The Road To UF: More Than 4,000 Miles From Home, Azania Stewart Making An Impact
Tuesday, December 7, 2010 | Women's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Azania Stewart stands out in a crowd in more ways than her 6-foot-4 frame.
All anyone has to do to grasp Stewart's super-sized personality is to chat with her a few minutes.
“I'm loud. I love life,'' says the affable London native. “I can't help but shout.''
A junior center on the Gators women's basketball team – and the tallest female student-athlete on UF's campus – Stewart has been on a continuous growth spurt since she was 16. That was the year Stewart packed a large duffel bag, hugged her family goodbye, and caught a flight from England to America.
Stewart grew up in the Wood Green borough of London. She took up basketball when she was 14 after being spotted playing netball – an English sport similar to American basketball -- by an amateur coach who operates a youth basketball league in North London.
Soon afterward, the precocious Stewart was on her way to the U.S. to play at well-respected Notre Dame Academy in Middleburgh, Va. While there, Stewart's game developed as her homesickness faded and more doors opened toward her dream of earning a basketball scholarship from a major college.
“You wouldn't even believe it,'' former Notre Dame coach Mike Teasley said of Stewart's progress.
“I just packed up a big bag and said, 'I'm moving.' I played in England for a couple of years and I knew I wanted to pursue basketball at a higher level,'' Stewart said. “Great Britain doesn't have that many opportunities for women athletes, especially in basketball.''
As she blossomed into a college prospect at Notre Dame Academy, Stewart formed a relationship on the recruiting trail with Gators coach Amanda Butler, who was at UNC-Charlotte at the time. When Butler returned to her alma mater in 2007, she maintained contact with Stewart and eventually made Stewart's dream of a college scholarship a reality at Florida.
Nine games into Stewart's third season at UF, she is second on the team in scoring (8.4 points a game) and is grabbing a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. Still, Stewart wants to do more for the 7-2 Gators, who host Harvard on Tuesday night at the O'Connell Center.
Following a recent win over North Florida in which Stewart grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw and scored the go-ahead basket in the final seconds, she preferred to talk about the five turnovers she committed.
“I'm not happy with that,'' she said in her British accent. “I've got to keep pushing and striving. I need to do better.''
Butler also sees room for improvement from a player she knows hasn't reached her full potential.
“Offensively, we need her to make big plays throughout the game,'' Butler said. “She has been a little spotty in that regard. I've been very proud of her rebounding. I think Azania has played solid for us, but I do think there is another level for her to get to and I think she wants to get there.''
THE ROAD TO UF
Playing for the Gators is a long way – more than 4,000 miles in the most literal sense – from her humble beginnings as a member of the Haringey Angels of London. She knew very little about basketball when she first started playing.
She did realize her biggest advantage.
“I'm tall,'' she said.
Stewart's move to America helped jumpstart a recent trend. Stewart isn't alone among former Angels making the trans-Atlantic flight for a shot at playing college basketball in America, as several members are currently drawing significant interest on the recruiting trails.
Haringey coach Dan Bowmaker, a London native who has built the program up in recent years thanks to developing connections with AAU programs such as the Philly Belles and the Boo Williams Nike Invitational, continues to work on developing more opportunities for British prospects.
“We kind of pride ourselves on taking kids from a depressed area in North London and working with them to develop them as players and people,'' Bowmaker told the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press earlier this year. “We don't really recruit. We just take the players in our area and a neighboring borough, and we've had some success.''
Teasley was in London looking at another player a few years ago when he happened to notice “a tall-and-lanky girl with great enthusiasm.'' Stewart's team won a championship while Teasley watched, and he couldn't take his eyes off how overjoyed she was to win.
“That was real genuine,'' Teasley said. “Azania Stewart just kind of sold me with her personality. She had a long way to go in basketball, but I remember telling Amanda [Butler] once, 'If you sign her, people will love her. She will be the face of your program one day.' She has really come a long way.''
Stewart has emerged as perhaps the poster girl for the recent British invasion, which Teasley said picked up speed with former Marquette standout Lauren Thomas-Johnson a few years ago.
Following her sophomore season at UF, Stewart returned home last summer and was called up to the Great Britain Women's National Team for the EuroBasket summer tournament. Stewart, 21, was the youngest player on Britain's team, which played games in Israel, Germany, Holland, Slovakia, Ukraine and other European nations.
“In three months, I had 10 days off,'' Stewart said. “I'm playing against 25-, 30-, 35-year-olds. I mean, that's their living. They play year-round. It was a great learning experience.''
SHOOTING FOR MORE
The start of Stewart's college career was slowed when she had to have a non-functioning kidney removed as a freshman. When Stewart arrived back in Gainesville at the start of the fall semester, Butler was impressed with Stewart's physical condition.
She was in much better shape than the start of her previous two seasons for the Gators..
“She came back with a really focused idea of what she wanted this year to be like for her,'' Butler said. “She had a very good summer and learned a lot of lessons. She really gained a different perspective – being the youngest player on the team – and that reminded her of what maybe our freshmen feel like.”
Stewart is trying to impart some her international experiences on the Gators, who feature six newcomers. While the freshmen and transfers arrived on campus in July, Stewart was thousands of miles from Gainesville preparing for her dream of playing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in her hometown.
As the host country, Great Britain's National Team is hopeful of a better showing than in the past. The recent pipeline to America is viewed as a positive since the players are facing better competition than if they had stayed home.
Stewart attended the 2008 Olympics in Beijing as a guest of the British National Team. If everything works out as planned, she will be on the court in London just a few months after her senior season ends at UF.
“As soon as I knew there was a chance – a little glimpse, a little light – it's been my dream,'' she said. “Not only is it the Olympics, but it's in my hometown. It's definitely been a goal of mine and it's getting closer and closer.''
Before that time comes, Stewart has goals to reach with the Gators. She is easily one of the most popular players off the court due to her fun-loving personality.
But it's on the court where Stewart wants to make her loudest statement.
“I've played sports since I was younger, and every team that I've played on I so happen to be the captain or one of the leaders,'' Stewart said. “I need to give my experience to the girls more. It helps me, but I think I need to help them with my experiences.''
