DURHAM, N.H. — Boston University's Kelly Greenberg is as serious as any Division 1 basketball coach in the country. But sometimes, she likes to have fun at the expense of junior Caroline Stewart.
"I love to get on her," Greenberg said of Stewart, who had a superb career at Masconomet Regional High School and whose leadership skills were so obvious early in her college career that the coach named her a captain going into her sophomore season.
"I call her 'The Robot' because she wants to be perfect all the time. I think she gets that from her parents. She wants to do everything right and that's great, but I like to rib her about it."
A Topsfield native, the 20-year-old Stewart is close to Greenberg and understands that she's being complimentary. But there was nothing remotely robotic about her game in the heart of Wildcat Country here last Thursday as BU crushed New Hampshire, 63-43.
A 6-foot power forward who is the second-leading rebounder (8.7 per game) in the America East Conference, Stewart showed she had some jazz in her game, improvising her way to a career-high 19 points (on 9-for-11 shooting) and adding 10 rebounds in an exhausting 37-minute stint.
Stewart beat UNH's taller players on either side of the paint by playing smart and taking the proper angles. When the Wildcats started squeezing the inside, she popped out and drained perimeter jumpers, including her first three-pointer of the season. Meanwhile, she yanked down eight of her 10 rebounds in the second half, preventing UNH from crashing the boards and getting back into the game.
Signature performance
It was arguably the finest game of Stewart's career, although Greenberg couldn't quite bring herself to put it in that category because she is getting accustomed to seeing quality performances from the former Chieftains standout.
"That's a tough call (saying it's her best-ever game)," said Greenberg. "She plays very aggressive, very hard, and you know it gets physical out there. That's what she brings to us when she steps on the court, so in my mind she plays well all the time.
"It's her personality, you know. She goes for those rebounds with two hands. I think the word tough is overused in sports today, but Caroline is really tough. If she rebounds like this all year, we're going to win this (conference title)."
Masconomet head coach Bob Romeo never worried about whether Stewart would be in the right place when she played for the Chieftains; she had a mature approach to the game even in high school. To Romeo, Stewart was "The Big Fundamental," just like Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.
Now she's taken that blueprint to a higher level — necessarily playing even more physically — and opposing coaches have to account for her or know they'll get burned.
"I thought she did a great job against us," said UNH's rookie head coach, Maureen Magarity. "Our game plan was to sag off the post and give up the perimeter jumper, and obviously Caroline went out there and nailed a few of those.
"She's a really talented player, very versatile. She has good size, she's strong and she's hard to get around. She's very fundamental and boxes out."
Stewart followed up the UNH game with a strong performance against Vermont yesterday, accomplishing her second straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 56-43 win.
Stewart was always dying to face the challenge of Division 1 college basketball. She recalls having a half dozen scholarship offers while at Masconomet, and whittled her list down to five and made official visits to other schools.
But BU always stood apart from the rest. She was comfortable with the coach and the surroundings and when she looked at the academic opportunities, it became a slam dunk for her.
"What it came down to was that my mom (Liz) always thought my reaction to the BU campus was so different than the others," said the broadcast journalism major in the College of Communications. "When I got out of the car, she could tell. I wanted a big city and a big school and the basketball program was well-respected — it was good year in and year out. They had the school of communications, and that narrowed it down pretty easily for me."
A serious leader
Stewart's progress on the court has been steady. She had a backup role as a freshman. yet managed to appear in 28 games (averaging 2 points per game).
As a sophomore Stewart broke into the regular lineup, starting 27 games and averaging 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds. This season she's been even better, averaging 8.3 points to go along with her lofty rebounding average.
The numbers, however, can't even begin to explain her impact with the Terriers. Stewart has always been one to reach out to her teammates. Junior captain Alex Young of Hickory, N.C., recalls how Stewart literally made her feel like part of the family when she was an incoming freshman.
"Coming out of North Carolina, I didn't know anybody up here," said Young, averaging a team high 14.1 points. "One of the first things that happened during summer sessions that year was that Caroline and her family invited us to a graduation party. That was just a great thing, getting to know her like that."
Greenberg is big on the whole notion of trust within the team dynamic, so she gave it considerable thought last year when Stewart was appointed as one of the captains. It was highly unusual for a sophomore to be conferred that honor, and the coach expects a lot out of Stewart in that particular role.
"We don't take it lightly," Greenberg said. "It doesn't always have to be the oldest player doing that job. When it comes to our captains, we have to have complete trust in each other. Caroline has my back and I know we can really count on her."
Young, who was also named a captain as a sophomore and who has a great relationship with Stewart, calls her friend "bluntly honest" when it comes to team matters.
The younger players also appreciate that type of honesty in Stewart.
"Caroline is a great communicator and that sets the tone for the whole team and the coaches," said sophomore guard Chantell Alford of West Haven, Conn. "She's a great leader who works hard every day."
Stewart was also a captain at Masconomet. When she looks back on it now, she says it was "light" and "fun." It's much different in college and she takes it as seriously as Greenberg wants her to.
"I just look it as a title, but I take a lot of pride in it," said Stewart. "My coaches look to me to set the example for the rest of the team and that's what I try to do, not just as a player but as a student, too. I think it all goes back to how my parents raised me.
"There's a lot more responsibility as a college captain," she added. "You're under a microscope and people are watching your every move. But I like it when the coaches ask (all the captains) opinions. They really take our suggestions to heart.
"Being a captain here is a huge honor — the biggest honor I might ever receive."
Rising Expectations
The Terriers had a rather pedestrian 6-9 overall record heading into yesterday's win at Vermont, but Stewart and her teammates are looking at the big picture and it's still pretty bright at this point in the season. The non-league segment of their schedule included Atlantic Coast Conference teams like Boston College, nationally ranked Texas and Big East foes such as St. John's and Providence. They lost all those games, but what matters most in the long run is the America East standings and BU is 3-0 with lopsided wins over Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
"I think what we focus on is trying to be good and trying to get better in practice, day in and day out," Stewart said. "People ask us, 'Are you okay? Are you worried?' I say, no, I'm not worried at all. The conference schedule is here and we're playing better."
Stewart's primary role from here on out is to rebound, rebound and rebound some more. No one has to hammer that message home to her. She doesn't have to pour in 19 points like she did against UNH, but she does have to be solid on defense and go after the ball. Relentlessly. She already has over 300 rebounds in her BU career.
"I don't have to go crazy as a scorer," said Stewart, who nevertheless has stretched her scoring range and added to her array of shots since high school. "I trust our guards and other players to make baskets. I'm not the player who has to have the most points, but I want to have the most rebounds — or close to the most rebounds. I want to be seen as the player who'll do anything to make the team win."
