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Subject: STICKY: Got a question about Davidson's Stephen Curry? Read this first
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Posted By: Will Stewart on Fri Jul 25 2008 5:34:56 PM
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Message:
In response to frequent questions about Davidson basketball player Stephen
Curry, and WHY DIDN'T VIRGINIA TECH RECRUIT HIM, and WHAT WAS SETH GREENBERG
THINKING, here are is some information covering the subject, including a comment
by former VT assistant Brad Greenberg, plus three message board posts. I think this should answer
all your questions. -- Will Stewart
From Brad Greenberg
Brad was a former VT assistant under Seth and now is the head coach at
Radford University. In his 3/24/06 edition of the B-Rad Newsletter, which is
Brad's email newsletter about Radford University basketball, Brad noted:
And it allows me the opportunity to reveal the real story about Virginia
Tech’s recruitment of Davidson star Stephen Curry. Tech was out of
scholarships after getting early commitments from Nigel Munson and a player by
the name of Tyrone Appleton. An offer was extended to Curry to walk on for
a year and then receive a scholarship. Ironically, had he agreed to do
that he would have had a scholarship for all 4 years, as Appleton did not
qualify academically. Whatever happened to Appleton? He recently
committed to Kansas for next year (2008-09) after starring the last two seasons
at Midland TX JC.
Now, for some message board posts on the topic:
| Subject: Should I make this
a sticky post? (link) |
| Posted by: Will Stewart on Thu
Feb 14 2008 8:59:34 AM |
| Message:
From the linked article:
Curry had grown up dreaming of going to Virginia Tech because he had
watched so much tape of his father playing for the Hokies. Curry said
Tech wanted him to walk on and redshirt his first season, with the
possibility that he would receive a scholarship his second season.
Curry considered the scenario too big a risk.
Some college coaches and recruiting analysts understood Tech's
decision because Curry was a work in progress. To understand Curry's
evolution, consider the perspective of national recruiting analyst
Dave Telep, who saw Curry as a freshman in high school. Telep's first
thought: "Boy, that's not his dad."
Curry stood 5 feet 4, weighed 120 pounds, released his jump shot from
his waist and didn't "resemble a Division I player any more than you
or I did," Telep said. "If you didn't know him as a
freshman, you
wouldn't have been able to appreciate where he came from. He needed
more time to cook. When you're a top ACC coach getting $1.5 million,
it's easier to take a known commodity rather than take someone you
have to wait on. We live in an instant gratification world."
Freshman
Shooting Sensation At Davidson Is a Son of a Gun, Washington Post
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| Subject: Stats against ACC
opponents this year... |
| Posted by: Chris Coleman on
Tue Feb 19 2008 9:29:02 PM |
| Message:
Against UNC, he was 8-of-22 from the field, 2-of-12 from 3-pt. range,
6-of-6 from the line for 24 points.
Against Duke, he was 8-of-17 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-pt. range,
no free throws, 20 points. But, he had 8 of Davidson's 14 turnovers.
He went off on NC State, 29 points, 7-of-15 from 3-pt. range.
Against UCLA, 15 points, 6-of-19 from the field, 3-of-10 from 3-pt.
range, no free throws.
He obviously shoots a lot, which he should because he's their best
shooter and player. Against UCLA and UNC, he wasn't as effective
shooting the ball. Against Duke, he struggled with turnovers against
their pressure defense.
I think the turnovers against Duke is probably the main reason he
didn't get any ACC offers. He's was about 6-1, 150 during the
recruiting stage. Strong, physical guards of the ACC would make life
difficult for him night in and night out when it comes to turnovers.
And obviously he's not strong enough to get to the line consistently
yet against those type of teams. Only 8 attempted free throws against
the four teams listed above.
The size and strength thing was the main reason nobody recruited him.
And not just ACC schools either. It's not like he was overflowing
with mid-major offers. I think just VCU. So he had to go low-major.
