By Laura Chmiel on November 23, 2016
Basketball season is well underway. Here in Chicago, the Bulls have had their ups and downs. They’re currently 4th in the East – #1 in our hearts – plagued with injuries and some roster shifts, but hanging in there. In the West, however, 1st place currently belongs to The Golden State Warriors out of Oakland, CA, led by star point guard Stephen Curry.
How did Stephen Curry grow up to become a sharp shooter like Stephen Curry?
Curry grew up in North Carolina watching his father play for the Charlotte Hornets. A stand-out high school player himself, it was interesting to learn that Curry has a recruiting story so many of us can relate to – especially those of us who have, or currently are, using the resources at NCSA to seek out opportunities. Stephen “Steph” Curry rolled into his senior with no Division I – or major conference – offers. He had his heart set on attending Virginia Tech, where his father played basketball, but at the end of the day, had to get realistic and looked outside the box to a small North Carolina liberal arts school, Davidson College, where he received a full scholarship in 2007.
Curry went on to break the school scoring record his freshman year, and along with his teammates, took the team to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament – their third ever appearance that late in the tourney, and first overall tournament appearance since 1969. To say he made the most of a path that wasn’t exactly his ideal at first doesn’t even begin to cover it. Curry is an Athleader: choosing to embrace his roster spot at Davidson College instead of turning his nose up at it, working to lead his team to an undefeated conference record his sophomore year, perfecting his shot to tie the NCAA 3-point record his junior year, and eventually becoming a first round pick in the 2009 NBA draft.
So aside from the current success of the Golden State Warriors – why all the buzz about Curry now? As his consistency on the court remains strong, coaches, players, and experts alike have taken to analyzing Steph’s sweet, sweet shot. And his height, release, and finesse create somewhat of a perfect storm.
Being the smallest guy on the team his whole life, Curry needed to find an edge. His father Dell, as mentioned earlier, a pro basketball player himself, helped his son find that edge. To do so, they both took an entire summer off after Steph’s sophomore year in high school to tweak his release point when shooting. The rest, as they say, was history. Through commitment to practice and repetition, at the age of 26, Curry is already considered one of the greatest shooters of all-time, and already holds a top spot on the list of 3-point leaders in the NBA of all time, consistently swishing 3’s at a 45-degree angle, which experts say is the most ideal entry. And watching him – we’d tend to agree.
