When Trey Stewart checked into Tuesday’s game at Iowa State, there were 24 seconds remaining in double overtime. BYU led 87-85, but the No. 10 Cyclones had the ball, and they just spent the timeout drawing what they hoped would be a game-winning shot.
Stewart was accustomed to entering games late, but not like this. Most of his minutes, until recently, had come during mop-up time when the outcome was already determined. Tuesday was different. This was showtime and the senior was being called on to play a hand in one of the most dramatic victories in program history.
Kevin Young sent his Cougars out after the timeout in a man-to-man defense. Stewart’s task was to keep Iowa State’s 3-point threat Milan Momcilovic from winning the game. This would be no easy assignment. The Cyclones 6-foot-9 sharpshooter, who had already made four 3-pointers, had seven inches on his 6-2 defender.
To his credit, Stewart has never been one to back down from a challenge. I witnessed that firsthand last season when he exchanged punches with 6-foot-8 Atiki Ally Atiki in a heated moment at practice. Even as he was relegated to being a benchwarmer, Stewart’s confidence and tenacity never cooled.
With fourth place in the Big 12 and a double bye for next week’s conference tournament hanging in the balance, Iowa State worked madly to find someone open. Eventually, with three seconds remaining on the shot clock, Momcilovic got the ball and with Stewart’s hand in his face, the ISU star’s desperate attempt missed everything, and the rest is history — Stewart’s history.
Saturday night will be Stewart’s 65th basketball game for BYU and his last at the Marriott Center when the No. 23 Cougars host Utah (8 p.m., ESPNU). This will also be his fourth and final game against the Utes and, if Young keeps with his recent trend, Stewart will finally be on the floor long enough to make a difference.
During his three previous rivalry games, Stewart combined for 17 mostly throw-away minutes, two points and a 1-2 record. In the Cougars’ last three games against Arizona State, West Virginia and Iowa State, he played 39 meaningful minutes and BYU went 3-0.
Stewart will get a hard-earned senior-sendoff, along with Fousseyni Traore, Trevin Knell, and Mawot Mag. His journey has been long, and along the path he has hit some speed bumps — but he never stopped his march. Signed by a coach and staff that left for Kentucky following his junior season, Stewart watched BYU make 19 player and staff additions while his place at the end of the bench went unchanged.
Observing from 10 feet away, as the Cougars crushed Cincinnati 80-52 on Jan. 18, I watched Stewart sit and wait for his name to be called to enter the game. For 39 minutes of competition, his teammates came and went. Each time someone returned to the bench, he greeted them with a high-five and an encouraging smile. Finally, with 60 seconds remaining, Stewart checked in.
Since that night, he has been checking in earlier and more often. In fact, during BYU’s current seven-game winning streak, Stewart is averaging double-digit minutes (11.5 — not huge, but meaningful) and he has hit five 3-point shots. But being on the floor in the final seconds at Iowa State had to mean the most. It was a validation that Young approved of his hard work, resilience and patience and that Stewart was a player he could count on.
Finding minutes for an 11-man roster is hard to do, but when a player earns them — he gets them.
It’s been a long time since Stewart’s BYU debut at No. 12 Oregon on Nov. 16, 2021. He played for three minutes and scored his only basket with 1:37 remaining in the Cougars 81-49 victory in Portland. Barring a health setback, the last time he checks into a BYU game will also be a first — in the NCAA Tournament.
Stewart has been to the Big Dance but has yet to grace the dance floor. Last year, he had a pretty good seat — and that’s right where he remained while Duquesne eliminated the Cougars.
This year, his final year, is different. Stewart is getting showtime instead of mop-up time and his unyielding effort on defense and overall razzmatazz just might be the spark BYU needs to get out of the first round for the first time since 2011.
On a roster full of guys from far-off places like Russia, Serbia, Australia, Senegal and Mali, the Cougars are getting a helping hand from a kid just down the street — better late than never — and both are the better for it.
Stewart will get a thunderous applause tonight at the Marriott Center — not just because he survived four years of ups and downs, but also because he put his hand in the face of Momcilovic on Tuesday night to preserve one of the biggest wins in program history — which will forever be part of Stewart’s history, too.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.