Stephen Curry
| Stephen Curry | |
|---|---|
| College | Davidson College |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Shooting guard/point guard |
| Jersey # | 30 |
| Class | Junior |
| Career | 2006–present |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Born | March 14, 1988 Charlotte, North Carolina, USA |
| High school | Charlotte Christian School |
| Awards | |
| 2007 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year 2007 Southern Conference Tournament MVP 2007 Southern Conference All-tournament Team 2007 Southern Conference All-freshman team 2007 First Team All-SoCon 2007 All-SoCon Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major honorable mention 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional MOP 2008 Southern Conference Tournament MVP 2008 Southern Conference All-Tournament Team 2008 Southern Conference POY 2008 Southern Conference Male Athlete of the Year 2008 Associated Press Second Team All-American 2008 Sporting News Second Team All-American 2008 Sporting News College Athlete of the Year 2008 Wooden Award All-American 2008 Wooden Award Finalist | |
Wardell Stephen Curry II (Template:PronEng) (born March 14, 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American college basketball player. He is the current starting point guard for the Wildcats of Davidson College. Curry, who attended Charlotte Christian School, is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and former volleyball standout Sonya Curry (now the Principal at the Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman, a private elementary school founded by the Curry family in Huntersville, North Carolina in 1995). He is listed as 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 185 lb (84 kg) and has size 14 feet.[1] Curry is considered a first round prospect in the 2009 NBA Draft, should he decide to leave college a year early.[2]
Biography
High school career
Curry attended Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the school's all-time leading scorer with over 1,700 points.[3]
At Charlotte Christian School, Curry was named all-state, all-conference, and team MVP while he led his team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances. He attended Middle School at Queensway Christian College in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, leading his team to an undefeated season.[2]]. He finished his senior season by shooting over 48% from three-point range. Despite the success Curry had in high school, the then 6-foot, 160-pound senior did not receive any scholarship offers from major-conference schools. Most ACC schools thought Curry couldn't handle the physical nature of ACC basketball, so they passed on him. Since Curry's father played for Virginia Tech and is in their Hall of Fame, Curry wanted to play for the Hokies, but the Hokies only offered him a place as a walk-on player[4] After receiving offers from Davidson College, Virginia Commonwealth, and Winthrop[5], Curry chose Davidson College, a school that had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1969.
Collegiate career
Freshman season
Before Stephen Curry even played a college game, head coach Bob McKillop said at a Davidson Alumni event, "Wait till you see Steph Curry. He is something special."[6] In his second ever collegiate game against the University of Michigan, Curry scored 32 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds.
Curry led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game and was second in the nation among freshmen in scoring, to Texas' Kevin Durant, who ended up being the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Curry's scoring ability helped the Wildcats to a 29-5 overall record and a Southern Conference regular season title.
On March 2, 2007, in the Southern Conference semi-finals, facing Furman University, Curry set the NCAA freshman season record for 3-point field goals with 113, topping the previous season record of 109 set by Keydren Clark of St. Peter's.[7]
Curry eclipsed the school freshman scoring record with his 502nd point against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on February 6, 2007.[8] On March 15, 2007, Davidson marched into the NCAA Tournament as a 13 seed set to play the University of Maryland. Even though Davidson lost 82-70, Curry was the leading scorer with 30 points[9] and received a standing ovation when he fouled out.[citation needed]
Curry ended his freshman season with 730 total points, including 122 3-point field goals.
After the season ended, Curry was selected for the USA team that appeared at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia. Despite playing only 18 minutes per game, Curry averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 45% from the floor.
Curry was selected as Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Tournament MVP, All-tournament team, All-freshman team, and first team All-SoCon. He was also named an honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major.
Sophomore season
Coming off of a stellar freshman season, Curry was eager to impress again. In this season, Davidson would play a tough non-conference schedule including the University of North Carolina, Duke, NC State, and UCLA. Despite being lightly regarded, these games against top-ranked opponents were very close, but unfortunately for Curry and the Wildcats, all losses. Curry shined in each game, though, scoring 24 against UNC[10], 20 against Duke[11], 29 against NC State[12], and 15 against UCLA.[13] On February 13, 2008, Curry's 41 point game against UNC-Greensboro helped Davidson come back from a 20-point first half deficit to win.[14]
Curry once again led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per game and ended up fifth in Division I in scoring, while adding 4.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game. His scoring and leadership abilities led the Wildcats to a 26–6 regular season record, and a 20–0 conference record. As a result, Davidson earned their third straight NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament bid in 2008, as a 10 seed.
