Tiffara Steward stood in line at Splish Splash, a water park in Calverton, N.Y.

It was the summer after she graduated from Sewanhaka High School in Elmont, N.Y., and with college right around the corner, the Long Island native was ready to head upstate to study business at Syracuse.

Her cell phone rang and an unfamiliar number appeared. She asked her mother if she recognized it, and after she said no, Steward picked up a call that would change her life.

‘It was the basketball coach at SUNY Farmingdale, and when I heard that, I got off line right away and had a whole conversation,’ Steward said.

With this phone call came an opportunity that Steward never thought she would get. Though she was an all-division and all-conference basketball player in high school, she was not recruited. With one look at her, it is clear why.

Steward stands at 4 feet 6 inches and is believed to be the shortest player in college basketball. She weighs 90 pounds, wears a size 1 in kid sneakers, is often asked if she needs a booster seat and a children’s menu at restaurants, and could not go on several of the rides at Splish Splash because she did not meet the height requirement.

As if her size was not enough of a challenge, Steward was born three months premature, is blind in her right eye, has more than 50 percent hearing loss in both ears, battles scoliosis and underwent six surgeries by the time she was 3 years old.

Yet, throughout her life, Steward’s mother and father, who stand at 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 3 inches, respectively, never allowed the word ‘can’t’ to be a part of her vocabulary. So when Farmingdale head coach Chris Mooney called, Steward knew right away where she was going to go.

‘I was very surprised and I had visited Syracuse and liked the business program, but once basketball was an option, I said, ‘Yeah, I am definitely going to Farmingdale,” Steward said.

Four years later, Steward is the captain of the 15-0 Rams. She has started for two years and this season averages 5.3 points, 2.5 steals and 1.2 assists per game. But more than her numbers, Steward has shown people everywhere that anything is possible with hard work.

Last season, Steward was the recipient of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Wilma Rudolph Courage Award and the V Foundation Comeback Award. She still marvels at all that has happened to her.

‘Now, it is just like, wow, look at all basketball has brought to me,’ Steward said. ‘I never expected any of this to happen, and I just think it is great that I can show everybody that if you work hard enough, nothing can really stop you.’

Steward was not the only one who didn’t see this coming. When she arrived on campus four years ago, her teammates were a bit surprised.

‘When I first saw her, I was like ‘Wow, is she really playing basketball?” said Kimberly Blakney, a senior and the Rams’ leading scorer with 26.8 points per contest. ‘I saw her walking around campus and she looked like my little niece and it was so shocking.’

It turns out, though, Blakney and the rest of the Rams didn’t know the half. While they could clearly see Steward was short, they didn’t know about her hearing loss or the fact that she was blind in her right eye until late last season.

While the rest of the team complained about a sprained ankle or a minor injury, Steward never opened her mouth but instead enjoyed the game she grew up playing with her older siblings.

Though the team is certainly used to Steward now, that doesn’t stop them from having fun with her ‘shortcomings.’

‘One time I sprained my ankle and coach said the trainer would wrap it with one piece of Scotch tape,’ said Steward, whose favorite NBA players are Nate Robinson and Muggsy Bogues, who are listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 5 feet 3 inches, respectively. ‘If I get a rebound in practice, coach always tells us that we cannot let a 2-foot person get the board over you.’

With her storybook career coming to an end, the business management major and sport management minor has trouble pinpointing her favorite memory.

It’s no surprise, considering she’s made appearances on CBS Sports, CNN and was the ABC News Person of the Week. But what sticks out most is what has happened on the hardwood and how that has the power to influence other people.

‘Every single game has been a highlight. It was really a blessing that I wasn’t overlooked,’ Steward said. ‘I love being on the court playing together and trying to win. I hope I influence people with disabilities to strive for what they want to do and not let anything hold them back.’

Stern’s games of the week

1 Texas at Connecticut, 4 p.m., CBS, Saturday

Coming off its first loss of the season, Texas is looking to get back on track. That shouldn’t be too hard, as the Huskies have struggled all season with a lack of depth, dropping three of the last four and losing their coach for a period of time due to undisclosed medical reasons.

Texas 85, Connecticut 70

21 Ohio State at 11 West Virginia, 2 p.m., CBS, Saturday

West Virginia has dropped three of their last five after a red-hot 11-0 start. Although Evan Turner and the Buckeyes are playing well after an impressive come-from-behind win at Purdue sparked a three-game win streak, the Mountaineers will be fired up to get back on track.

West Virginia 77, Ohio State 69

7 Duke at 17 Clemson, 9 p.m., ESPN, Saturday

After impressive wins against North Carolina and at North Carolina St., Clemson dropped a tough game at Georgia Tech. The Tigers have a tough full-court press and quite an advantage inside of Littlejohn Coliseum, as they will need both to get another court-storming.

Clemson 71, Duke 68

Cincinnati at Louisville, 12 p.m., Sunday

The Bearcats are coming off an eight-point win against South Florida, and while they are a much-improved squad, they dropped two of their last three games by a combined nine points. Meanwhile, Louisville is coming off two tough losses to Villanova and Pittsburgh.

Louisville 70, Cincinnati 66

12 Georgetown at 5 Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPN, Monday

Syracuse sits above Georgetown in the Big East standings, as the Orange is 5-1 and the Hoyas are 4-2 in conference play, respectively. The longtime rivalry will be renewed as the Orange looks to continue its winning ways after winning its last five games.

Syracuse 82, Georgetown 76

restern@syr.edu