Shooting for the best

Former Conway standout Sidney Stewart had quite a painful beginning to her collegiate career.

Now, the Louisiana Tech sophomore is hoping to forget those pains and build a strong career with the Lady Techsters. And while there is no doubt physical pain after dislocating a knee, Stewart's biggest challenge was of a different sort.

"It hurt so bad not being out there on the court," Stewart said of missing the first month of the season after suffering the injury on the second day of last season's practice. "That was the hardest part. When I came back, I wasn't the same. I was in pain and wasn't myself. I wasn't able to do much, and after every game I was miserable because I knew I didn't do well, and there wasn't much I could do about that."

Still, that may have been better than the alternative at least from a mental standpoint.

"When I was rehabbing, me and my trainer argued and argued," Stewart said. "I wanted to be out there, but she said I wasn't ready. Obviously, she was right."

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But in her competitive way of thinking, subpar performances weren't really acceptable. That's what makes this season such an exciting time for Stewart, who was an all-state performer for the Lady Cats in 2007 and helped lead Conway to a Class 7A state championship appearance after knocking off then top-ranked North Little Rock in the semifinals. Stewart, who scored 35 points in that semifinal matchup, was ruled ineligible for the title game by the Arkansas Activities Association Board of Directors after it was discovered she played a semester of varsity ball during her eighth-grade year at a school in Alaska.

With that in the past, as well as her first year under her belt, Stewart is anxious to see what it's like to play well on a high level.

"I don't feel like I've played as good as I can at the college level yet," Stewart said. "The injury kind of set me back and I haven't gotten back to even where I was yet. I'm excited about getting better this season and trying to get back to that level and even better."

In her Louisiana Tech opener Friday night, Stewart scored 11 points off the bench in a 77-36 win over the University of Central Arkansas. As the season goes on, though, Stewart's role is likely to increase, and maybe even numbers.

"She's a heck of a player," Lady Techster coach Chris Long said. "She had a terrible break last year. She played her entire year not at 100 percent. I felt like before the injury she had a legitimate chance to start."

That's quite an accomplishment for a freshman in a program with a rich history. Lousiana Tech has the highest winning percentage in women's college basketball history (.837) with an all-time record of 933-182 and trail only Tennessee in wins. The Lady Techsters have also won three national championships, appeared in eight title games and had played in 13 Final Fours.

The list goes on for Louisiana Tech, including 65 NCAA Tournament wins, which is third all-time behind Tennessee and UConn. Naturally, Stewart is happy to be a part of such a strong program.

Last season's 16-15 record, though, kind of put a damper on things.

"It was really kind of embarrassing," Stewart said of the 2007-08 season in which Louisiana Tech went 9-7 in Western Athletic Conference play and finished fifth in the league. "We weren't satisfied at all, and we want to take the program back to where it was.

"I think we're going to start that this year. I really do."

Stewart averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds a game last season and shot 34 percent from field and 36 percent from 3-point range. Those are numbers Long think can go up because of what Stewart brings to the table.

"She's such a complete player," Long said. "She can really score, and she has a great long-range shot. She's not just one-dimensional, though. She can put it on the floor and drive the lane.

"She's definitely someone we're going to be counting on a lot."

Part of her production, though, is going to be how Stewart recovers from dealing with an injury.

"It's more of a mental thing," Stewart said. "I've recovered 100 percent physically, but it's still something that's in the back of your mind. You kind of feel scared at times to play hard because you think to yourself, 'What if I get hurt again?'

"That's something I'm going to have to get over, and I'm sure I will."

Transitioning from high school, where she was called upon the shoulder a large amount of the load, to college has had its challenges for the three-time Log Cabin Democrat Faulkner County Player of the Year.

"It's just a lot faster, and there's more going on," Stewart said of the college game. "When I first got out there, I was scared to death. I couldn't keep up.

"It was hard to do well on defense. That's something I really need to work on. In high school, I could get away with a lot, and that's hurt me."

She's hoping to work on that, among other things in general, when the Lady Techsters face such opponents as perennial powerhouses Tennessee and LSU.

"I haven't played against that kind of competition yet," Stewart said. "I'm looking forward to that. I'm not intimidated by that challenge at all.

"It kind of exposes your weaknesses and shows you where you are when you play against those types of teams."

That's nothing Long is worried about, though. Stewart's progress has impressed the coach and has given him optimism that there are great things in store for the post-injury Stewart.

"The sky's the limit for Sidney," Long said. "She's a great player, and she'll definitely be a big part of our team for the next three years."