By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – There is something to be said for staying the course and Iowa senior forward Hannah Stewart had plenty to say about it on Wednesday.

Stewart told members of the media that she had considered transferring from Iowa early in her career because she wasn’t playing very much.

She used to call her parents back home in Minot, N.D., for advice, and to vent, and they would always encourage her to stay the course and finish what she started.

“That’s where my ego got checked and it wasn’t the coaches or anything,” Stewart said. “It was just my own ego thinking I was going to get on the court right away. (Transferring) is always something you think about and talk about, but even my parents were like this is a university that you committed to. Give it a chance and you’re going to get a fair shot, and I did and I grew as a person and as a player in the process.”

Stewart has come a long way as a player, and as a person, since having those depressing conversations on the phone with her parents.

Stewart is one of three senior starters for an Iowa team that is preparing to face North Carolina State in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday in Greensboro, N.C.

She has started all 34 games this season at power forward after having not started a single game during her first three seasons in the program.

And though much of what she does gets overshadowed by Megan Gustafson’s dominance, the 6-foot-2 Stewart still plays a key role for the Hawkeyes on and off the court.

In addition to averaging 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, Stewart also excels as a leader, as a friend and as a mentor to her teammates.

“I don’t know where we’d be without Hannah,” said senior point guard Tania Davis. “She provides such a huge post presence for us. If teams double Megan, you’re leaving Hannah wide open at the high post or on the block where she is excellent in both areas.

“And not (just) on the court, off the court and the kind of personality that she has and how much fun she is, this team would definitely not be the same at all just with the leadership that she provides.”

Stewart said she often thinks about where her life would be if she had transferred from Iowa and that makes her appreciate what she has now even more.

“Yeah, all the time and it’s a very scary thought,” Stewart said. “I’m just so glad I’m here, honestly. I think it’s one of the best universities in the world. I’ve just had great experiences on and off the court, whether in basketball, in school or that kind of thing.  I’ve just been able to have so many opportunities to grow in different ways.

“So yeah, looking back, I think God was on my side a little bit in that decision in keeping me here and just surrounding me with the great community off the court because that is something that kept me here as well because Iowa was just too good to leave.”

Stewart knows that her decision to stay the course will benefit her later when she faces more setbacks, obstacles and challenges.

She now uses her experience to inspire her younger teammates.

“It has taught me mostly about life in that if things don’t go your way right away that doesn’t mean you have to quit, not to knock anyone that’s transferred,” Stewart said. There’s different situations for everyone and different circumstances.

“But it was tough not playing. But just like I try and tell our freshmen or girls on the team who aren’t playing that much right now, just stay the course and use this as motivation to get better and as a goal to get on the court eventually like I did.”

Stewart only appeared in 12 games as a true freshman and scored just five points for the entire season.

That’s when she started questioning her decision to be Hawkeye.

She didn’t start any games as a sophomore or junior, but her role increased with each season.

Stewart’s chance to finally start came when forward Chase Coley graduated after last season.

“Keep the faith and keep working hard and you’re time is going to come, and it has, and I’m so, so thankful that I stayed,” Stewart said. “It’s all paid off. But there was that mindset, did I really make the right decision in coming here when you don’t play right away.

“But I didn’t want to give up, and perseverance and my team and my coaches is really what kept me here."

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder spoke glowingly on Wednesday about the culture within her program right now and she praised her players for being invested in each other.

Iowa had a recent stretch where it failed to make the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons when Stewart was a freshman and sophomore, and several players also transferred out of the program.

Bluder was asked on Wednesday how the program has gone from that point to where it is now as a top-10 team.

“Sometimes, people leave because they don’t like their playing time,” Bluder said. “There are a variety of reasons why some people leave. But certainly, I think what’s elevated us to this level, is not only the skill that we have on this team, the talent that we have on this team, but it’s a culture, too. I think that we have a really good culture.

“We have kids that are positive, kids that want to work hard, kids that believe in each other and that want to be really good teammates. Kids that invest in each other. It takes work to be a good teammate. It just doesn’t happen. You can’t just ignore your teammates when you leave the court. You’ve got to invest time in them and spend time with each other.”

Stewart deserves part of the credit for building that culture as one of the three seniors on the team because seniors help to set the tone for everything.

Bluder has praised Stewart throughout the season for being patient and for staying the course at a time when many student-athletes bail at the first sign of trouble.

Stewart could be jealous of Gustafson’s stardom, but instead she embraces it because Stewart knows that Gustafson truly is special as a player, and as a friend, and because Stewart is unselfish and just wants to win more than anything else.

It also helps that Gustafson and Bluder both go out of their way to praise Iowa’s supporting cast.

“Without those supporting casts, Megan, as good as she is, we wouldn’t be in this position without them,” Bluder said. “There’s absolutely no way.”

Four of Iowa’s five starters average at least 10 points per game, the exception being junior guard Makenzie Meyer, who isn’t that far off at 9.4 points per game.

“I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful is, because even though we have Megan, we have a supporting cast for her, too,” Stewart aid. “Teams will try to double and triple-team her, but you can’t really take people guarding off our other weapons. We’ve been really able to capitalize on those moments when they do. That’s why we are the way we are. Megan knows that she has that kind of team around her.”

Stewart spoke highly of Iowa Associate Head Coach Jan Jensen, who works with the post players. Stewart and Gustafson are the latest in a long line of frontline players who have excelled under Jensen.

Success didn’t come right away for Stewart, but she stayed with it and trusted that Jensen would help her reach her potential.

“I think she’s taught me more about life, too,” Stewart said of Jensen. “She’s just an amazing person. One of the most positive people that you’ll ever meet.”

Stewart’s career as a Hawkeye is almost over, but she is too wrapped up in trying to survive and advance in the NCAA Tournament to get nostalgic.

At some point, she will look back and reflect on a career that would’ve been much different if she had transferred from Iowa.

“I don’t like thinking where I’d be (if I had transferred) because it’s scary,” Stewart said.