BYU basketball's Trey Stewart the unsung hero of the top-25 Cougars

PROVO — This year's BYU men's basketball team is full of good and inspiring storylines; although, it's hard to think of one better than the play of Trey Stewart.

Thought to be passed up over and over again by transfer portal players brought to Provo, along with highly-rated recruits, Stewart now stands as a key contributor to the team's surging success.

It's a status almost no one was assigning him throughout the offseason and even into the early stages of the regular season play, and for good reason.

Consider Stewart's contributions within the team, along with the bevy of talent Kevin Young acquired for his BYU coaching debut.

Stewart finished last season as a junior very much at the end of the bench — far from a regular contributor, earning paltry playing time. Indeed, Stewart registered just a single point during the final eleven games of his junior season, thereby not exactly signaling a strong senior campaign.

And then his prospects for a successful season became even more compounded, at least on the surface.

Under Young, BYU experienced a remarkable recruiting run, landing top recruits such as Egor Demin, Kanon Catchings and Elijah Crawford, on top of notable transfers like Keba Keita and Mawot Mag.

Given the circumstances, it seemed remarkable if Stewart didn't hit the transfer portal in search of more conducive prospects. But Stewart didn't see it that way.

"I hated (the prospects of) transferring. I hate just jumping ship," Stewart said in an interview on ESPN 960 AM. "If you just leave, you're just going to be the exact same person you were but somewhere else. For me, it's taking a situation that isn't ideal and then my true character development can grow."

It's quite the remarkable statement given the current climate of collegiate athletics where transferring has never been easier and subsequently more frequent.

For Stewart, making a spot for himself on the BYU men's basketball team, when provided adverse circumstances, was something worthy of achieving, and not just for basketball purposes.

"My character development is something that can benefit me for my whole life," Stewart said. "When things get hard — when life isn't going the way I want — then (I can look back) and I've been through this. I've been through dark times, and I'm prepared for it."

But it's also not just about him.

"I love my teammates to death," Stewart said. "I'd run through a wall for them. So just coming in every day and making sure I'm my best self so that they can have their greatest careers, and they can accomplish the things that they want to."

Getting to work

Sure, sticking it out sounds noble, but it isn't a self-fulfilling award without working hard to improve one's current status. It's a concept Stewart is well aware of and one he constantly applied throughout this past offseason.

For Stewart, work ethic is something he prides himself in, and it's a consistent trait he's maintained throughout his life. But that's not to say it's been easy.

"There's those days when you come in and you don't feel great. Not getting (playing time) is obviously frustrating," Stewart said. "But at the end of the day, I feel my whole career — my whole life — has been consistent. I feel like my work hasn't changed. … I'm just staying ready and waiting for my name to be called."

Having a great support group has helped the work process tremendously.

"Our coaching staff is phenomenal," Stewart said. "We have so many great assistants that I started doing summer workouts with, and they developed my skills to a level where I felt confident on both ends of the ball, which was big for me."

The payoff

All the work Stewart put in during the offseason wasn't realized with a consistent spot on the rotation as the former American Fork standout found himself largely in the same spot he did at the end of the 2023-24 season. But he kept with it and was ready for the call when it came.

Perhaps most notable was Stewart's performance in a key 73-69 road win against West Virginia where he played just six minutes but contributed 8 critical points, along with his always fierce defensive presence.

Since then, he's seen his minutes slowly rise, and he's been a key cog in the Cougars' late-season surge.

"It's definitely a battle," Stewart said. "It's one of those things where you're part of something bigger than yourself and you're developing your character the whole time when you're trying to cheer on your teammate. It's just about being as selfless as possible. I can't lie, it's been very difficult."

Football future?

Stewart brings a lot of attributes to the hardwood; although, his best attribute may be his athleticism, which could translate to the gridiron. Sure, it may sound like a pipe dream, but at least one BYU football coach sees potential.

"I've seen games where I'm like, 'Yeah, I really want to stay in front of one of those receivers,'" Stewart said. "So I might have to jump out there one day and do a little seven-on-seven and spring training with the football boys and see how it goes."

Whether Stewart pursues any football contribution, his play on the hardwood this season has been inspiring and shouldn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Unsung hero

In a world where sports often spotlight the star players, it's the unsung heroes who truly make a difference behind the scenes, Young said.

"Trey's been an unsung hero, honestly, even before he sort of cracked the rotation here in the last couple of weeks," Young said. "He's been unbelievable in practice, which is not easy to do when you're not playing. He's helped us get a lot better, whether that be scout team stuff, whether that just be him, having a level of competition that he brings every day, and it just got to the point where just couldn't ignore it."

Stewart's story is one of patience, dedication, and unwavering commitment — qualities that often go unnoticed until a coach or team finally recognizes them. Even before his recent surge in the rotation, Stewart's impact was felt daily, whether in practice or on the scout team, where his energy and competitive spirit helped raise the level of the entire squad.

His effort didn't just change the game, it elevated the team's culture and chemistry. As his coach puts it, "He's been tremendous. I love coaching him, he's really helped our culture and our locker room."

It's clear that Stewart's contributions, though sometimes overlooked, have become invaluable. In the end, it's not always the loudest players who make the biggest noise.

Stewart's quiet resilience is a reminder that greatness isn't always measured by points on the board, but by the heart and hustle that fuels the success of the whole team.

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