Apr 10, 2017 By Eleanor Bailey 6 min read

As Jackie Stewart watched South Carolina beat Mississippi State, 67-55, for its first NCAA championship in women’s basketball, she focused more on Dawn Staley’s moves from the bench as well as Vic Schaefer’s behavior and actions. Stewart hopes to be like them some day. She hopes to become a college coach.

“That’s the dream,” the Scott Township resident said. “That’s the goal. I just want to be a coach.”

That fact brought Stewart to Dallas. The 22-year-old daughter of Carrie and Bill Stewart was one of only 15 players from the NCAA Division III level selected to participate in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) “So You Want To Be A Coach” program. Only 61 players from all NCAA and NAIA divisions attended the three-day workshop held in conjunction with the WBCA Convention in Dallas as well as the NCAA women’s Final Four.

“It was cool,” enthused Stewart of the tournament and the convention. “It was a great experience being around so many knowledgeable, experienced and successful coaches. I learned a lot from them.”

According to Stewart, the biggest nugget of knowledge proved to be the importance of investing in the future of coaching. “It was great to be around people who were so passionate about what they are doing and dispensing their knowledge among the future generation of coaches,” she said.

Stewart had an opportunity to learn from coaches’ experiences through panel discussions, lectures and workshops. They shared their knowledge,” Stewart said. “They involved us and invested their time in us.”

At Grove City College, Chelle Fuss invested more than time in Stewart, who averaged 6.7 points per game for the Wolverines as well as collected 59 assists, 14 steals and 11 blocked shots this past season. Fuss recommended Stewart for the spot in the WBCA’s 15th annual class. She made the trip to Dallas, too. Fuss believes in Stewart’s potential.

“(Jackie) was a great leader for us in games, in practice, and off the court,” said Fuss, who completed her fourth year as Wolverines head coach. “Coaching fits her personality, and her desire to coach follows in a long line of many women from our program who have gone on to coach at various levels.”

Stewart committed to a coaching career at the start of her senior year and she cited Fuss as the impetus for her decision.

“Coach Fuss and the high standards of excellence that she established have had such an impact on me as well as the program here at Grove City,” said Stewart.

“She’s more than a basketball coach. She’s been a mentor to me. She’s been very supportive.”

Additionally, Stewart said that Fuss has taught her the importance of relationships.

“The person is greater than the player,” Stewart said. “All great coaches focus on this transformation. All divisions,” she added. “If you form a basic relationship, that will lead to a successful season.”

At Grove City, Stewart has been a success. She’s been a four-year letterwinner and a three-year starter at point guard. Plus, she was selected for the “So” program, which objectives are to increase the understanding and application of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women’s basketball, increase the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduce female basketball players to coaches and administrators, and raise awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women’s basketball.

“We continue to invest in young, aspiring coaches through our ‘So You Want To Be A Coach’ program,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Each year, the WBCA family reinforces our support for this important entry-level program. We have high expectations for these graduating student-athletes and the future contributions they will make to the game of women’s basketball.”

Stewart has high expectations. After completing her studies in sociology and graduating in May, Stewart plans to become a graduate assistant for a women’s college basketball program. She has no offers yet but a “ton of interviews” at all levels. While unsure what she hopes to pursue as a masters’ degree, she hopes to be placed with a school by August.

“I’ll go anywhere,” she said. “I feel that this is what God’s calling me to do. My mission to fulfill in life is to be a coach. I want to make an impact.”

At the high school level, Stewart had little impact. She only played one season of varsity at her alma mater, Chartiers Valley, because she focused on her career at the AAU level. She traveled all around the country playing basketball.

Then, as now, she packed her clipboard and critiqued coaches.

“When I watch games, I do watch them from a coaching standpoint,” Stewart agreed. “I analyze what the coaches are doing. When I went to Dallas, I took my playbook and a notebook. I took notes on the coaches and the X’s and O’s. Anything I saw that would make me a better coach,” she added. “I got to learn from the best. It was a great experience and I had fun. I met a lot of really great coaches.”

Stewart left Dallas with a keen sense of where the game is headed and how to avert any pitfalls. She learned about much more than recruiting, the administrative side to coaching, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules, and how to balance work and life.

“It was positive to see how the game has grown,” she said, noting how for the first time the Final Four sold out. “It was great to see two new teams, Mississippi State and South Carolina, in the championship and that it was a competitive game.”

She added there are no negatives in coaching, only hardships that are unavoidable.

“You have to go through them,” she said, “but if you invest in building relationships with players, then you can solve problems. That’s what builds team chemistry. That’s what you need for success.”