Take yourself back to the late ’80s, to a gym at Mercer Island High School in Washington, and imagine a young hoops star (and freshman football quarterback) for the Islanders named Travis DeCuire, taking a Saturday morning to help coach local elementary school kids in the “Little Dribblers” program.
In walks an elementary school player named Marlon Stewart, the son of the high school football coach with dreams of playing basketball at Mercer Island High, and looking to learn from DeCuire and his teammates.
Stewart immediately caught the eye of DeCuire, who was close to the family from his time with the football program, and proceeded to take him under his wing and coach him up on the fundamentals of basketball.
“He probably remembers me longer than I am even capable of remembering him,” said Stewart, reminiscing of his days in Little Dribblers.
Fast-forward to 2008 when DeCuire was coaching under Mike Montgomery at Cal, and once again he found himself taking Stewart under his wing as a video coordinator fresh out of college at Washington State.
Fast-forward again to 2014 when DeCuire kept the long-time personal and professional relationship going by hiring Stewart as his director of basketball operations (DBO) at Montana.
After two successful seasons at UM, DeCuire has again shown the value he places in long-time relationships, elevating Stewart from DBO to assistant coach.
“He (DeCuire) has been someone I’ve looked up to for a long time,” said Stewart. “The biggest compliment in professional life is more responsibility, so to get this promotion from him is a dream at a place like Montana.”
DeCuire also reached into his past to fill out his staff in May when he added Rachi Wortham, a player and coach he’d known for decades, to the Grizzly staff as an assistant – a staff that is now made up of coaches who he’s known for over eight years each.
“I think it’s important for a head coach to have guys that are members of his staff that he’s had long relationships with because there’s a better understanding of the person outside of the office, what they stand for, what they’re trying to achieve, and how much it means,” says DeCuire.
“I like my guys to be happy and I also like to reward guys for what they’ve done. Marlon has been very, very valuable for years, going back to Cal and other places too, so I think he deserves the promotion.
“What’s been amazing to me is how much he (Stewart) has grown when we’ve been apart. I think that’s the huge piece is that every transition he’s made and everywhere he’s gone, he’s taking the strengths of those programs and putting them in his pocket, moving to the next place and sharing them.
“Now at Montana, we’ve got a combination of every experience he’s had: Mercer Island, Washington State, Cal, Virginia, Montana, all in one big package, and it’s a tremendous strength to add to our program.”
Before joining the staff at Montana, Stewart had successful stints at Virginia, Cal and at Washington State as a student manager where he earned a B.A. in sport management.
With Stewart’s help, his teams have reached the post-season in each of his last 10 seasons, including six NCAA tournaments, three conference championships and two Sweet 16 appearances.
In his two seasons at UM, the Griz have won a regular-season Big Sky championship, and posted an impressive 41-25 record. As DBO, Stewart was responsible for the program’s travel, summer camps, video technology and community service.
He also helped administer UM’s stifling defense on the court, a defense that led the Big Sky in rebounding percentage and produced the league’s second-best three-point field goal defense.
As an assistant, Stewart will continue to administer the Griz on the defensive side of the ball, as well as take a larger role in recruiting, compliance, scouting and video analysis.
For DeCuire, Stewart’s past success added to their long-time relationship will equate into a winning formula that keeps what it means to be a Montana Grizzly close to heart.
“He and I come from a background, basketball-wise, that is very similar in terms of style of play, but the value of the program is the biggest thing to me, and Marlon understands the difference between a program and a team,” adds DeCuire.
“So as kids graduate and new kids come in, your team changes, but the program never does. In order for me to have that stability each year, I have to have staff members that get that, and I think Marlon is a major representative of that.”
For Stewart, being elevated to assistant coach is part of a journey that started in that gym on Mercer Island and is now continuing a winning tradition in Dahlberg Arena.
“I’m just extremely thankful,” he added. “A lot of people try to get this opportunity, so to have it at a place with tradition and a winning history like Montana, and to do it with these guys, I couldn’t be happier.”
http://gogriz.com/news/2016/6/29/mens-basketball-decuire-elevates-stewart-to-assistant-coach.aspx
