Stevie Mitchell: ‘I learned to enjoy the journey’
College is all about learning, and Stevie Mitchell did plenty of that in his first season at Marquette. He even learned something about himself.
His freshman year was full of firsts, of challenges, of highs and lows. Playing at a higher level, in a new program and under a new coach . . . it was demanding, to say the least. He didn’t see the playing time or have the success he grew accustomed to at Wilson.
Despite that, he discovered something important.
“I feel I learned how much I really do enjoy it,” he said of basketball, “because even when it was hard I still enjoyed playing and kept having fun. I feel I learned to enjoy the journey.”
That kind of understanding can take years to discover; sometimes it never comes.
Mitchell pretty much had his way at Wilson, where he was a two-time Berks Player of the Year, Gatorade’s Pennsylvania Player of the Year in 2021 and finished with 2,060 points, fourth-most in county history.
As a junior he led the Bulldogs to a 28-1 record, a No. 2 ranking in the state and the program’s first District 3 championship. Before his senior season he led Philly Pride to a national AAU championship and was named tournament MVP.
He played at a high level, and against top teams — he and the Bulldogs were the only team to beat eventual PIAA Class 6A champ Reading High in 2020-21. They did it twice, in fact. A year earlier they were the only team to beat top-ranked Methacton — on the Warriors home court, no less.
Playing in the Big East, with and against guys several years older, some already with four years of college experience, was far more demanding.
“It’s very challenging physically,” Mitchell said, “going against a guy who’s in his fifth year of college who’s older, stronger.”
Mentally, it was even more challenging. The season lasts five months, but really college basketball is a 12-month process, with constant training and workouts throughout the summer and fall leading up to the games. The word grind applies.
“Things don’t always go perfectly,” Mitchell said. “Just being able to stay focused when things aren’t going your way was definitely a mental challenge. My coaches helped guide me through it and stay focused and happy.”
Stevie Mitchell has excelled off the court at Marquette
It started well — Mitchell had 14 points, four assists and four rebounds in the Golden Eagles’ season opener. It ended well, too. One of his best games came late in the season, at DePaul, when he hit 5-of-7 shots, including a pair of 3’s, and scored 12 points.
In between it wasn’t so easy. His minutes diminished later in the season. Overall, he averaged 10.8 minutes, ninth-most on the team, and 2.8 points. His shooting percentage (47.2) was third-highest on the team; he made 35.0 percent of his 3-pointers, fourth-best. He was sixth in assists and seventh in steals. He was one of just seven players who played in all 32 games.
The lack of playing time was a new experience. He didn’t start as a freshman at Wilson but he got plenty of minutes that season and ended up leading the team in scoring. Minutes were much tougher to come by at Marquette.
“That was one of the mental challenges,” Mitchell said. “Learning how to stay ready and be ready to go in and play hard and give energy whenever Coach told me to go in. There were times when (I thought): ‘Man, this is really difficult; it’s not the same as it was in high school.’
“It was a lot of ups and downs, but at the end of the day I really enjoyed being with all my teammates. It was just a good time. It was fun.”
Marquette finished 19-13 overall, with a pair of Big East wins over eventual national semifinalist Villanova. Those were the highlights of season. The end of Shaka Smart’s first season didn’t go as well: The Golden Eagles were upset in the league quarterfinals by Creighton, then were drummed out of the NCAA Tournament 95-63 by eventual finalist North Carolina.
“It was really cool getting to see it all,” Mitchell said of the Tournament. “Obviously, it didn’t go how we wanted it to go but there were still a lot of lessons we learned from it, a lot of things we can take for next year.”
Mitchell is looking ahead to next season, though it’s hard to say exactly what his role will be. He’s working at getting stronger — he’s 6-2 and 189 pounds, nearly 20 more than when he was at Wilson — which should help him on the defensive end.
At least three players, maybe more, from Smart’s rotation are expected to leave, including No. 2 scorer Darryl Morsell and top scorer Justin Lewis, a redshirt freshman who has declared for the NBA draft.
Smart totally reworked the roster in his first season — only three players returned — and he’s been busy adding pieces since the season ended a month ago.
Some may have thought that because of his lack of playing time Mitchell would consider entering the NCAA transfer portal to find a new home. He scoffed at such a suggestion, confirming his commitment to the program.
“No, not at all,” he said about thoughts of leaving. “I like it a lot here.”
Mitchell said he’ll spend the offseason in the weight room, trying to add more strength, and in the gym, working on his shot from beyond the arc. Because of the shot clock the 3-point shot is critical in the college game.
“Some possessions, a 3’s going to be the best shot you’re going to get,” he said. “So, if you’re open, you’ve got to be ready to take that. That’s something I work on a lot. I’m not where I can be in terms of strength; (I’m) still kind of figuring it all out. I’m just gonna plan on continuing to get better and let (the playing time) figure out itself.”