After BYU basketball player Trey Stewart returned from a pandemic-altered church mission in Leeds, England, and Kennewick, Washington, teammates, coaches and mentors would often tell him to take advantage of every minute of his time in Provo, because time flies.

The then-freshman from American Fork often found himself questioning that unsolicited advice, because “days went by really slowly” his first year at BYU, and not much was happening for him on the basketball court, either.

“I was on scholarship but I only played like 27 minutes total my freshman year,” said the 6-foot-2 guard. “I did a lot of watching and observing most of the time.”

He played quite a bit more his sophomore season (2022-23) under coach Mark Pope, appearing in 27 games and averaging 10.2 minutes and 1.5 points per game. His playing time decreased his junior year (9.3 minutes per game), and because he did show flashes of brilliance when he did play, especially on the defensive end, there were some who wondered if Stewart was in the coach’s doghouse

There were also some who saw his athletic ability and defensive prowess, and wondered why Stewart didn’t hit the transfer portal. That list of people didn’t include the player himself.

“I am a stubborn individual. I want to overcome stuff. I want to go through hard things.”

—  BYU guard Trey Stewart

This season, with first-year coach Kevin Young at the helm, Stewart’s patience has paid off. He’s emerged as a valued contributor on a team that is ranked No. 23 in the country and headed to the NCAA Tournament, perhaps as a No. 7 seed.

And time really has flown by, the senior told the Deseret News Thursday as he reflected on his roller-coaster career at BYU.