The Curry Bunch: A Comprehensive Analysis

(Stephen, Dell, & Seth Curry)

Here it is, the much awaited and highly anticipated column on the Curry family! To kick things off, I will say that in the above picture, Dell's Toronto Raptor team is definitely the worst team of the three represented. Notice the family unity though, all three Curry men wearing #30. Like father like son like brother. In case you don't already know, here are the basic facts about the Curry posse:

Dell Curry

• Father of Stephen & Seth Curry
• Born Wardell Stephen Curry on June 25th, 1964
• Star basketball player at Virginia Tech
• 16 year NBA career while playing for 5 different teams
• 1994 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
• 23rd in NBA history in made 3-pointers
• 2004 inductee of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
• Married to Sonya Curry
• Frequently shown on TV watching his son(s) play
  

Stephen Curry

• Son of Dell & Sonya Curry, Brother of Seth Curry
  
• Born Wardell Stephen Curry II on March 14th, 1988
  
• Junior at Davidson College
  
• Standout guard and household name after last year's NCAA Tournament, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight
• 2008 Southern Conference Player of the Year
• Too many other awards to list here
• Leads the nation in scoring, averaging 28.6 points per game
• Seems like a good guy
• Shown on TV playing basketball a lot
  

Seth Curry

• Son of Dell & Sonya Curry, Brother of Stephen Curry
• Born Seth Curry on August 23rd, 1990
• Freshman at Liberty University
• Standout guard and soon to be household name due to his family name, as well as his basketball abilities
• All-State, All-Conference, CSAA-All-American accolades
• About to win many Big South Conference awards
  
• Leads all Freshman in scoring with 20.6 points per game
• Seems like a Curry, therefore, a good guy
• Not shown on TV playing basketball enough

Sonya Curry

• Wife of Dell Curry, Mother of Stephen & Seth Curry
• Former volleyball standout at Virginia Tech
• Probably has won many awards in her past
• Sends text messages with scriptures to her sons
  
• Most recognizable mother in college basketball
• Cries
  
• Often shown on TV watching her son(s) play

You are now familiar with the Curry cast of characters. Due to Matt's incessant nagging, I'll now try to explain how neither Curry son is playing for a big time college basketball program, along with why Seth chose to take a different route and not play with his brother at Davidson.

Let's start with Stephen. The eldest Curry son didn't attract attention from big-time college programs because of his size. Stephen looked like he was 14 his freshman year and might look like a freshman if he stays around for his senior year. His final decision concerning where to play came down to Winthrop, Virginia Commonwealth, a walk-on role at Virginia Tech, and Davidson. Coach Bob McKilop and assistant coach Matt Matheny sold Stephen on Davidson in the living room of the Curry household during a recruiting visit in September of 2005. Notice that Stephen turned down an offer to play at Virginia Tech, his father's alma mater. This theme will come up over and over again as we discuss the Curry boys. Here is a quote from Coach Bobby Cremins after his College of Charleston team lost to Davidson in the Southern Conference Championship game during Stephen's freshman year: "When I see Seth Greenberg (head coach at Virginia Tech), I'm going to give him a piece of my mind. The kid (Stephen) wanted to follow his dad to Virginia Tech, and I'm disappointed in Seth right now." This quote was mostly given in jest, but one can kind of sense Cremins mocking Seth Greenberg underneath it all. The ACC missed out on Stephen Curry and now he was giving coaches in the Southern Conference headaches. We all know the rest of the story with regard to Stephen Curry and Davidson. Let's move on to Seth.

