(La Porte County, IN) - Another former basketball player at La Lumiere School has made the NBA. Isaiah Stewart was drafted in the first round last week by the Detroit Pistons. The 6’ 9” Stewart was the 16th overall pick after opting for the draft following one season at the University of Washington where he averaged more than 17-points and eight rounds a game.
Patrick Holmes, the head basketball coach at the private school in northern LaPorte County, said he saw big time potential in Stewart who played his last two seasons in high school at La Lumiere. Stewart transferred from Rochester, New York.
“We knew after his senior year here that Isaiah had a chance to be one of these guys who goes to college for a year and then puts his name in the NBA draft. We’re not surprised at all,” he said. Holmes said Stewart used his 250 pound frame well as a center for the Lakers and power forward for the Huskies. He said Stewart being a fierce competitor should serve him well in the professional ranks. “He’s got a body that’s ready to compete and play in the NBA. His biggest strength is his work ethic, wanting to be great and not backing down from competition ever,” Holmes said.
Stewart was on the La Lumiere squad that finished 2nd out of eight teams in the Geico Nationals in 2019. La Lumiere won the national tournament in 2017. That team was led by Jaren Jackson, Jr., who’s now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA after one season at Michigan State University
