RYAN STEWART signs a letter of intent to play basketball for Whitman College after graduating from SPSV.

St. Patrick-St. Vincent High senior Ryan Stewart took an alternate road to the college basketball level.

Stewart, a 6-foot-9 forward/center who earlier this month signed a letter of intent to play for Whitman College, played his freshmen through junior seasons with SPSV before playing his senior season with Prolific Prep Academy – an elite after-school program in Napa for players hoping to play college ball. While current classmates and former Bruins teammates D.J. Harris, Marcus Oducado and Danny Elizalde were leading the Bruins to the Northern California Regional Playoffs, Stewart was relegated to the Bruins Lair sidelines, cheering on his friends and former team.

“I thought hard about it for weeks,” Stewart said of his senior switch. “I’ve been around these dudes for years. Some of them – like D.J. – I’ve been playing with since sixth grade. But I felt going to Prolific Prep would better prepare me for college. It was hard watching them from the sidelines. But watching the game with the students, you get to see how energetic it is and how fun it is to be part of it.”

Prolific Prep gave Stewart the opportunity to literally rub shoulders with some of the best high school players in the country, including several McDonald’s All-Americans.

“It was amazing,” Stewart said. “We’ve traveled all over. I’ve been to Kentucky three times and places like West Virginia and Ohio. We got to play against guys from all over the world and that really helped my game a lot.”

Whitman College, a small Division III liberal arts school in Walla Walla, Wash., took notice of Stewart last October. The Missionaries, who went 20-6 overall and 14-2 in the Northwest Conference last season, saw value in a tall player with good all-around basketball skills.

“They liked my versatility and that I can shoot pretty well,” Stewart said. “I can dribble better than I used to, so I can kinda fit in well in any role. They’re planning on starting me right away, but we have a guy who’s 7-foot, 250 (pounds) so I won’t have to play center.

“Their style is very fast and up tempo, so they rotate in a lot of guys. You’ll get a lot of good playing time there.”

Stewart made a campus visit last November and fell in love immediately. Though he had offers from schools like American University in Washington, D.C. or Lewis & Clark in Oregon, Stewart chose the small-campus vibe and plans on studying economics and sociology at Whitman. He received his official acceptance letter the day before Christmas.

“It was the community itself,” Stewart said of his decision to head north. “Walla Walla reminded me a lot of Napa. The school is around a lot of wineries and has nice weather. And it’s a small school where you get to know everybody and get to know your professors. Everything about the school I just loved. When I was done visiting, I knew I was going there for sure.

“This has been a dream of mine my entire life. It’s a relief knowing where I’m going.”

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