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OLD GOLD FREE PRESS
Purdue Men's Basketball Recruiting

John Stewart

        School and Year (1997-98)	Lawrence North HS, IN - Senior
        Height and Weight		7'0  275lbs
        Position			Center
        97-98 Ratings			Top150(RUSA), #284 (HS)
        Academically Eligible		--
        Status				Verbal to Kentucky 9/22
        AAU team                        No Excuses


Player Summary · Player News · Game Stats · Season Stats · Honors · IHSAA Schedule

Player Summary

John Stewart is a handful at 7'0 and 270+ pounds. He is currently at Lawrence North high school, his third school in as many years. At Lawrence North, he is getting the playing time he has been looking for. Stewart has great hands (right handed) and has a soft touch. The typical basketball cliche fits that he runs the floor and finishes well. But he needs to work on being more aggressive. He understands fundamental footwork, but sometimes has trouble getting those big feet moving. Last year some might have used the labels "lazy" and "soft", but he has made good improvement this season with more of a role on the team. By his senior season his rather raw sophomore game should be up to speed, making him a likely candidate for a high-major program. Big John's junior season turned out to be a breakout season for him, benefitting from a new school and some experienced post coaching. John's averages have blossomed to 15 points per game along with 10.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks, and his game is improving. Boosting his performance has been the loss of 50 pounds since his arrival at Lawrence North. He is moving very well and the increase in endurance is noticable. Now that the recruiting services have found out who he is, you hear a lot about how he labors up and down the court. Do NOT believe it. Although he is still carrying some weight around the hips, he runs very well and can have games where he gets up and down faster than anyone. The "lazy" and "soft" labels can officially be retired. Stewart has a list of five that includes Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Georgetown and Kentucky.

Current Player News

9-23-98...Stewart has officially announced for the University of Kentucky. For more info on the announcement, check out this Indy Star article. 9-22-98...An announcement will come today on whether John Stewart will be a Boilermaker or a Wildcat. Bob Gibbons, Hoop Scoop, and Channel 13 in Indianapolis are all reporting the choice will be Kentucky. Keep in mind that Gibbons and Hoop Scoop also claimed Magloire would choose Purdue over Kentucky two years ago. But coming so closely after his visit to Kentucky, it looks like Stewart will be leaving the state. 9-19-98...After playing host to both Purdue and Kentucky in his home, Stewart will now take official visits to each campus and decide within the next few weeks where he wants to go. Stewart is on the Kentucky campus this weekend, and will visit Purdue the weekend of October 2nd. He has unofficially visited both campuses before. According to the J&C, both Michigan and Michigan State have been eliminated. 9-17-98...Stewart was host to the Purdue staff in his home on Tuesday, and it looks like a two man race between Purdue and Kentucky at this point. 9-2-98...The recruitment of John Stewart is heating up, as expected after having a good summer of competition. Stewart most recently has visited Kentucky, but also reportedly visited Michigan with Region star Ricky Wright. Kentucky has offers out to a couple of other big kids, so Stewart would have to wait until the top of the list moves around a bit. Georgetown's John Thompson got the word to Stewart that he was going to attend July's Nike Camp to see Stewart in action, and reportedly offered a scholarship. Future Stars' Van Coleman was also at the Nike Camp checking out Stewart and told a Kentucky newspaper that Stewart would be in the NBA someday. 7-11-98...If you look above at his player summary, you see the labels "soft" and "lazy". Since John has come so far in the past year, it is time for an update. John's junior season turned out to be a breakout season for him, benefitting from a new school and some experienced post coaching. His averages have blossomed to 15 points per game along with 10.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks, and his game is improving. Boosting his performance has been the loss of 50 pounds since his arrival at Lawrence North. He is moving very well and the increase in endurance is noticable. Now that the recruiting services have found out who he is, you hear a lot about how he labors up and down the court. Do NOT believe it. Although he is still carrying some weight around the hips, he runs very well and can have games where he gets up and down faster than anyone. The "lazy" and "soft" labels can officially be retired. Stewart has a list of five that includes Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Georgetown and Kentucky. Although exposure wasn't the goal, he used the Nike Camp to try to gain some respect as one of the nation's best centers. This article from the Indianapolis Star sums up the week at camp. 7-4-98...A new article on Big John from the Indianapolis Star. 7-1-98...Peegs from the IU Basketball Recruiting Site attended the Indiana AAU State Tournament last weekend, and has this scouting report on John Stewart. 7-1-98...Stewart will be joining No Excuses teammate Jason Gardner at the Nike Camp next week in Indianapolis. 5-5-98...In a conversation with Lawrence North head coach Jack Keefer, Purdue is still in contact with John Stewart. "They've done a very good job in keeping in touch," said Keefer, "and that means a lot." Several other Big Ten schools, plus Carolina and Georgetown have also been in contact. Most are on a "wait and see" basis, as Stewart continues to develop his game and his body. Down to 260-pounds now, from a high of over 300-pounds at one time, his athletic abilities are beginning to shine through. Changing schools 3 times in 3 years hasn't helped his grades any, but Keefer says Lawrence North has him on the right path and Stewart is really working hard on his academics. John averaged 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this year, adding just over 2 blocks and 3 fouls per game. Expect his recruitment to pick up as scouts begin to see his rather fluid moves come out as his conditioning continues to improve. 4-30-98...Stewart will be playing in Mackey Arena this weekend along with his AAU team "No Excuses". No Excuses early games are on FRI 6:00P Court 1 (Mackey), FRI 9:00P Court 9 (Co-Rec) and SAT 2:00P Court 3 (IAF). 2-28-98...Lawrence North captured the MIC conference title on Friday with a decisive 63-44 victory over 4A #9 Terre Haute North. LN finishes the regular season 11-9, 5-2 in conference. Big John finished with a double- double with 12 points and 11 boards. 12-20-97...With 13 points from Stewart, Lawrence North knocked off 4A #8 Kokomo in overtime 57-50. Lawrence North had four players finish in double figures as Kokomo dropped its second overtime game in two days. Stewart used all but one foul in the game. Kokomo coach Basil Mawbey said on a Saturday morning coaches radio show that Stewart reminded him of former Kokomo 7-footer Duane Johns. Johns, however, took a wrong turn in school and out and was forced to sit his senior year and ended up in junior college in Florida. His junior year he was getting major attention from Indiana. It can only be hoped that Stewart reminds Mawbey of Johns in talent only. 11-30-97...Stewart has been named as a "Player To Watch" by Athlon Basketball. 11-26-97...A 97-98 season preview by the Indianapolis Star.

