That season, Curry averaged 28.6 points per game, but it was what he did in the NCAA Tournament that put him on the map. He averaged 32 points per game as he led Davidson to an Elite Eight appearance. But that number doesn't really do what he did justice.
Curry poured in 40 against Gonzaga as he hit 8-of-10 3-point attempts. The Wildcats would need all 40 as they just squeaked by the Zags, 82-76.
As an encore, Sensational Steph dropped 30 on a Georgetown squad that was a Final Four team the year before. The Hoyas came into the game with an outstanding defensive squad that was praised throughout the nation ... of course until Curry hit 9-of-10 free throws and connected on five 3-pointers. Then he did the same dad-gum thing against Wisconsin, an even better defensive squad. Curry scored 33 on 6-of-11 shooting from the great beyond.
And even in defeat, Curry scored 25 points as Davidson (yes, Davidson!) gave Bill Self's Kansas squad one heckuva fight and one helluva scare.
That is why the Davidson star should not forgo his final season of college eligibility for the fame, fortune and comfort at the end of the bench that will come with declaring for the NBA Draft.
This year's NCAA Tournament missed the kind of dramatic flair that came when Curry stepped on the court. Overlooked by the big boys on Tobacco Road, Curry landed at Davidson and started to light up opposing defenses from the day he stepped on campus. He was stuntin' like his daddy, Dell Curry, an NBA Jam Tournament Edition favorite as he dropped threes from every angle. And before you knew it, Curry was arguable the face of college basketball.
However, Davidson flopped in the SoCon postseason tournament, which cost the Wildcats an at-large bid to The Big Dance ... and without the proper credentials in the eyes of the NCAA committee, the 'Cats ended up in the NIT.
Sports fans and hoops experts hoped Curry could lead his team to Madison Square Garden as they crossed their fingers hoping for one more shining moment on basketball's most grand stage. Curry scored 58 points in two games, but fell just short of one more appearance at the Garden.
Thus, the speculation of Curry jumping to the NBA Draft began. The sharp-shooting, bucket-filling combo guard is projected to go 15th to the Detroit Pistons. (Makes me wonder if the rebuilding Phoenix Suns could use a gunner like Curry at 14.) This scouting report compares Curry to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (another NBA Jam legend) and Steve Kerr.
Both were more-than-servicable NBA players, but that is where Curry must answer the biggest question not on any mid-term exam.
What is worth more to Curry?
He could return to being a college superstar being beloved by fans, media and even opposing coaches for just one more year. He would likely be competing for one last shining moment in the NCAA Tournament while completing the four-year trek that nearly no college star ever finishes anymore.
Or he could forgo all that for the NBA's riches, and the torture of having to live in Detroit.
Word On The Street [Draft Express]
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