weight room or the gym. He didn’t want me in the cage. He told me to go home and watch TV or do something lazy.”
Chance Stewart
That’s difficult for someone as driven as Stewart.
Staying at Sturgis for the balance of his senior year actually piled more on Stewart’s plate. Throughout Western’s spring practices, Stewart has voluntarily been making three to five trips per week to Kalamazoo.
The quarterback is up there for meetings once a week at 6:45 a.m. Then, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Stewart attends individual positions meetings from 7-8:30 p.m. On Saturdays he views the entirety of practice.
“It’s a huge time commitment, but it’s all worth it,” he said. “I’m trying to learn as much as possible right now just to help me with my future.
“When it’s stuff you love, it’s not hard. When you love it, and you have a strong passion for it, it’s easy. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go up to Western, it’s easy for me because it’s something I love and something I want to be good at. I want to thrive at Western. I want to be great there.”
It’s the same attitude that helped him excel in three sports at Sturgis.
“Sturgis really isn’t that big compared to other schools in the state of Michigan,” he explained. “If you have athletes, you need them playing every sport they possibly can to put a good product out there. It comes easy. People ask, ‘Why are you playing baseball?’ Well, I’ve played baseball since I was 6 years old. It’s hard to say I’m not going to play baseball because I’m going to make my time commitment to football.
“I’m an 18-year-old kid. I can make time for the majority of things I want to do. I just knew I could make the time commitment and I could do them all. Every sport helps me in a different way. The things I do in basketball benefit me in football — the agility, the cutting, the rebounding — all that stuff is beneficial in other areas. Each sport helps you in a different way. I grew up playing three sports and that’s how I wanted to go out in high school. I didn’t want to be that guy that kind of [blew] off his basketball and baseball team to worry about his future. I grew up with these guys; they deserve my best and I deserve their best. I’m not going to hang them out to dry like that. We started this thing back when we were young; let’s finish it the right way and go out with a bang.”