The recruiting story of Stephen Curry

Every year in the NCAA tournament, there are always mid major programs upsetting bigger schools that few predicted beforehand. One of the feel good stories of the 2008 version of March Madness is the damage that Davidson has done on the competition. In the opening weekend of games, they were able to upset both Gonzaga and Georgetown to make it to the Sweet 16.

Obviously life will not be easy for the team as they battle a talented Wisconsin team for a spot in the Elite Eight. For those watching Davidson, the reason they have been winning those games is because of the play of Stephen Curry. This sophomore is a phenomenal player who has scored seventy points in the first two rounds. And the crazy thing about the success he has been having is all of the schools that passed on him during the recruiting process.

First off, let me start by saying that he is not a sleeper. His father was former NBA sharp shooter Dell Curry so that should have helped his recruiting. But apparently it didn’t. His dad played at Virginia Tech but they wanted him to pay his own way during his first year. Considering that he is averaging 25 points per game and hit the most threes in Division I this year, do you think they are regretting it?

It ended up coming down to a mid major battle with schools like Davidson, Virginia Commonwealth, High Point, and many others trying to land his services. But Curry decided he liked the small atmosphere provided at Davidson as well as the strong education that they offered. That was enough to sell him on signing in the fall instead of waiting for any big boys to come calling.

A number of schools have regretted not taking Curry. For those who have seen him play, he has a great deal of ability. In the last seven minutes against Georgetown, he scored seventeen points to help them crawl back into the game after struggling early. Big time players step up in big time games and he did just that.

After talking to one conference coach, they hope that Curry leaves and goes to the NBA. He made it sound like he was unsure how exactly he fell through the cracks and ended up at a small school like that. The stuff he told me that Curry does is unlike anyone else in conference. He is not a Southern Conference player.

Anyways, the reason why I am telling this story is that no matter what your name is, players fall under the radar. This kid can flat out play and was in the heart of ACC basketball in Charlotte. While Roy Williams and others had hoped Dell Curry would have called him about his son, the elder Curry felt that his son could play and that was enough.

If he had pushed his son to go to a bigger school, would there have been offers? Would he have developed into the player that he is now? My assumption is that the feel good story of Davidson would not happening without him on the roster so I things could be much different. This just shows that even as the son of a former NBA player, you can be overlooked in the recruiting process.