On March 21, 2008, Davidson matched up with seventh seeded Gonzaga University. Despite Gonzaga being ahead by as many as 11 points early in the second half of this game, Curry scored 30 points in that half[15] to push Davidson to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969, 82–76. Curry ended up with 40 points, going 8-for-10 from 3-point range.[16] On March 23, Davidson played second seeded Georgetown University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown entered the game as a heavy favorite after an appearance in the Final Four in 2007 and holding a number eight national ranking. Curry was held to only five points in the first half of the game, and his team trailed by 17 points at that point. However, Curry scored 25 points in the second half to push Davidson to a stunning 74–70 win.[15]
On March 28, 2008, Curry led Davidson to another upset against third seeded Wisconsin. With NBA superstar LeBron James in attendance[17], Curry scored 33 points over his defender Michael Flowers, who was considered one of the best in the nation. Davidson easily won 73–56, advancing the school to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1969.[18] In this game, Curry joined Clyde Lovellette of Kansas, Jerry Chambers of Utah and Glenn Robinson of Purdue as the only players to go over 30 in their first four career NCAA tournament games.[18] Curry also tied the single-season record for most three-pointers made in one season set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler University in 1986-87 with 158.[17][19] He set the record in the next game against the Kansas Jayhawks with his 159th three-pointer of the season. Despite Curry's 25 points, Davidson fell to the top-seeded Jayhawks, (which would go on to win the tournament) 59-57 on March 30, 2008.[20]
Curry was named to the Associated Press' All-America Second Team on March 31, 2008.[21] He was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Region of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament, becoming the first player from a team not making the Final Four to do so since Juwan Howard of Michigan in 1994.[22]
Curry was nominated for an ESPY in the Breakthrough Player of the Year category.[23]
Junior season
After Davidson's loss in the NCAA Regional Finals against Kansas, Curry announced that he would return for his junior year.[17] Curry said he wants to develop as a point guard and be able to create his own shot to get ready for the NBA. On November 18, Curry scored a career-high 44 points in Davidson's 82-78 loss to Oklahoma.[24] He extended a career-long streak by scoring at least 25 points for the seventh straight game.[24] On November 21, Curry registered a career-high 13 assists, to go along with 30 points, in Davidson's 97-70 win over Winthrop.[25] He was held to 0 points in a 78-48 win over Loyola on November 25. Loyola double-teamed[26] Curry constantly in a historic game in his career — it was the first ever time he was held scoreless[26] and only his second collegiate game without double digits.[27] Eleven days later, in Davidson's next game, Curry matched his career-high of 44 in a 72-67 win over North Carolina State.[26] Scoring Davidson's final 10 points, he helped his team clinch the game in the last moments with a three-point shot from 30 feet, and two clinching free throws with 4.1 seconds remaining.[26] He also had a team-high 3 steals.[26] On December 20, Curry went cold in the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. Going 5-for-26 field goals, including hitting only 2-of-12 threes, he finished with only 13 points against Purdue and its defense (led by Chris Kramer), resulting in the Wildcats' second loss of the season, a score of 76-58.[28]
On January 3, 2009, Curry surpassed the 2000-point mark for his career as he scored 21 points against Samford. He accomplished this feat in just his 83rd career game.[29]
On January 7, 2009, Curry scored 29 points in a loss to Duke and became the second leading scorer in Davidson's history.
