NBA superstar Steph Curry recently appeared on an episode of “Hot Ones” and discussed various topics, including his recent hole-in-one at the American Century Championship, compliments from Kobe Bryant, and his documentary “Stephen Curry: Underrated.”
Curry gained recognition for his Cinderella story at Davidson College, where he led the mid-major team to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. On the show, host Sean Evans asked Curry about his college experience and whether attending a major college would have affected his NBA career.
Curry responded by acknowledging that his success in the NBA is rooted in the basketball system developed by Davidson College and Coach Bob McKillop. He believes that attending a major college might have resulted in him riding the bench during his freshman year and missing out on valuable experience. Curry emphasized the importance of finding the right fit in college and mentioned other NBA players, like Damian Lillard and Ja Morant, who attended mid-major colleges and still achieved success. He expressed gratitude for his time at Davidson and stated that he values playing a significant role rather than being a benchwarmer at a power conference school.
Curry made two notable points. Firstly, he emphasized that talented players will be noticed by the NBA, regardless of the college they attend. Secondly, he emphasized the value of on-court experience, stating that it cannot be replicated in practice. Curry’s ability to dominate games as a shooter and scorer on and off the ball is a result of the opportunities he had at Davidson.
During Davidson’s memorable NCAA Tournament run, Curry played as a shooting guard while Jason Richards handled the point guard role. The entire team was familiar with Curry’s playing style and anticipated his movements on the court. This style of play, which prioritized Curry’s scoring abilities, has been influential in the Golden State Warriors’ success as well. In his junior season, Curry took on the role of point guard, allowing him to further develop his skills as both a scorer and playmaker.
Curry’s time at Davidson allowed him to experiment with different styles of play and learn from his mistakes. The freedom and support he received early in his college career played a crucial role in his development as a player. While Curry acknowledges that he could have been successful no matter where he played, he believes that the unique brand of basketball he plays today may not have been fully realized at a major college.
