Whenever Fenwick basketball player DJ Steward needs any advice on coping with the rigors of playing varsity basketball as a freshman, he knows where to turn.
Steward, a 6-foot-1 freshman, is only the third freshman in recent years to play for the Friars and the second since Rick Malnati took over the program three years ago.
“It feels really great,” Steward said. “It’s a great atmosphere.
“The team is really good. They help me out a lot. They’re very supportive and I just love the team a lot.”
Steward reserves a significant portion of that love for senior swingman Jamal Nixon. The two have forged a big brother-little brother bond, primarily because Nixon knows what Steward is going through.
Nixon was the last Friar to play varsity ball as a freshman. Three years later he is a team leader and has earned a scholarship to Minnesota State.
“He’s like a brother to me,” Steward said. “In the hallways he always speaks to me, helps me out a lot.
“He’s very supportive on the court as well. When I’m down, he comes to give me high-fives and tells me to just keep pushing to get the next play.”
Steward, who is one of the first players off the bench, has made his fair share of plays. In his high school debut, he led the Friars in scoring with 16 points in a season-opening 61-58 win over Hope.
Steward also had a team-high 12 points in a win over St. Francis and sank a key layup late as Fenwick beat Oak Park and River Forest 63-57 at the Chicago Elite Classic at the UIC Pavilion. He also averaged a team-high 11.3 points on 18 of 28 shooting (64.3 percent) at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament.
“DJ is going to be a special player,” Malnati said. “He’s a special kid.
“He’s very poised, he really shoots the ball well. Defensively he’s got a lot to learn, but he’ll learn because he’s very eager and very coachable.”
Steward never envisioned playing on the varsity so soon, so he was surprised when Malnati gave him the news.
“Oh, I was super excited,” Steward said. “I didn’t expect to be playing varsity coming into Fenwick.
“I thought I’d just be playing (on the) sophomore (team) because in the summer I played with the sophomores. But I had to prove a point so I could move up.”
It is rare for freshman boys to play varsity basketball at any school. That is especially true at high-profile programs like Fenwick, where the spotlight and expectations can be overwhelming to someone trying to adjust to high school.
“First day, personally I went through it myself, being new to the whole school,” Nixon said. “It’s a tough job to come in and play against all the seniors when you’re playing on varsity as a freshman.
“So I just told him, ‘you’re here for a reason, so just play your game.’ It’s going to be a learning experience, you’re going to make mistakes and sometimes you’ll get down.
“But I just tell him, ‘keep your head up and don’t get down on one play. Those plays are going to happen, just keep playing your game, stay at it and just compete.'”
Matt Kelly, the President and Program Manager of the Oak Park-based Wolfpack School of Basketball, believes Steward is a rare talent.
“DJ is the best 8th grader to come out of the area in the last 20 years,” said Kelly, who coached Steward before high school.
Nixon and the Friars have been impressed with how Steward has competed in the early going. Steward averaged 9.0 points and shot 54 percent over the first eight games of the season as Fenwick started 8-0 before losing 63-60 at Benet, which shot 67 percent from 3-point range.
Steward scored two points in that game, playing sparingly as the Friars fell behind by 15 points before rallying to tie the game 56-56 behind the play of Nixon and senior guard Jacob Keller.
With all the depth the Friars (12-3) have in the backcourt, just cracking the rotation is impressive.
“That’s the biggest thing when you’re a freshman trying to get time, you’ve got to come in and compete, especially on defense,” Nixon said. “And he’s a great player on defense. He’s long and he’s talented.”
And Steward has a fine mentor in Nixon, who is paying forward the advice he received as a freshman from current Northwestern guard Scottie Lindsey. Nixon got comfortable early on and so has Steward.
“In the summer and the fall, just being around the guys, they really took me in, particularly Scottie Lindsey,” Nixon recalled. “I learned a lot from Scott and I’m going to try to do the same things for DJ.
“After practice I might text him or after the school day is over I might say, ‘how are you feeling about the season?’ I’m just keeping up with him, making sure he’s got his head straight and see if he’s got any questions. I just really want to take him under my wing because he’s really the next one up.”
Indeed, Steward is being groomed as a future leader. His time is coming, perhaps sooner than later.
“He’s going to be a great leader,” Malnati said. “He’s just a fantastic kid.”
Steward gave a glimpse of that by how he answered when asked about his early success.
“My teammates are giving me the ball when I’m open, so I’m just very appreciative of them for giving me the ball,” Steward said. “I just need to stay focused and play hard. Every time we get on the court, just play hard.”
While it won’t happen this year, Steward eventually aspires to join the likes of Keller and Columbia freshman Mike Smith on the list of star point guards to come through Fenwick.
“Hopefully I can develop into being a point guard,” Steward said. “I’ve been a point guard most of my life, but I’ve got to work on my handles.”
Steward will get plenty of practice against the best teams as Fenwick continues to play a tough schedule, highlighted by a Jan. 16 trip to Simeon.
“It’s very competitive,” Steward said. “It’s going to make me better and my teammates better.”