On January 28, 2009, Curry made a 75-foot shot as time expired in the first half of a 92-70 win against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. [30]
On February 14, Curry rolled his ankle in the second half of a win over Furman University. The injury caused Curry to miss the February 18 game against The Citadel. It was the first game Curry missed in his college career. [31]
Curry became Davidson's all time leading scorer on February 28, 2009, surpassing previous record holder John Gerdy. Stephen Curry scored 34 points in a 99-56 win against Georgia Southern, giving Curry 2,488 points for his career.[32]
College statistics
| Season | Team | G | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MIN | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-07 | Davidson Wildcats | 34 | 21.5 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | .463 | .408 | .855 | 30.9 | 2.8 |
| 2007-08 | Davidson Wildcats | 36 | 25.9 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | .483 | .439 | .894 | 33.1 | 2.6 |
| 2008-09 | Davidson Wildcats | 26 | 29 | 4.1 | 5.8 | 2 | 0.4 | .459 | .388 | .872 | 35.5 | 3.5 |
| Totals: | 96 | 24.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 0.3 | .469 | .414 | .868 | 32.6 | 2.9 | |
Personal
Curry appeared in a Burger King commercial with his father, Dell, at a very young age.[33] His younger brother, Seth Curry, is currently a freshman starter for the Liberty University Flames, in the Big South Conference, and was also a graduate and stand out star at Charlotte Christian School. Davidson and Liberty attempted to schedule a game this year to pit the two brothers against one another, but could not agree on a date for the matchup.
References
- ^ ESPN - Stephen Curry Stats, News, Photos - Davidson Wildcats. - ESPN.
- ^ Shanesy, Todd. - "Hot Ticket". - Spartanburg Herald-Journal. - February 12, 2009.
- ^ Davidson College. http://www.davidsonwildcats.com/roster.asp?playerid=46&sport=3 "Stephen Curry, Davidson Athletics, 2008.
- ^ Posnanski, Joe. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/551547.html" Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ^ Rawlings, Lenox. http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_ColumnistArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355054175" Accessed March 29, 2008.
- ^ Garcia, Marlen. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/midwest/2008-03-20-davidson-duo_N.htm "Accessed March 23, 2008.
- ^ And Then There Were Two: Championship Set for Saturday - SoConSports.com—Official Web Site of The Southern Conference
- ^ http://davidsonbasketball.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html
- ^ No. 4 seed Maryland survives against upstart Davidson
- ^ Top-ranked Tar Heels survive scare from Davidson
- ^ No. 7 Duke wins 21st straight over Davidson behind Paulus, Henderson
- ^ N.C. State 66, Davidson 65
- ^ Mbah a Moute's 21 points lead Bruins' rally vs. Davidson
- ^ Davidson 83, UNC-Greensboro 78
- ^ a b No. 10 seed Davidson clinches Sweet 16 berth after upset of Hoyas
- ^ Curry's reliable stroke good for 40 as Davidson advances to second round
- ^ a b c Sophomore sensation Curry returning to Davidson
- ^ a b Curry's sweet touch continues as Davidson eludes Wisconsin
- ^ Curry shrugs off the glory in Davidson's Elite run
- ^ Goliath slays Davidson, Curry as Kansas holds on
- ^ ESPN - For first time in six decades, no seniors on AP All-America team - Men's College Basketball
- ^ Stephen Curry: First Most Outstanding Player From Losing Team Since Juwan Howard - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog
- ^ Davidson College Athletics - Stephen Curry Named Top 30 Candidate for Naismith Trophy
- ^ a b Curry's career-high 44 points not enough as Griffin-led Oklahoma tops Davidson
- ^ Curry, Lovedale have double-doubles as No. 21 Davidson routs Winthrop
- ^ a b c d e With King James looking on, Curry pours in 44 for Davidson
- ^ Curry held scoreless on just three shots, but Davidson still blows out Loyola
- ^ Purdue limits Curry to 13 in romp of Davidson
- ^ Davidson 76, Samford 55
- ^ [1]
- ^ [http://www.charlotteobserver.com/college_hoops/story/546755.html
- ^ Curry sets mark, Davidson routs Ga Southern 99-56
- ^ Wertz Jr., Langston. "Stephen Curry a chip off the old shot: Ex-Hornets star's son now a complete player.", The Charlotte Observer, December 31, 2005. Accessed November 7, 2007. "A funny thing happened to Charlotte Christian guard Stephen Curry over the summer."