Roster Outlook: Parker Stewart
Indiana picked up Parker Stewart in the transfer market last season in the middle of December. Stewart, a former three-star recruit, only played one season for Pittsburg before transferring to play for his father, Anthony, at UT Martin.
After the tragic passing of his father, Stewart decided to transfer to Indiana and sit out the season. However, Stewart is now ready to suit up in the candy stripes. He maintains two years of eligibility and will be a reliable scoring option for the Hoosiers during that time.
He may be able to score like crazy, but on a roster with deep guard talent, it remains to be seen what role he has this season.
2020-2021 Recap
2019-2020 Stats: 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, 48.6% field goal, 34.8% 3pt
In his freshman season at Pittsburg, Stewart functioned primarily as an off-ball three-point shooter. He started 20 of 32 games played and averaged 9.1 points per game on 38.6 percent three-point shooting.
At UT Martin, however, the 6-foot-5 guard played an almost entirely different role. With less talent on his mid-major roster, Stewart was forced to be a primary ball-handler and scorer.
In this position, Stewart showed he could be much more than just a spot-up shooter. He averaged 19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in a starring role. More impressively, he managed to put up these numbers with decent efficiency -- 48.6 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from three.
Stewart posted seven games scoring 25 points or more in his lone season at UT-Martin. A key stat that shows the breadth of his offensive contributions is his attempted free throw numbers. Despite being an outside-in player, Stewart is not afraid to get to the basket and draw contact. He averaged five free throw attempts per contest and had three outings where he shot more than 10 foul shots.
Improvements for this season
There is no question Stewart can score the basketball at an elite level, but he needs to show he can play reliable defense at the power five-level. At 6-foot-5, he has great size for a two-guard to pair with decent athleticism.That should make it easy for him to hold his own on that end, but he can struggle to stop his man in one-on-one situations. Stewart will have to learn to turn defense into a strength to take his game up a notch.
Although he does have the ability to handle the ball, Stewart is still a step away from being a true combo guard. He still thrives primarily in situations with minimal dribbling where he can shoot off the catch or quick pull-ups. Adding more ball-handling could allow him to become a reliable option at point guard, although it is unlikely his handles develop to that degree.
Expectations for this season
It is hard to accurately predict Stewart's impact on the 2021-2022 Hoosiers. He will certainly play but will have to earn every minute he gets. Xavier Johnson, Rob Phinisee, Tamar Bates, Trey Galloway, Khristian Lander, and Anthony Leal are all candidates to receive minutes at guard next season. The competition will be fierce, but Stewart's outside scoring ability is better than anyone on that list.
He could potentially start, be the sixth man, or become more of a role player. It all depends on how he competes in practice. One thing is for certain though -- a shooter of Stewart's caliber deserves minutes on a good team. He should make a big impact on a Hoosier squad that has seen very few three-point shooters in the last half-decade.
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