Seth Curry always had the fact that Dell Curry was his father going for him. As he finished up his high school career, he had to deal with the pros and cons of now being Stephen Curry's brother. Even with this name association notoriety, Seth (like Stephen) was overlooked by programs in powerhouse conferences, most notably the ACC. I can't say with absolute assurance why Seth was overlooked. One would think that after Stephen Curry made a mark during his freshman and sophomore years at Davidson, someone would have tried to recruit Seth if for no other reason than to have Stephen Curry's brother on their team. Genetics mean something, right? The reasons for Seth being ignored are pretty weak...he suffered a hamstring injury the summer before his senior year of high school, along with the same fears that he was too small and undersized to succeed at the college level. Because of these things, Seths' final decision concerning where to play college basketball came down to Virginia Tech, Davidson, and Liberty. Notice the Virginia Tech theme? Apparently, Virginia Tech's offer to Seth came late in the recruitment process. Their offer included a scholarship, but it also included a redshirt year. Seth Curry is quoted as calling the pitch from Virginia Tech "a token offer", to which Seth Greenberg (VT head coach) replied "an offer is an offer." I don't believe that Seth Curry ever wanted to play for Virginia Tech due to the fact that they weren't trying to woo him from the beginning. In every article I came across, Seth Greenberg sounded at a loss, irritated, and bitter with regard to missing out on both Curry boys.

It then came down to Davidson or Liberty to determine where Seth would make his mark. You'd think that two talented kids from a good family would end up playing college basketball together if their abilities allowed them. Obviously, this didn't happen. I believe that Seth choosing to play for Liberty was due to Stephen's unexpected success at Davidson, Liberty Coach Ritchie McKay's unrelenting pursuit of Seth, and simple birth order. If Stephen is average/good, but not great/amazing at Davidson...I believe we might have been watching both Curry boys play for the Wildcats this season. Stephen became the face of the Davidson team last year. Davidson's run in the tournament became a national story. Stephen Curry was now a household name. While Seth's decision to play at Liberty might have been made before last year's NCAA Tournament, college basketball fans, especially those in the Carolinas, were already raving about his brother. If you're Seth...why go somewhere where your (family) name is already established? Why go someplace where you'll always be compared to your brother? Davidson did extend Seth a scholarship offer, but as much as he wanted to play alongside his brother, Seth wanted to carve his own identity. One of the biggest desires he had was the opportunity to play immediately...Virginia Tech wasn't going to give that to Seth, and as crazy as it sounds, immediate playing time was no guarantee if he had gone to Davidson.

Seth Curry must know that he's a good basketball player. He also has to be competitive as hell on some level. These things go hand-in-hand. I'm guessing that Seth didn't want to live/play in his brother's shadow at Davidson because he has aspirations of accomplishing the same things that his brother has at the mid-major level. Imagine the taunting involved if Seth could boast to Stephen that he put LIBERTY college on the national map, made an NCAA Tournament run, and gave the school recognition for something other than being associated with Jerry Falwell. Athletes are naturally competitive. Brothers are a MILLION times more competitive. It's biology.

Here is Seth Curry himself in a quote that sums it all up: "He (Stephen) was making such a big splash and no matter what I did, I was always going to be in the background at Davidson. I was always going to be his little brother, and even though I'm still his little brother, now I'm doing it at my own place." And all the fans of the Liberty Flames rejoiced!

I do have a few questions remaining after this research on the Curry family:

1. What quotes has Seth Greenberg thrown out there with regard to missing out on recruiting the Curry brothers? Has he lost it during a press conference? How does he really feel about it? Does he care? Or does he sometime cry himself to sleep thinking what could have been?
2. Has Dell and Sonya Curry stopped giving donations to Virginia Tech after each of their sons were of such low-priority during the recruitment process? Do they still show up for any alumni events at VT? Do they promote their alma mater in public?
3. Does Seth Curry going ot Liberty give weight to the idea that Stephen is definitely coming back for his senior season at Davidson? If Stephen was leaving after this year for the NBA, then Seth would have only had to deal with one year in his brothers shadow, learned from him, then taken over the team next year (if he had chosen to play at Davidson). Did Seth know something we didn't when he chose to become a Flame? If Stephen does stay for his senior year...will the two schools do the smart thing and schedule an out-of-conference game during the holidays next year?

I'll leave you with some stats:

Freshman season averages for both Curry brothers:

• Stephen - 21.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, .463 FG%, .408 3P%
• Seth - 20.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, .421 FG%, .359 3P%

Which Curry will go down as the best Curry?

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