Men's Basketball
Stephen Ward
Jersey Number: 4
Class: Sophomore
Major: Business Administration
Home Town: Michigan City, IN
High School: Michigan City
Position: G
Height/Weight: 5-8 / 150
“Stephen gives us the quickness on and off the ball that helps us so much. He really improved and gained confidence as the season went on last year. I like his ability to break down the defense and can shoot the ball. Stephen should be able to expand his game and his minutes as a sophomore. He adds a lot to our team.” -Coach Lightfoot
As a Freshman (08/09)
Steve appeared in all but one game for the Pilots, averaging 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds for the season while playing 9.9 minutes per contest.
Expected to contribute mostly through his defense and passing, Steve surprised the Pilots with his outstanding ability to shoot the ball. Steve shot 49.2% from the field, including 43.3% from the three-point line (second on the team). He also made 14-of-15 free throws on the season, also good for second on the team at 93.3%.
Steve scored a career-high 9 points in back-to-back games in December, first against Holy Cross on 12/9 and then again against Trinity International on 12/12. His nine points against TIU came on a career-high 3-of-4 three point field goals.
Dishing out 29 assists while only committing 14 turnovers on the season, Steve ranked 6th in the conference and 38th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Steve dished out a career-high seven assists in two games, against Holy Cross on 12/9 and against Goshen on 1/31. In the 91-59 rout of Goshen, Steve also collected a career-high 5 steals.
Steve came on strong at the end of the season, scoring over a quarter of his points on the season in seven postseason games, while shooting 64.3% from the field (9-of-14) and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Steve earned the Jimmy John’s ‘Sub of the Game’ in four home games for the Pilots, against Holy Cross on 12/9, Taylor on 1/17, Spring Arbor on 2/3, and Marian on 2/10.