By Scott VanSickle
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS — Giving back to the youth has always been at the core of who Dalrecus Stewart is.
Whether leading the Muskegon Heights boys basketball program or working as an administrator in the school system, Stewart has dedicated his life to mentoring and guiding young people in Tiger Nation. Now the longtime coach, who currently serves as dean of students and athletic director, is stepping into a new chapter — one that required a difficult choice.
Stewart was recently offered an opportunity to advance professionally within the district. Before accepting, he wanted to be sure his students would remain in the best possible position for success.
The question that weighed on him most was whether he could give the necessary time to both running the basketball program and taking on a larger administrative role. After weeks of consideration, Stewart decided he could not.
On Nov. 16, he announced he would step down as the Tigers’ head boys basketball coach and named David Fox as his successor. Stewart will continue his duties as dean of students and athletic director while completing requirements to eventually become the high school principal.
“I was presented an opportunity in the district to advance to a higher level in the administration. I had to ask myself, ‘Is it realistic to do both where all options require a great amount of time?’” Stewart said. “Coaching is great and I love that, and I tossed around the idea of adding assistant coaches. You give your everything to develop and coach these kids. I didn’t feel like I was being fair if I can’t give my all.
“I plan to put as much time into growing in my new position, and it comes down to helping kids. It’s about planting seeds and putting them in the right soil so they can grow.”
A decade of winning and rebuilding
Since taking over the program in 2012-13, Stewart has led the Tigers to 152 wins, nine district championships, two conference titles, a regional crown and a trip to the Class C semifinals in 2014. But none of it came easily.
A 1989 Muskegon Heights graduate and standout basketball player who went on to play in college, Stewart credits his pastor, Arthur Duren of Kingdom Embassy Covenant Church, with putting him on the coaching path. Duren helped Stewart land his first job coaching sixth grade at Glendale Elementary. After focusing on college, Stewart returned to coaching in the late ’90s as a girls coach at Muskegon’s old Steele Middle School, again with Duren’s help.
He later coached freshman and JV boys, freshman girls, and eventually returned to Muskegon Heights as JV coach under Tiger alum — and now Muskegon coach — Keith Guy. Stewart’s first varsity opportunity came at Reeths-Puffer from 2008-12. Then, a call from former Heights AD Glen Metcalf changed everything.
In 2012, Muskegon Heights Schools faced an existential crisis. Severe financial issues nearly closed the district before it reorganized as a public school academy. Guy had left for Muskegon, and several players followed. Metcalf persuaded Stewart to return home and help stabilize the program.
“When we started, it was a weird situation,” Stewart said. “We were always known for basketball, but now we’re thinking, ‘Can we hang on to our own school and our identity?’ People called our kids scraps, and our Tiger Pride is not going to go for that.”
The Tigers responded immediately. They went 17-5 in Stewart’s first season and won the first of his nine district titles. A key early-season win over top-ranked Rockford — sealed by clutch free throws from Jeff Jordan — signaled that Heights basketball might be battered but far from broken.
“We had the type of schedule that year for a Class B power, and we had dropped down to Class C,” Stewart said. “Winning that game made people believe. Our school district was on the verge of being completely deleted, and the Academy was a last-ditch effort.”
The Tigers continued their resurgence the following winter, going 20-4 and reaching the Class C semifinals behind Aaron Sydnor, Eddie Tornes and Antonio Jones. Just two years after nearly shuttering the school, Muskegon Heights was back among the state’s elite.
Triumph, heartbreak and healing
But tragedy struck soon after that run. Starting center Marquis Gresham was murdered shortly after the semifinal loss, devastating the school and community.
“These kids are 14 to 17 years old and they’re distraught,” Stewart said. “You just go into parent-mode. You reassure them and give them a hug. At the same time, the adults are dealing with our own emotions. That hit the whole city.”
While professional counselors were made available, and Stewart often had to be much more than a coach.
“To be honest, for any young coach that thinks wins and losses are the apex of coaching, they couldn’t be more wrong,” he said. “You’re a dad, a big brother, an uncle. You become family.”
The Tigers dedicated the next season to Gresham, focusing on celebrating his life rather than the pain of his loss. Stewart recalled players who simply couldn’t take the court some nights.
“I had a kid tell me, ‘Coach, I just can’t do it tonight,’ and I told him, ‘Sit here next to me. I just want you to be OK.’”
Sustaining tradition through adversity
In the years that followed, Heights continued to compete despite challenges. The school lost around 25 percent of its enrollment from 2011 to 2012 and dropped to just 148 students last year. Still, the passion for basketball — rooted in a tradition dating back to the three state championships of the 1950s — never faded.
“The knowledge of our tradition is more in the past, but the passion to play is still there, Stewart said.”
Heights won at least 11 games in five straight seasons, including four consecutive district titles. More success followed after the COVID-era dip, with three more district championships in the last four years. Last season, the Tigers went 12-11 and reached the regional final.
“We always took the best of what we have and tried to max out with it,” Stewart said. “I respect, appreciate and admire what these kids put into the game.”
A new role, the same mission
Although Stewart is stepping away from coaching, he’ll still be a presence at Tiger games — this time as a supporter rather than the one holding the clipboard. He’s offered to assist Fox as needed but emphasized his desire to give the new coach space to lead.
“Right now, I’m still the athletic director and I’ll be a supporter of the program,” Stewart said. “I’ll be a source if he needs me. I trust him completely. I don’t want to be the guy saying, ‘We should be doing this or that.’”
What remains unchanged is Stewart’s commitment to helping Muskegon Heights students succeed — on the court, in the classroom and in life.
LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS — Giving back to the youth has always been at the core of who Dalrecus Stewart is.
Whether leading the Muskegon Heights boys basketball program or working as an administrator in the school system, Stewart has dedicated his life to mentoring and guiding young people in Tiger Nation. Now the longtime coach, who currently serves as dean of students and athletic director, is stepping into a new chapter — one that required a difficult choice.
Stewart was recently offered an opportunity to advance professionally within the district. Before accepting, he wanted to be sure his students would remain in the best possible position for success.
The question that weighed on him most was whether he could give the necessary time to both running the basketball program and taking on a larger administrative role. After weeks of consideration, Stewart decided he could not.
On Nov. 16, he announced he would step down as the Tigers’ head boys basketball coach and named David Fox as his successor. Stewart will continue his duties as dean of students and athletic director while completing requirements to eventually become the high school principal.
“I was presented an opportunity in the district to advance to a higher level in the administration. I had to ask myself, ‘Is it realistic to do both where all options require a great amount of time?’” Stewart said. “Coaching is great and I love that, and I tossed around the idea of adding assistant coaches. You give your everything to develop and coach these kids. I didn’t feel like I was being fair if I can’t give my all.
“I plan to put as much time into growing in my new position, and it comes down to helping kids. It’s about planting seeds and putting them in the right soil so they can grow.”
A decade of winning and rebuilding
Since taking over the program in 2012-13, Stewart has led the Tigers to 152 wins, nine district championships, two conference titles, a regional crown and a trip to the Class C semifinals in 2014. But none of it came easily.
A 1989 Muskegon Heights graduate and standout basketball player who went on to play in college, Stewart credits his pastor, Arthur Duren of Kingdom Embassy Covenant Church, with putting him on the coaching path. Duren helped Stewart land his first job coaching sixth grade at Glendale Elementary. After focusing on college, Stewart returned to coaching in the late ’90s as a girls coach at Muskegon’s old Steele Middle School, again with Duren’s help.
He later coached freshman and JV boys, freshman girls, and eventually returned to Muskegon Heights as JV coach under Tiger alum — and now Muskegon coach — Keith Guy. Stewart’s first varsity opportunity came at Reeths-Puffer from 2008-12. Then, a call from former Heights AD Glen Metcalf changed everything.
In 2012, Muskegon Heights Schools faced an existential crisis. Severe financial issues nearly closed the district before it reorganized as a public school academy. Guy had left for Muskegon, and several players followed. Metcalf persuaded Stewart to return home and help stabilize the program.
“When we started, it was a weird situation,” Stewart said. “We were always known for basketball, but now we’re thinking, ‘Can we hang on to our own school and our identity?’ People called our kids scraps, and our Tiger Pride is not going to go for that.”
The Tigers responded immediately. They went 17-5 in Stewart’s first season and won the first of his nine district titles. A key early-season win over top-ranked Rockford — sealed by clutch free throws from Jeff Jordan — signaled that Heights basketball might be battered but far from broken.
“We had the type of schedule that year for a Class B power, and we had dropped down to Class C,” Stewart said. “Winning that game made people believe. Our school district was on the verge of being completely deleted, and the Academy was a last-ditch effort.”
The Tigers continued their resurgence the following winter, going 20-4 and reaching the Class C semifinals behind Aaron Sydnor, Eddie Tornes and Antonio Jones. Just two years after nearly shuttering the school, Muskegon Heights was back among the state’s elite.
Triumph, heartbreak and healing
But tragedy struck soon after that run. Starting center Marquis Gresham was murdered shortly after the semifinal loss, devastating the school and community.
“These kids are 14 to 17 years old and they’re distraught,” Stewart said. “You just go into parent-mode. You reassure them and give them a hug. At the same time, the adults are dealing with our own emotions. That hit the whole city.”
While professional counselors were made available, and Stewart often had to be much more than a coach.
“To be honest, for any young coach that thinks wins and losses are the apex of coaching, they couldn’t be more wrong,” he said. “You’re a dad, a big brother, an uncle. You become family.”
The Tigers dedicated the next season to Gresham, focusing on celebrating his life rather than the pain of his loss. Stewart recalled players who simply couldn’t take the court some nights.
“I had a kid tell me, ‘Coach, I just can’t do it tonight,’ and I told him, ‘Sit here next to me. I just want you to be OK.’”
Sustaining tradition through adversity
In the years that followed, Heights continued to compete despite challenges. The school lost around 25 percent of its enrollment from 2011 to 2012 and dropped to just 148 students last year. Still, the passion for basketball — rooted in a tradition dating back to the three state championships of the 1950s — never faded.
“The knowledge of our tradition is more in the past, but the passion to play is still there, Stewart said.”
Heights won at least 11 games in five straight seasons, including four consecutive district titles. More success followed after the COVID-era dip, with three more district championships in the last four years. Last season, the Tigers went 12-11 and reached the regional final.
“We always took the best of what we have and tried to max out with it,” Stewart said. “I respect, appreciate and admire what these kids put into the game.”
A new role, the same mission
Although Stewart is stepping away from coaching, he’ll still be a presence at Tiger games — this time as a supporter rather than the one holding the clipboard. He’s offered to assist Fox as needed but emphasized his desire to give the new coach space to lead.
“Right now, I’m still the athletic director and I’ll be a supporter of the program,” Stewart said. “I’ll be a source if he needs me. I trust him completely. I don’t want to be the guy saying, ‘We should be doing this or that.’”
What remains unchanged is Stewart’s commitment to helping Muskegon Heights students succeed — on the court, in the classroom and in life.
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