Stephen Curry (basketball)
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| Stephen Curry | |
|---|---|
| College | Davidson College |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| Jersey # | 30 |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Career | 2006 – present |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | March 14, 1988 Charlotte,NC |
| 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 Associated Press Second Team All-American |
|
Stephen Curry (pronounced /ˈstɛfən/) (born March 14, 1988 in Akron, Ohio) is the starting shooting guard for the Wildcats of Davidson College. Curry, who attended Charlotte Christian School, is the son of former NBA sharpshooter and current Charlotte Bobcats Assistant Coach Dell Curry and former Virginia Tech volleyball standout Sonya Curry.[1] He is listed as 6 ft 3 in and 185 lb.[2]
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[edit] High school career
Curry attended Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the school's all-time leading scorer with over 1,400 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 Charlotte Christian School. He finished his senior season by shooting over 48% from three point range. Despite the success Curry had in high school, he went virtually unnoticed from major ACC 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.
[edit] Collegiate career
[edit] 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.
Stephen led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game and was second in the nation for freshmen in scoring, to Texas' Kevin Durant, who ended up being the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Stephen'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. 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 and received a standing ovation when he fouled out.
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, first team All-SoCon, and All-SoCon. He was also named an honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major.
[edit] 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, North Carolina State, and UCLA. Despite Davidson's name not being on the map, all games were played close, but unfortunately for Curry and the Wildcats, very closely lost. Curry shined in each game though, scoring 24 against UNC, 20 against Duke, 29 against NC State, and 15 against UCLA. On February 13, 2008, Curry's 41 point game against the University of North Carolina Greensboro helped Davidson come from a 20-point first half deficit.
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 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, drawing praise from around the nation for his performance. On March 23, 2008, 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 26 minutes of the game, and his team trailed by 17 points at that point. However, Curry scored 25 points in the final 14 minutes to push Davidson to a stunning 74–70 win and even more praise for his performance from around the nation.
On March 28, 2008, Curry led Davidson to another upset against third seeded Wisconsin. With NBA superstar LeBron James in attendance, 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. In this game, Curry also tied the single-season record for most three pointers made in one season set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler University in 1987 with 158. 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.
Curry was named to the Associated Press' All-America Second Team on March 31, 2008.[8] 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 the University of Michigan in 1994[9].
Curry was nominated for the Player of the Year award.[10]
[edit] Junior season
After Davidson's loss, in the NCAA Regional Finals, against Kansas, Curry announced that he would return for his junior year.[11]
[edit] 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 | 35 | 25.9 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | .488 | .448 | .892 | 32.9 | 2.6 |
| Totals: | 69 | 23.7 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 0.3 | .476 | .427 | .871 | 31.8 | 2.7 | |
[edit] References
- ^ 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."
- ^ ESPN - Stephen Curry Stats, News, Photos - Davidson Wildcats
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ ESPN - Sophomore sensation Curry returning to Davidson - Men's College Basketball
