D.J. Steward is one of the most dynamic scorers in the country, regardless of class, and dominated the competition with Mean Streets (Chicago) this past summer on the Nike EYBL. As a result, Steward, a senior combo guard at Whitney Young (Chicago), recently committed to Duke. Now he’s agreed to give USA TODAY exclusive access into his world by chronicling everything from his intimate thoughts to his everyday life in a blog.
Hello world, it’s D.J. Steward and I am happy to be a Blue Devil!
Most of you know that I committed and it’s just a great feeling to be a part of The Brotherhood. I’ve always dreamt about playing at the highest level and now I’m going to Duke. I feel like this will put me in the best position to potentially be able to play at the highest level one day.
I think the turning point for me was a few weeks back when Coach K brought his whole staff to come see me. He came with three other coaches and that was the first time that any coach had ever done that.
I was shocked by that.
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We just sat down and talked for a long time. I loved it.
I didn’t decide right then, but then when I went down to Duke I got to see why they call Duke The Brotherhood!
Everyone is like family and everyone looks out for everyone else.
When we got ready to go back, I was at the airport with my parents and I told them I felt like Duke was it.
I didn’t tell Coach K right away; I wanted to have a chance to personally call all of the other schools that were recruiting me first. I did that myself, just because I know what those coaches were putting in to recruiting me and I felt like I owed them a phone call.
It’s a tough call to make, but it’s something I felt like I wanted to do.
It took me about a day then I FaceTimed Coach K and he couldn’t stop smiling!
He just kept telling me how happy he was that I was coming.
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After I committed my social media pages went crazy. I’ve added thousands of new followers on Instagram and Twitter. Our fan base goes hard as most of you know!
I talked to Jahlil (Okafor) a little after I committed because we both are from Whitney Young, and he was just happy that I was onboard.
Coach K compared me to Nolan (Smith) and I thought that was a good comparison just watching old highlights of him there at Duke. I spent a lot of time with Coach Nolan so we’re pretty tight.
Our class is looking really strong with myself, Jalen (Johnson), Jeremy (Roach) and Henry (Coleman).
Now we’re trying to get Mark Williams! That’s the focus.
I got to play open gym with Duke on my visit and they have a lot of talent! They’re young, but they have key vets at the right positions and great leaders.
Duke is going to challenge for another national title, but that’s nothing new.
OK guys once again I just wanted to give you the inside information on why I chose Duke. I’m gonna get ready to get out of here now but check back soon and I’ll talk to you guys then.
Don’t forget to follow D.J. Steward
Twitter: @swipasnipa
