ONE ON ONE WITH GARY STEWART (UC DAVIS)
by John Parenti, CollegeInsider.com


Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Gary Stewart, head coach for University of California-Davis Aggies. UC-Davis is the newest member of the Big West Conference and had to go through a four-year transition from Division-II level to Division-I. Coach Stewart guided the Aggies through that transition. Also, Gary is an involved member of the coaching community and sits on the Board-of-Directors for the National Basketball Coaches’ Association. He was gracious enough to answer questions about the process, the effects on the student-athletes, and the institution.

CI: UC-Davis is entering its third season as a Division I school. During the transitional period, was there some aspect that caught you by surprise?

Stewart: There’s a distinct difference between believing what the transition period might be versus the actual period of going through it. There was a lot of excitement. The institution felt that it was taking its rightful place. The academic requirements that the NCAA mandates for Div I institutions were directly in line with the mission of UC-Davis. And, there was broad based excitement in the community, the alums, coaches, student-athletes, staffing, and our student body. Fast forwarding, having gone through that, I don’t think anything caught me by surprise, but the longevity. It was the first time that an institution had transitioned for four years. What most institutions try to avoid is a one-year ban without post-season play. Try four years. So we knew going in, it was going to be difficult, but the actual application of going through it was very difficult, particularly as to how that impacted the student athlete. They don’t get those years of eligibility back. That was the most difficult part. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was close. We did get through it, obviously, but the assignment was gargantuan for the four years.

CI: Is the effect on the student athlete the biggest challenge for a program making the transition to D-1?

Stewart: For me it was. It was a myriad of things, though. There is a litany of challenges: recruiting, having your infrastructure mirror those of the institutions you’re competing against, scheduling, trying to establish yourself at a level which is significantly higher than the level you’re coming from. It is not without challenges. The biggest challenge you face on a day-to-day basis is continuing to motivate the student-athlete. I was really fortunate because I had some really high character students to work with. But they are highly competitive and like to compete. And, when you don’t have the ability to compete for championships, and when you haven’t fulfilled all the criteria, it can be difficult.

CI: During the transitional year, were there difficulty scheduling quality Div-1 schools?

Stewart: No, people are always looking for an opportunity to play somebody they think they have a distinct advantage over. And, everybody wanted to play at their place. That part of it went relatively smooth. Largely in part, because the Big West gave us a conference schedule. We were able to have a double round robin schedule in January and February and that was significant because without it scheduling would have been problematic. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go through that.

CI: UC-Davis is very large state university in a small university town in the Sacramento Valley. Is the school’s location detrimental to your recruiting efforts?

Stewart: No, not at all! We’ve been very well received. Look at the three student-athletes we’ve just signed, in the top 50 at their respective positions. It’s one of the top recruiting classes in the Mid-Majors. What we found is that the university has distinguished itself and garnered elite status in relation to our academic prowess. So we are able to accentuate that when we go into the home of these student-athletes. The combination of an elite education and Division-1 has opened up huge, huge avenues for us. The thing that you battle is the dream of young student-athletes who grew up wanting to “play at UCLA for John Wooden.” We did not have that kind of reputation so we are not on their radar. Now that we are a Division-! School it is incumbent upon us to get out and sell the virtues of this university and the community. We have an extraordinary place! Great town, great academics that is second to none.

CI: Joe Harden left Notre Dame and selected UC-Davis. What are the guidelines for contacting a player who chooses to leave a D-1 program? Does the student initiate contact with a new school? Is he like a “free agent.?”

Stewart: The avenue for contacting that student-athlete is the same for everybody. You must obtain a release from that institution. You get wind of a potential transfer from the grapevine, or a friend, or parent, or team member and you make a call to make sure the rumor is accurate and to get permission to make contact. You sure don’t want to interfere with a student at another school. After the “permission granted,” then you make your once a week calls and start the recruiting process.

CI: Does it seem like there is more student-athletes who choose a school and then a year later decide that it is a bad fir, for whatever reason?

Stewart: I sit on the Board-of-Directors of the National Basketball Coach’s Association and it is one of the areas we’ve had dialogue about. We’re looking at graduation rates and along those lines retention, kids leaving from one year to another and what are the factors. So we are constantly looking at the data as is relates to the students transferring. Some of the decisions are being made for some of the wrong reasons: whether it is the glorification of the program (I’m going to play on TV, and then not getting enough playing time and sitting on the bench during a televised game), and then realizing that actually playing is more important; to, I’m too far away from home, sounded great getting away from Mom and Dad, and then missing that home environment; academic major is wrong or not available; family illness, etc. The numbers are troublesome. Ideally, everyone would like it if the student-athlete stayed, developed and matured in the program.

CI: In reading your bio, I noticed that you get involved in activities outside your coaching duties…within the “community of coaches.” How did you get involved with the USO and “Operation Hoop Talk?”

Stewart: Servitude has always been important to me. I was raised that way and I have always looked for avenues where I could be of some assistance or help in some way. I was sitting in a NBCA board meeting when Rick Kell made a presentation about a USO program to bring college coaches to our service men and women over seas (particularly in the Middle East). Immediately, I knew that this was something I would like to do. It was important to Kell that I be someone who “gets it” because not everyone does who goes over to places to visit our troops. So, I went to D.C. and toured Walter Reed and Bethesda before boarding a place to Kuwait and to Iraq. There is nothing that can prepare you for you are going to see in a war zone. You can set up an agenda, but “in theatre” it is subject to change. We had a dust storm, and it gave me an opportunity to see what our service men and women have to deal with on a daily basis. There is no amount of money that you could pay to have the kind of interaction I had with them. And, I tell you this; the quality of the individuals serving our country in uniform is absolutely the best. Their commitment to the task is beyond anything I could describe to you. They are the shining beacons of this country, and they just don’t come any better.

CI: For you, what is the most rewarding aspect of being a head coach?

Stewart: There are many! Having the opportunity to work with a student-athlete on a daily basis for four or five years is a great reward. To work in an area that we are both passionate about, and to see that culminate in a college degree, and to see them matriculate on to graduate school, or into the work force. That to me it what it’s all about. That’s special, to me. I’ve gotten letters from former players over the years, and some of the things I have said, or something I have handed out, or something I have presented to them, had resonated with them and had written to thank me. It’s never been about me. I want to make that clear. Really, I’m a messenger, the same as the one in the chem lab or in that macro-econ class who try to expand the horizons of the students we have to work with. And, when you are able to do that, that is very, very rewarding. When you see a young man come into your office at 17 or 18 and he says he wants to be a doctor or a lawyer, or a businessman or wanting to be an educator and four or five years latter you see it come to fruition, you know that you have helped to make our society better.

CI: Is there anything you would like to add?

Stewart: One thing I’d like to say is that speaking for everyone associated with the program, I am extremely grateful to you for taking the time to do this for UC-Davis. Everything we get, in terms of publicity, is vitally important to program that is in its infancy at this (Div-1) level. It is of great benefit to us and expedites the process of establishing ourselves in the upper echelon of the conference and beyond. So I am thankful you’ve taken the time.

CI: Thank you, Gary. CollegeInsider.com appreciates the time you’ve taken from your schedule to answer our questions.