I’ll admit, I wasn’t blown away watching DJ Steward on Friday night in Westfield, Ind. in connection with session two of the 2019 Nike EYBL.
Steward didn’t start and scored just 11 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
But then the Chicago native went for 29 points on Saturday morning, and 37 more that afternoon.
He wasn’t finished.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard saved the best for last, exploding for 46 points and knocking down a dramatic game-winner at the buzzer against Vegas Elite.
Consider me blown away.
Playing for the Chicago based MeanStreets AAU program, Steward is averaging 25.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game through eight games this spring. He improved on his numbers over the weekend, averaging 31 points a game in Westfield.
Steward is shooting 51 percent from the floor overall, 36 percent from long range and 82 percent from the free throw line.
Perimeter shooting has been a question with Steward, but he made 40 percent of his attempts from 3-point range over the weekend, and exhibited an ability to score at a high rate from all three levels.
The Whitney Young product is now fourth overall on the EYBL in scoring among players who have competed in all eight games. All three players above Steward are rated as five-star recruits according to the 247Sports Composite.
At his current pace, Steward is tracking towards the fringes of five-star status himself when the rankings are updated. He is currently a four-star and ranked No. 106 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.
The game that made Steward the topic of conversation this week was that 46 point performance on Sunday.
Below are two different videos of that contest, including an extended 17 minute compilation that shows all facets of Steward’s game — pros and cons, offense and defense.
Steward is No. 21 in blue.
Steward was going head to head with five-star Josh Christopher of Vegas Elite. That matchup is profiled in this video.
You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
Want to receive all of our content via one e-mail in your inbox every day? It’s free. Join our daily mailing list here.
Please consider supporting The Daily Hoosier by shopping on Amazon via this link to the Amazon home page or through the ad below.