Rapidly emerging Amaya Stewart a slam-dunk choice for Player of the Year
It’s incredible to see how quickly Amaya Stewart has transformed her game — and she’s only just getting started.
She was not close to being the best player on the court when she joined Reading’s KTB youth organization as a fifth-grader.
“She was terrible,” her first coach, Kanisha Edwards said.
Flash forward five years and she’s become the most dominant basketball player in Berks Girls League. The 6-1 sophomore led Wyomissing to its first league and District 3 championships and to a 28-3 record.
Stewart was a slam-dunk choice as the MikeDragoSports.com Berks girls basketball Player of the Year, an award sponsored by Utilities Employees Credit Union.
Stewart was named UECU Player of the Week twice during the season, the second time after leading the Spartans over Reading High for the league title. She easily could have been selected several other times, as well.
Players were nominated each week by their coaches, or by the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
Finalists for the award were: Ashanti Chapman, senior, Reading High; Caraline Herb, senior, Berks Catholic; Alex Hess, senior, Fleetwood; Laila Jones, freshman, Wilson; Grace Reedy, junior, Exeter; and Morgan Snyder, junior, Oley Valley.
“UECU is proud to present the Player of the Year Award to Amaya Stewart along with Mike Drago Sports,” said Greg Cosgrove, Marketing Manager of Utilities Employees Credit Union. “It’s exciting to see a great student-athlete such Amaya from right here in Wyomissing receive the Berks County Player of the Year award. We’re excited to see what the future holds for Amaya.”
Caroline Reedy of Berks Catholic was in the inaugural recipient of the award last season.
Stewart averaged 15.3 points for the season and took her game to a new level in the postseason. She averaged 16.2 points and 10.9 rebounds throughout nine county, district, and state playoff games, eight of which Wyomissing won.
She enters her sophomore season with 716 career points.
Stewart hit a game-winning 3-pointer against Berks Catholic in the district semifinals and scored 17 of her game-high 25 points in the second half against defending PIAA Class 3A champ Neumann-Goretti in the state quarterfinals.
She had 12 points and secured 12 rebounds in the district championship victory over Delone Catholic, which had won three consecutive district titles, and had 18 points and 15-rebounds against Reading High in the BCIAA championship.
Stewart expanded her game after a freshman season in which she averaged 10.5 points per game, didn’t hit a 3-pointer, and shot 32-for-71 from the foul line. She boosted her scoring average by nearly five points, hit six 3’s and shot 84-for-122 from the line (68.9 percent).
She has a polished, traditional low-post offensive and defensive game but her clear improvements as a sophomore came in ballhandling, in her midrange game, and in facilitating her teammates.
Stewart has a scholarship offer from Temple and more are expected as she continues to expand her game.
Player of the Week selections this season:
- Dec. 12: Alexis Hardy, Wyomissing
- Dec. 19: Morgan Snyder, Oley Valley
- Dec. 26: Caraline Herb, Berks Catholic
- Jan. 2: Ashanti Chapman, Reading High
- Jan. 9: Amelia Gassert, Hamburg
- Jan. 16: Juliana Stichter, Schuylkill Valley
- Jan. 23: Laila Jones, Wilson
- Jan. 30: Alexis Hess, Fleetwood
- Feb. 6: Grace Reedy, Exeter
- Feb. 13: Amaya Stewart, Wyomissing
- Feb. 20: Amaya Stewart, Wyomissing
- Feb. 27: Madison Langdon, Berks Catholic
- March 6: Audrey Hurleman, Wyomissing
