By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, Communication and New Media


KINGSTON, R.I. - There is a poise that sticks out when sitting down to talk with second-year forward Amaya Stewart. Behind the strong eye contact, thoughtful consideration works its way into every word she speaks.

It's easy to forget she is only heading into her second season of college basketball, as maturity oozes from the 6-1 forward. One of four players who joined head coach Colleen Mullen in the trek from UAlbany to Rhode Island during the offseason, Stewart burst on to the scene with the Great Danes last season, earning Sixth Women of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Third Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team honors in the America East.

The numbers were impressive. Stewart averaged 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, primarily as a reserve. Despite coming off the bench in 27 of the 30 games she played, Stewart averaged 23.7 minutes per game.

"I learned a lot from my teammates, especially the upperclassmen on our team. I can't do anything without my teammates," Stewart said. "I pour a lot into them, and they pour a lot into me. That is what builds trust. That is what gives me the confidence that I need to know that I am going to be okay because the teammates around me are going to encourage me to be better. I am going to push myself even harder because it is not just me out there. It is all five of us and everyone on the bench doing it together."

For Stewart, those are not just words. They represent a mental approach that has been vital in her basketball journey.  

Basketball became a focal point in her middle school years, when her mother began footing the bill for the expenses that come with playing on the AAU circuit. As a sixth grader, Stewart fully respected the sacrifice her mother was making to provide the opportunity. 

"It was not my money, and I did not want to waste my mother's money," Stewart said. "I had to make a decision. Was this going to be something where I dropped the ball, or was this something I was really going to hone in on and let it make an impact on my life? I have met so many incredible people in my life who have helped in the journey, even when I hit a rocky road. I knew for me it was time to turn things up a notch and really put my best foot forward."

One of the most influential people for Stewart along the way was Nish Edwards, her AAU coach with K-Low Elite in Pennsylvania. Edwards, with whom Stewart maintains a close connection with, helped Stewart understand the value of a strong mental approach to the game.

"She asked me, 'How bad do you want it? No matter the circumstances, how hard are you going to work to push to be a better person, a better player, a better everything?'" Stewart said. "She really sparked that mindset that you are not really doing this for yourself. It is about a bigger purpose. She inspired me, and I decided I needed to take this all more seriously.

"At the same time, she taught me to have fun with it. I enjoyed myself more when I enjoyed the practices, when I enjoyed the games. It all made me a better person. She has really helped me in my all-around growth, on and off the court."

To say the mental approach paid off is an understatement. Stewart was a foundational building block at Wyomissing Junior Senior High School, where she led the program to a 2024 District 3 title and a 2023 BCIAA championship. It was a far cry from where the program was when her high school career began.

"In high school, I was one of the better players early on. A lot of my teammates played other sports, where my main focus was basketball. We didn't have a great team to start with," Stewart said. "I didn't want to have the focus on being the best player if it meant the team wasn't good. I wanted to be part of a strong team. If I don't have someone who can handle and pass the ball, if I don't have somebody who can push me to be better, or if I have teammates who don't respond to being pushed to be better, it doesn't work for team success. If I can't grow with the people around me, I know my own game will be stunted. It will stop any personal growth. It has to be for the team first."

Now Stewart finds herself with a new, albeit familiar team. Besides Mullen, associate head coach Megan Methven, assistant coach Catherine Cassidy and director of operations Shea O'Brien were all part of the UAlbany staff last season. Graduate assistant Lilly Phillips was a teammate of Stewart's, as were fellow Rhody transfers Anaïs Levasseur, Martina Borrellas and Delanie Hill.

"Loyalty is a huge thing for me, so when the coaches left and they gave me the opportunity to come with them, that was important," Stewart said. "The people around you make you who you are. You can grow as an individual, and that it on each of us individually.

"Having so many familiar people here, it definitely makes you feel a lot less alone in the process. I know the coaches, I know their program. I know how things will work. The change is just that you are in a new place. The physical place may not be the one you initially chose, but you still have the family that you started with.

"If you surround yourself with people with the same mindset, people who want to push and grind in the same way, it goes a long way toward having success together."