‘The right place’

PARKER COTTON

Chronicle Sports Editor

James Steward III went through his entire senior season at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, with one offer to play college basketball.

The Padres finished right at .500 with a 14-14 record, including a 1-9 mark in their league. But Steward was a star, averaging 21 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. It was his second year in a row averaging a double-double.

But still, he was not getting a lot of attention.

“I just had to be patient,” Steward said. “My club coach, Kenny (Mullins), he really helped me out there. He explained to me how the process works, and (how) the whole recruiting process for the right place is going to be quick, which it was.”

Montana State assistant coach Zach Payne made contact with Steward this spring, getting him on a Zoom call with the other coaches and eventually extending an invitation to campus. Steward visited Bozeman for the first time May 12-14.

“I just went on a huge tour of everything, like where I’d be learning, my dorm, the coach’s office, the court, practice facilities,” Steward said. “Everywhere I would be on a regular day.” He had learned enough about the coaches and the program to make his decision. While it was the Big Sky Conference team in his home state, Northern Arizona, that offered Steward his first offer, he was more swayed by the Big Sky team over a thousand miles away. Steward committed to head coach Matt Logie’s Bobcat program before his visit was over.

“The biggest thing I was looking for was development and loyalty,” Steward said. “And then I went there and saw how the coaches treated the players, and watching the film, I saw that I could develop into that (type of) player. I just didn’t really have a reason not to commit.”

It appears loyalty has long been valued by the 6-foot-8 Steward. An article from The Arizona Republic newspaper from June 2024 mentioned how Steward had rebuffed the offers from nationally competitive “basketball-focused prep academies in the Phoenix area” so that he could stay with his friends at Marcos de Niza.

“I have kind of a leadership role here,” he told The Republic. “I want to play basketball in college, and go from there.”

It took a little longer than expected to find where that would be, but Steward is glad to officially be a Bobcat.

“I’m just excited to start getting with the guys and developing my game at a serious level,” Steward said. “I think all the coaches did a really great job of getting to know me and reaching out. My first impression was really great from all of them, and then the more I get to know them, the better it gets.”

Steward’s signing makes him the final roster addition for the Bobcats this offseason.

“James is an extremely athletic frontcourt player who can provide rim protection, rebounding, and has a growing arsenal of offensive weapons both as a back-to-the-basket and face-up player,“ Logie said in a news release last month announcing Steward’s signing. “We look forward to pouring into the development process with James and look forward to his contributions as a Bobcat.”

James Steward III averaged a double-double in his final two seasons at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona. (MSU athletics)

Steward played some football in middle school, but with his height — 6-4 by the eighth grade — he had plenty of people telling him he should try basketball. He first played competitively in seventh grade and then began putting more emphasis on it the next year.

“I started playing, and I realized that I really liked it, a lot more than football,” Steward said. “The more I played, the more I realized that I wanted to take it seriously.

“There’s so much to learn and so much to improve on, and so many small details that can change the whole aspect of the game.”

Steward averaged 8.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks as a sophomore on the varsity team. As a junior, he upped his production to 17.1 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks. He improved his scoring and rebounding numbers as a senior and kept averaging three blocks per game. Steward was named to the Arizona 4A All-Region First Team and to the Tempe All-City Team.

“Some of my strengths are close shots around the rim over defenders and rebounding, blocking,” Steward said. “I’m trying to extend my game to (have) more of a jump shot — catchand- shoot.”

During his career, Steward reached single-game highs of 38 points, 24 rebounds (twice) and nine blocks. His rebounding numbers in particular — 828 in 67 varsity games over three years, according to MaxPreps — are indicative of the hustle Steward learned shortly after picking up the sport.

“On most of the teams I played for, I was the biggest guy,” he said, “so if I wasn’t rebounding then nobody was. So it’s kind of like I had to take responsibility for it, and then it ended up just sticking with me.”

Steward’s commitment to Montana State was also met with excitement from former Bobcat big man Devin Kirby (2016-21), who also played club ball for Mullins. Kirby is now the head coach at Tempe High School, where he has coached against Steward the last several years. Steward said he has not spoken directly with Kirby about his decision, but he earned the MSU graduate’s respect with performances like his 33-point, 24-rebound, sixblock performance in an 88-84 triple- overtime win against Tempe on Jan. 20.

“CONGRATULATIONS BIG FELLA,” Kirby wrote on social media to acknowledge Steward’s commitment. “Bozeman Faithful You’re going to love this young man!”

Parker Cotton can be reached at pcotton@dailychronicle.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @ ByParkerCotton.