In the midst of the cancellation of all UTM athletic events for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year, Skyhawk men’s basketball standout Parker Stewart submitted his paperwork to be an early entrant in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Due to rules adopted by the NCAA in 2018, Stewart has the ability to sign with a certified agent, receive feedback and return to the Skyhawks if he so chooses, according to Sports Information.
Stewart has a unique path that led him to this moment. The 6-5, 200 pound guard emerged as a standout talent in Union City, where he enjoyed a solid career playing for the Union City High School (UCHS) Golden Tornadoes. During Stewart’s time at UCHS, the Golden Tornadoes captured the District 13-A Championship twice while recording an 81-25 record over three years.
Following high school, Stewart began his collegiate career playing for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in the Athletic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2017-18. Stewart started 20 games for the Panthers his freshman year, scoring 9.1 points per game.
However, the Panthers struggled mightily that season, going 8-24 and losing all 18 of their conference games. The Panthers ended off the year on a 19-game losing streak.
After his freshman year, Stewart transferred to UTM to play under his father and current head coach Anthony Stewart. The former Panther, while on the roster, sat out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Off the court, Stewart set a new record at UTM for being the first student-athlete to earn his bachelor’s degree in only two years, earning it in the summer of 2019 en route to pursuing a master’s degree from UTM.
Stewart finished his redshirt sophomore season in 2019-20, where he started all but one game and averaged 19.2 points per game (third in the conference) in addition to being named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District second teams.
The NBA Draft Combine is set to be held from May 21-24 in Chicago barring further complications with the COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in the postponement or cancellation of nearly all collegiate and professional sports leagues in the U.S. The Draft will is scheduled to take place at the Barclays Center in New York on June 25.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