Not saying it's right or wrong, but there were major issues during the
time of his recruitment that led to every single major coach in the
country deciding not to offer him. Hindsight is 20/20. I'm sure if
VT had known Munson was going to flake out, they would have offered.
But they wanted (and needed) a true point guard that would not turn
the ball over against ACC competition. That was Munson. Curry isn't
a true point. They needed a true point with some experience to take
over with Zabe and Jamon left.
Obviously Munson flaked out on them, and that's unfortunate.
Don't get me wrong though, I like Stephen quite a bit. Heck of a player.
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| Subject: Re:
"Little" Curry Update |
| Posted by: Rev.Zeke Vodka
on Mon Jul 2 2007 10:11:23 AM |
| Message:
I think anytime that you recruit a son of a former prominent alumni who
had great success in your program, it presents a very, very difficult
challenge for the coaching staff....You would ideally like that player
being recruited to really be a no-brainer. Either way. Be simply good
enough that it is an easy call to offer a scholarship OR simply not be
good enough that it is clear that the player isn't good enough to play at
Virginia Tech's level...What you least want to see is a player that is in
that area where it is very difficult to make a call and isn't clear either
way....I think Stephen fell in that category of being a tough call.....
I would disagree with offering a player simply because one is a son of a
former prominent player...He should merit a scholarship solely based
on his ability and talent level and nothing else should really factor
in...Of
course that's not always easy.....
I will say it again here where Stephen is concerned that I was in the
camp of not being sure at the time that Stephen was ideally ready to
play at the ACC level....I had issues with his body frame and size at the
time he was being recruited. He was 6-1 and weighed about 140-150
pounds and I just had some problems seeing him at the ACC
level, especially with that body and defending.....
Don't mistake the fact that Stephen had some excellent success as a
freshman at Davidson to mean he would have had the same success
last year at Virginia Tech, or any other ACC program for that
matter.....First of all, with Jamon and Zabian, would Stephen have
gotten the huge amount of minutes here that he received at
Davidson? No, not even close...Would Stephen have been able to have
the free rein that he had offensively here or at any ACC program as a
freshman that he had at Davidson? Very unlikely...Stephen was the
face of the Davidson program and the focal point offensively of that team
as a freshman. He would not have been that at VT or another ACC
program....Stephen had carte blanche at Davidson and its also
extremely unlikely he would have received the same freedom at an ACC
program or here.....Also, its doubtful that Stephen finds very many 6-5,6-
6 very athletic guards in the Southern Conference like he would have
faced defensively in the ACC with the likes of a DJ Strawberry, Gavin
Grant, Wayne Ellington, Courtney Fells, Marcus Ginyard, etc...And a 6-1
guard last year playing off the ball can get away with that in the
Southern Conference, but it is a much bigger challenge trying to defend
players much taller and much more athletic in the ACC, especially
when you are around 160 pounds or so....
These are all issues that Stephen would have faced that he didn't face
at Davidson....I think Stephen achieved something that far, far too many
kids coming out of high school aren't able to achieve and that is he
selected correctly and wisely. He picked a school that was the proper fit
for himself. He picked a college where he was able to step in right away
and play. He picked a college close to home. He picked a college that
allowed him to showcase his offensive abilities. He picked a college that
allowed him total freedom offensively. And, he picked a college where he
wouldn't be overmatched (at least initially) physically during his
freshman year and wouldn't have to handle a steady diet of defending
much taller, more athletic and stronger players........Guards in the
Southern Conference aren't as big as the ACC and are more along the
lines of Curry. He can more easily play in a backcourt as a 6-1 two
guard and defend two guards in the Southern because there won't be
the size/strength/athleticism issues that he would face in the ACC at
that position....
Again, I have mentioned numerous times that one never makes every
correct call where recruiting is concerned....I miss on scores of players
and have never said otherwise and will readily admit that....But, to
simply think that because a player has some success at one level then
that automatically means he would have the same success at a higher
level can often be a mistaken assumption and leap of judgment in my
opinion.....just another angle and food for thought....
By the way, Seth Curry is a rising senior and another son of Dell's.....
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