Duke's DJ Steward: We're the Hunted, We Have to Also Be Hunting

Freshman guard met with media on first day of practice

Duke freshman DJ Steward met with the media as Duke opened practice for the 2020-21 season. He and the rest of the freshman class are getting acclimated, even if the college experience is different from other years.

“Duke has been great so far,” he said. “I’ve really been enjoying everything, getting to know the team, the coaching staff, just getting to go around campus just a little bit. The little commute we get to make from the Wash Duke (Inn, where the team is staying) has been great. Everything’s great so far. I’m really just settled in now, getting used to living in the Washington Duke and having great time with my teammates.”

Duke is preparing for the possibility of playing in front of small crowds or empty arenas, due to the pandemic. The players realize they have to create their own energy on the court.

“Communication is something that’s really big for us,” he said. “So we always go out there with a lot of energy. Coach Will (Stephens), our great strength coach, is bringing energy every single day. It starts with him and comes to us as well. That’s our motto: bring energy every day out there, and play for fun.”

Steward joins Matt Hurt and Joey Baker as outside threats for the team. He discussed the possibility of all three of them playing at once.

“That would be very lethal,” he said. “Three shooters on the court. That would also open up driving lanes for the other great players on our team to go and attack in the paint. The helps side won’t be there to help off of us. That would be great for us to have three shooters on the court or even two.”

Expectations are high for Duke, as always.

“We always say the competition level rises,” Steward said. “When we start practice, the competition level is going to rise. Every game is going to be hard. We’re the hunted. We have to also be hunting at the same time, because we always have that x on our back. We have to always go out there and work hard and try to be the hunters.”