Deacons' Stewart will shoot away

"I don't care if I make 10 shots in a row or miss 10 shots in a row. The next shot I take is the only one that counts,"

-- Randolph Childress.

Freshman Ari Stewart of Wake Forest had a performance last week against Maryland that was utterly Randolphian.

Randolph Childress, for those new to Wake Forest basketball, was an All-America guard best known for scoring a record 107 points in the 1995 ACC Tournament while willing the Deacons to their first conference title in 33 years. Childress, devoid of conscience but overloaded with heart, sowed the seeds of what would blossom into a legend as a freshman, moments after he shot two air balls in row at Alabama.

"Don't take me out now," Childress entreated Coach Dave Odom as he ran by the bench. "I'm getting hot."

Flash forward to Joel Coliseum, 19 years later, and Stewart has missed all five of his shots from the floor -- a couple of them rather badly -- in the third ACC game of his career. But with the game tied at 78 in overtime, Stewart faked a jumper, stepped in and drilled his first basket of the game.

One possession later, Stewart drove into the lane, pulled up and sank another jumper for an 82-78 lead. Maryland never recovered.

He dispelled any notion that the performance might be a fluke on Sunday when he hit 6 of 11 shots -- including two 3-pointers -- on his first trip to Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. He finished with 14 points in 25 minutes.

Stewart, who will make his first trip to North Carolina's Smith Center tonight, shrugged when asked where he found the requisite fortitude.

"I believe with all my heart that I'm a big-time player," he said. "I have the utmost confidence in my shot.

"And in overtime (against Maryland), I knew I hadn't scored any points in regulation. But good shooters can't let that stop them from shooting. I just sucked it up, and I felt like my teammates needed me and they trusted me to shoot. You just take shots.

"You work on it every day in practice, the same drills, pump fake, sweep, one dribble, pull-up. And there it is in the game. That's when it pays off. That's when it matters."

Although he has yet to start a game, Stewart ranks fifth on the Deacons with 8.2 points a game.

That can be attributed to his accuracy from the floor (45 percent) and 3-point range (42 percent) but also to his quick trigger. Stewart takes a shot for every 2.5 minutes of playing time, more frequently than anyone else on the team other than star forward Al-Farouq Aminu, who shoots every 2.4 minutes he plays.

Coach Dino Gaudio, knowing his team needs the kind of perimeter production Stewart and classmate C.J. Harris can provide, hasn't put any governors on Stewart's offense.

"I don't want him looking over his shoulder," Gaudio said. "I want him relaxed."

Stewart is a role player, and as point guard Ish Smith explained, it's Stewart's role to shoot.

"As a freshman, you have to understand that people try to make you think, ‘Should I shoot or not?' " Smith said. "But I think our coaching staff has done a great job of just letting Ari play.

"We've given him that freedom that if you're open, you shoot it. And I think that's the confidence he has in himself and his game."

Stewart's choice of colleges came down to Xavier, Oregon, Virginia and Wake Forest, but he might have had more offers if he had been able to display his wares more prominently in high school. He played for a powerhouse, Marietta Wheeler High, that won the Georgia 5A championship, but at 6-7. he found himself anchored in the post alongside 6-8 post Richard Howell, now a freshman at N.C. State.

It wasn't until he branched into AAU ball and played with Howell and his best friend Mfon Udofia (a freshman at Georgia Tech) for the Worldwide Renegades that he was able to play his natural position of wing forward.

"In high school, the coach wants to win games," Stewart said. "So he's going to put a 6-7 athlete down low to block shots and grab rebounds and get buckets.

"In high school I really didn't have to step out and make moves. I could overpower people or I could just use my athleticism to beat people. Now in college, it's been a big transition. It's actually playing the game of basketball."

Inside or out, Stewart has benefited from his bounce. Quick off his feet with great spring, he's able to get his shot off over outstretched hands in the lane or along the baseline.

"He can shoot over guys," Gaudio said.

Stewart said he's doing what comes naturally.

"I think my hops I've got in my legs help me out a lot in every aspect of the game -- grabbing a rebound, trying to block a shot and most importantly getting my shot off," Stewart said. "It comes effortless to shoot.

"It's not like I have to use all arms, because I use legs."

dcollins@wsjournal.com



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