Single Game Statistics

DATE MIN FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA RB A B S PTS -------------------------------------------------- 05-02-98 3 0 0 6 Lost 54- Bloomington Red 66 05-02-98 7 3 0 17 Won 69- Memphis Sounds 61 05-02-98 0 1 0 1 Lost 60- Spiece South 70 05-01-98 6 2 0 14 Won 88- Salt Lake 84 05-01-98 7 2 0 16 Lost 65- LA Rockfish 74 03-06-98 7 10 2 3 4 16 Lost 59- Warren Central 61 02-27-98 11 12 Won 63- #9 TH North 44 02-20-98 10 2 2 22 Lost 63- Lafayette Jeff 64 02-13-98 6 11 3 4 8 15 Won 56- Warren Central 55 02-07-98 15 16 Won 57- Center Grove 53 01-31-98 12 5 21 Won 72- North Central 69 01-30-98 9 23 Won 62- Broad Ripple 50 01-24-98 15 13 Won 57- Richmond 40 01-03-98 17 Won 53- Tech 42 12-20-97 6 8 1 2 13 Won 57- #8 Kokomo 50 OT 12-19-97 12 17 Lost 48- New Castle 57 12-12-97 14 17 Won 45- Carmel 39 12-06-97 16 Lost 40- #3 Marion 43 11-30-97 18 Lost 49- #8 Indy Pike 83

Season to Date Statistics

Season thru PPG FG% FT% 3P% RPG APG SPG BPG RECORD RANK ------------------------------------------------------------------ 97-98 season 15.0 .518 10.5 2.9 12-10 -- 02-21-98 15.3 .509 11.0 2.9 10-9 -- 02-09-98 14.7 11.1 4.0 10-6 -- 01-14-98 14.1 9.2 2.1 6-4 -- 01-07-98 14.1 9.2 2.2 5-3 -- 12-13-97 13.8 10.6 2.2 3-2 --

Awards and Honors

97-98 season All-County Second Team (Indy Star) Underclassman All-State Honorable Mention (IBCA)

1997-98 Season Schedule for Lawrence North

Date Day Time Opponent ---- --- ---- -------------------- 11/26/97 WED @ Lawrence Central 11/29/97 SAT L @ Terre Haute South 12/06/97 SAT L @ Marion 12/12/97 FRI W Carmel 12/13/97 SAT Ben Davis 12/19/97 FRI L @ New Castle 12/20/97 SAT W @ Kokomo 01/03/98 SAT W @ Indy Tech 01/12/98 MON WL County Tournament 01/23/98 FRI @ Franklin Central 01/24/98 SAT W Richmond 01/30/98 FRI W Broad Ripple 01/31/98 SAT W @ North Central 02/07/98 SAT W Center Grove 02/10/98 TUE L Anderson 02/13/98 FRI W @ Warren Central 02/14/98 SAT L Connersville 02/20/98 FRI L Lafayette Jeff 02/27/98 FRI W Terre Haute North 03/03/98 TUE 7:30P W Sectional vs Indy Tech (@ Franklin Central) 03/06/98 FRI 7:30P L Sectional vs Warren Central (@ Franklin Central) * Times not available * * To confirm game time call Lawrence North HS *

As news organizations move their stories to an archive, some of the links listed above may become inactive

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