Carlos Stewart wins Louisiana Mr. Basketball
BATON ROUGE, La. (BVM) — This past January, Carlos Stewart suffered a torn meniscus that required surgery. He was unsure if he would ever play basketball with his high school teammates again.
“I thought it was my last time being out on the court with my brothers,” Stewart said. “[But I think] it was God’s way of telling me I needed a break. [But] I worked hard to come back in those three weeks. God blessed my bones.”
“[It was] impressive but not remotely shocking,” former boys basketball head coach John Pixley stated. “It’s the way he’s wired – he’s old school like that. Most guys in his position would have called it a day and moved on to the next level. His main reason for coming back was to finish what he started with his guys.”
Pixley decided after this season to step away from coaching, but this year will always have a place in his heart.
“It meant the world,” Pixley said. “If you would have told me when I started coaching that I would finish my career with five straight state finals appearances and three state championships, I would have said you were crazy. And to finish with one in the middle of this craziness with a team with seven seniors on it made it even more special. It is the perfect time for me to step away and transition into something else. I couldn’t be more appreciative of this school, this community, and these players for allowing me to go on this ride with them, finishing on top. It’s been truly unbelievable.”
Stewart continued to work hard and it paid off significantly. The 6-foot-1 senior was selected as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Mr. Basketball. On his way to winning this award, he would also help The Dunham School Tigers win their second straight Division III LHSAA title.
Stewart is also a two-time LSWA Class 2A Outstanding Player. With Steward winning this award, it marks the seventh straight year a Baton Rouge-area player took home the LSWA’s top boys basketball award.
“It meant the world to me to win Mr. Basketball,” Stewart said.
During this stretch, Stewart showed he can be extremely productive on the court. He averaged 32.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 steals. He shot 55.4% from the field, and that included knocking down 44.5% of his 3-point shots. He also made 85.7% of his free throws this year.
“He’s the best scoring guard I can remember in my time around the game, both as a player and coach,” Pixley said. “Randy Livingston was the best high school player I ever saw, but I’m not sure he scored it like Carlos does.”
But Stewart wouldn’t have that work ethic and determination if it was not for one person in his life: his father.
“My dad inspires me [so much], Stewart said. “He gets up early every day and lifts weights and goes to work. He inspires me to work hard and be the person I am today.”
Now, with a special high school career behind him, Stewart will be heading to Santa Clara University. His goal is to win a national title. It’ll be a daunting task to do so with Gonzaga and BYU in the same conference, but nothing has stopped Stewart before from facing tough challenges.
