Stevenson men’s basketball coach Gary Stewart recently collected the program’s all-time record for wins, and for Stewart, it has been the people around him who have worked to make this achievement possible.

Stewart passed his current boss and athletic director Brett Adams on Nov. 11 with a win against Elizabethtown College to become the all-time winningest coach the basketball program has ever seen. He sits on 140 career wins at Stevenson entering play on Dec. 2.

Instead of Stewart having to tell Adams what was to come, there was an entirely different dynamic at play. Adams gave Stewart a hard time in the weeks leading up to Nov. 11, reminding him the torch would soon be passed.

“He reminded me as we got closer and closer to it,” Stewart said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 15. “He kept a close tally and kept me informed.”

Despite taking over this record and being held in high regard as one of Stevenson’s greats, Stewart has remained modest. He chose not to take an ounce of credit for the team’s overall success during his time at the helm.

“It’s really something that is all encompassing,” said Stewart, who in his 13th season as the head coach of the Mustangs. “It’s not about me.”

In highlighting the people he has had around him, Stewart recognized the commitment and consistency required by those not in the team’s huddle.

From referencing the team’s support staff and trainers to fellow Stevenson coaches like Chris Ramer, Jackie Boswell and Brett Adams, Stewart credited everyone but himself.

Taking it one step further, Stewart emphasized how his record-breaking accomplishment was not the highlight of the night in the game against Elizabethtown. It was the return of sophomore Ronald Ayers.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard led the team in 3-point percentage as a freshman in 2021-22. Ayers was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma near the end of his freshman year and sat out the following season in 2022-23.

After noticing how lethargic and unwell Ayers looked, Stewart asked if the guard was ready to play in the team’s conference tournament matchup against Messiah. Ayers gave the head coach a response back that he will never forget.

“I’m ready if you need me,” the freshman said in response back to Stewart.

The head coach was shocked at the response from Ayers due to his nature of always being “good to go.”

“He would never say that,” Stewart said. “He would go out there with a broken ankle. It was always thumbs up, ‘I’m good.’”

Two weeks later, the team found out that Ayers had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

According to Stewart, the staff at Johns Hopkins, as well as Ayers’ own family, acted as a support group for Ayers in his battle with cancer.

His strong progression in the months leading up to the season allowed for Ayers to return for the Mustangs’ record-setting game against Elizabethtown.

“It was really one of those special times in my coaching career, but not for what you would think,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t about accomplishing that record, it really was seeing Ronald Ayers back on the court again.”

Ayers recorded 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting in his return while also collecting five rebounds and two steals. He is averaging 11.6 points and 2.8 rebounds on the young season.

Now, Stewart is trying to ensure everyone on the team gets an opportunity given the amount of talent on his team. Stevenson has scored 90-points two times in the season’s first five games. Last year, it took the team until its sixth game to score 90 points.

“The challenge I’m having is trying to get 16 talented student-athletes on the floor,” Stewart said. “It’s almost an impossible deal in a 40-minute game, but we are really fortunate to have student-athletes that can help us in meaningful contests throughout our roster.”

As the Mustangs look to continue the streak of high-scoring, entertaining games throughout the year, Stewart is going to continue to trust his support staff and those around him, while having fun.

“It’s just fun to come to practice, fun to coach the group, and I’m excited about it,” Stewart said.

For more from Stewart, listen to the full interview here:

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stevenson Athletic Communications