15 A. J. Stewart

A.J. Stewart was born November 14, 1988, to Anthony and Dinah Stewart.

Stewart attended Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville, Florida.  He helped lead Arlington Country Day to three straight state championships (2005, 2006, 2007) and was a two-time first team all-state. Stewart was a 2007 ESPN Top 100 recruit, ranked as the No. 18 power forward in the nation.

On October 15, 2006, following a visit to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness, Stewart verbally committed to Kentucky.  On November 14, 2006, Coach Tubby Smith announced that Stewart had signed with Kentucky.  Said Smith, “A.J. is an athletic forward who can do a lot of things, both on the wing and inside.  I love his energy and enthusiasm.  He has an outgoing personality, and he’s very excited about being a Wildcat.”

Stewart played in 22 games and made two starts as a freshman at Kentucky.  He earned his first career start against San Diego and averaged nine minutes a game in 22 contests.  He scored 46 total points and grabbed 40 rebounds on the season.

“Last year was very, very tough,” Stewart said. “The games are so intense and exciting, and you just want to be a part of it. You sit on the bench and cheer your teammates on, but it hurts at the same time, knowing, ‘I could go out there and compete.’ It’s hard, waiting on that opportunity. Hopefully it comes this year.”

Stewart played in 29 games as a sophomore at Kentucky and made one start for the Wildcats.  He scored 58 points and grabbed 34 rebounds on the season.

Stewart was originally signed by Coach Tubby Smith before he left Kentucky.  Stewart decided to honor his commitment and seemingly was ready to be a part of the revival of the program when Billy Gillispie took over.  Unfortunately, Stewart’s personality clashed with Gillispie.  He was once benched by Gillispie for falling asleep during a pregame meeting then forced to face reporters to explain that he’d fallen asleep during a film session.

On February 25, 2009, Stewart, unhappy with playing time against South Carolina (just three minutes), quit the team but quickly changed his mind.  He was reinstated by Gillispie.

On March 27, 2009, Billy Gillispie was fired as Kentucky’s head coach.  Soon after, John Calipari was hired.

On May 26, 2009, Stewart announced that he would be transferring from Kentucky:  “I appreciate coach Calipari and the staff being truthful with me,” Stewart said in a statement. “I want to further my career both academically and athletically at a school where more playing time is available. I know that coach will do anything possible to find a great situation for me.”  He transferred to Texas State and then transferred to Rogers State.