Jan. 16, 2003

Boca Raton, FL- - Ask Florida Atlantic University's defensive stopper, Antoine Stevens, for tips on defense, and his eyes will light up and he can talk forever. "Stay low and try to keep your guy from going to the middle. You stay low so you can cover more ground and move quicker," says Stevens. "The really hard part is keeping your hands up."

Stevens is entering his final year as part of the FAU basketball team, and many would point him out as a perfect role player. He leads the team in steals with 24 and is second in assists with 36 which also gives him the second best assist to turnover ratio at 1.13. Just don't tell Stevens that because, in his eyes, he has the perfect role on this year's team.

Stevens was born and raised in nearby Hollywood, Florida. He is a modest young man who enjoys playing video games and deep-sea fishing when away from basketball. Stevens possibly learned some of the patience and concentration he shows on defense from his early fishing trips. While in grade school, he often accompanied his best friend and his friend's father on their fishing boat. On the ocean he would sit for hours waiting for that one special moment when the fish took the bait. "Most kids thought I was crazy because you have to have real patience to fish" Stevens says. "Kids would rather run around the boat because there are days you go out there and catch nothing." Yet he fell in love with the challenge of the sport.

The day he caught his first fish, he felt like giving in, the pole was heavy and the fish was strong. The fight seemed to go on for hours. He wanted to hand the pole to his friend's dad but he insisted Stevens was going to lose or catch that fish by himself. "I was little, and it hurt my arms and wrist. I felt like crying," Stevens said. Nevertheless, he fought through the pain, brought in the fish, and maybe that is when he began to realize the benefit of hard work.

Working hard is nothing new to Stevens. If a basketball player is going to excel on defense, he has to want to work hard, and have the desire not to get beat. Stevens claims that he has loved to play defense ever since he was a kid. No matter what sport he was playing, defense seemed to motivate him. "I don't want anyone to score on me ever," he says, "If you score one point and your opponent doesn't score any, you win." Head coach Sidney Green says Stevens brings a toughness that has been contagious ever since his first day on the team.

Stevens realizes playing defense is exactly what he is expected to do when he enters the game for FAU. "I lock my man down and don't even let him touch the ball," he says. "I really enjoy playing defense. I know it is unusual but I do." Green agrees Stevens' desire to shut opponents down is a rare, yet welcomed, trait. "Not too many kids enjoy defense like Antoine," Green says with delight. To Green, and the team, it is the little things that Stevens does that make him so special on the basketball court. "Antoine has the willingness to do all the small things that don't show up in the stats," says Green.

Its true, Stevens never searches for the spotlight and is always willing to put the team in front of his individual achievements. Despite having more than enough ability, he rarely dunks even when he gets the opportunity. In addition, he attempts only 3.4 fieldgoals per game despite shooting 47 percent (24-51) from the floor and averaging nearly 25 minutes. To see where Stevens' modest demeanor and athletic ability comes from, you would have to look no further than his family. His dad played for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and he confesses he didn't even know for a while because his father never mentioned it. "I don't even know what years he played," says Stevens.

His dad isn't the only athlete in the family. Stevens is also a cousin to the NBA's Scottie Pippen, an All-Star forward for the Portland Trailblazers. "He is one of the reasons I really love to play defense," says Stevens. After watching Pippen defend Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals, Stevens began to emulate his older cousin on defense. "Scottie put it on him and really motivated me," he admits. "Scottie gives me little tips. We never really play each other, but he taught me things like the importance of taking care of your body."

That tip is a key to Stevens' success because at only 6-1 there are many occasions when he finds himself up against much larger opponents. Stevens often finds himself guarding post players, sometimes giving up as much as six inches. Plus, in most games, he will be asked to defend the opposition's top scorer. Stevens loves this challenge. "I love the contact," he says. "Taller guys think they will move me out of the way, but they have another thing coming." Coach Green knows it's the intangibles that allow Stevens to do this. "Antoine brings toughness and a 'refuse to loose' attitude that is very contagious. He has an unbelievable work ethic," says Green.

The most important attribute to have while playing defense, Stevens says, is heart. "You have to have heart, and you have to want to defend your own basket, he says." Stevens obviously has enough heart because he was named defensive player-of-the-year at both his junior college (Daytona Beach Community College) and high school (Hallandale High School). Now he is considered one of the top defenders in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Stevens is on course to graduate in the spring with his degree in Social Science. He is engaged to be married to Oshaun Uter once she graduates the following December. The two met last January, through a mutual friend while she was a dancer for FAU.

Stevens has one more goal to accomplish before leaving FAU. He wants to not only make it back to the NCAA Tournament, but he wants to advance this year. "Just getting there is not enough anymore," he says. If FAU does make a return trip to the tournament Stevens may not be included in the headlines, but you can bet he played a major "role" in making it happen.