Steward looks on bright side
After McDonald’s cancellation, Young senior eyes future
Young senior DJ Steward always will be remembered as the local basketball star who broke Illinois’ embarrassing drought of McDonald’s All-Americans.
But Steward won’t actually get to play in the game, which has been canceled because of the coronavirus.
‘‘I cried,’’ Steward said. ‘‘When I first found out, I was on my way home from practice and saw it on Twitter. As soon as I saw it, I just dropped by head. It was a heartbreaking moment. Realizing I had already played my final game, I started crying. My mom hugged me, said it was going to be OK and everything was going to work out.’’
The game was scheduled for Wednesday at the Toyota Center in Houston. Steward is the third player from Young to become a ‘‘burger boy,’’ following Quentin Richardson in 1998 and Jahlil Okafor in 2014. Stevenson’s Jalen Brunson had been the last Illinois player selected (2015).
‘‘I remember going to the McDonald’s All-American Games when they were in Chicago,’’ Steward said. ‘‘I think I went to three of them, and that became a goal of mine. And to actually be chosen for the game but not actually be able to play in the game is very tough. It’s very tough. It hurts, to be honest.
‘‘A lot of players throughout the country have been talking, and it took a toll on everyone. It’s something you dream of playing in.’’
There was at least one player from Illinois in all 31 McDonald’s All-American Games from 1978 through 2008. And in 22 of those games, there were multiple players from Illinois.
That run ended in 2009. The state also didn’t produce a McDonald’s All-American in 2012 or in 2016-19. That’s a seismic shift in top-level talent from the previous three decades of the game.
‘‘Now that I look back at things, it’s been a blessing and amazing to have the opportunities that I’ve had — to be chosen for the all-star games, the awards and all the things I’ve accomplished,’’ Steward said. ‘‘I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my coaches, my family and God, pushing me every day and motivating me to be the person I am today, both on and off the court.’’
Steward, like Okafor before him, is a Duke recruit and a Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year.
‘‘I am very excited about the next step,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m excited to get down there [to Duke], to get to know my coaches and teammates, get a feel for the campus, to be around great people. I want to be associated with great people, and Duke just has great people. To be able to go there is a blessing.
‘‘I’m ready to work. I’ll put in the work, go hard. Having the opportunity to win a national championship at a national powerhouse is what I want, so to have that is special.’’