FAU guard Darren Stewart hails from the storied high school basketball program Monsignor Edward Pace out of Miami, FL, where he went up against current Owl teammates Ray Taylor, in regular games, and Greg Gantt during camp sessions. He was also selected to participate in the 14th annual South Florida All-Star Basketball Classic, in which he scored a game high 17 points. Seeing limited action in 22 games last year as a freshman for Florida Atlantic men’s basketball, Stewart tallied a season high 15 minutes against Middle Tennessee, and contributed eight rebounds and four steals in 103 minutes of total playing time. Coach Mike Jarvis want’s to see him take his defensive game to the next level for the upcoming season. “I’m hoping from Darren to get was I was expecting to get”, said Jarvis. “To get into good enough condition to where he could sustain the effort level for minutes at a time. Until he gets to another level physically, we’re never going to know what he really can do.” Stewart is up for the challenge but suffered a minor setback recently with an eye injury. As a result he is now wearing protective goggles during play, which has affected his ability to see as well as he would like on the court. With that comes the task of finding the “right fit”. FAU is hoping to resolve this matter with the construction of a special pair in the near future. Planning to become a Pharmacist, he has academics as his first and foremost priority. I would love to play in the NBA, but student-athlete comes first. Basketball may not be here forever, said Stewart. He’s also good with his feet, having played another sport until deciding to fully concentrate on basketball. “I’m actually pretty good at soccer. I played all the way up to eighth grade, until I got to high school.” Stewart recently sat down with us for “Up Close”. Fast Break What is your Favorite Book? ” The Art of War ” What is your Favorite Movie? ” Love and Basketball ” Who is your current off the court role model? “My parents, they are always there to motivate me and always positive.” How long have you been playing basketball? “Since middle school, eight years.” What are you most proud of? “I’m proud of making it to college, a lot of people don’t get a chance.” What is your major? “Criminal Justice.” What is your Faith? “God.” Set Plays Other than FAU, what schools did you consider? “North Florida and Charleston Southern.” What aspect of your game do you feel is your strength? “My defense.” What aspect of your game do you feel is your weakness? “My perimeter shooting.” Open Run Besides basketball, what brought you to FAU? “Coach Jarvis.” Hes a man of Faith. Hes not the type to jump ship on any body. He cares about what you have to say. Hes a real good teacher. Can make you a better player. Really nice.” What do you want FAU fans to know about you personally? “I love going to the movies, and go a couple times each week.” “I love playing video games – Call of Duty .” What are your goals for the upcoming season? “Be the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.” Coming Up Our next player volunteered to travel to the Dominican Republic in their senior year of high school to participate in a summer basketball clinic for underprivileged children.
