Stephen Curry Heading for NBA
It took Stephen Curry an agonizingly long time to make the decision, but ultimately the apparently weak draft and likelihood of being a lottery pick was too much to resist. Curry and Davidson announced that he was turning pro.The press release put out by Davidson did not indicate whether Curry had signed with an agent. The release, though, noticeably did not mention that Curry was going to be gauging interest or that there was a possibility he would return. That absence makes it clear that this is not a "testing the waters" decision."My goal since I can remember has always been to play in the NBA, and that goal has now become a viable opportunity for me," Curry said. "After weighing my options, I came to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to take hold of that opportunity now." Curry is probably the best pure scorer entering the draft. After spending the past season running the point for Davidson, Curry's draft status was only helped.Stephen Curry Heading for NBA originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:08:00 EST . .
Chris Kramer won the Big Ten's defensive player of the year award last season, but he likely didn't face an assignment as daunting as the one standing standing in his path this Saturday. The Purdue Boilermakers will battle the Davidson Wildcats in Indianapolis (4:00 PM EST, CBS), and Kramer will be checking Stephen Curry. Curry leads the nation in scoring, at just under 32 points a game. He's gone for 40 thrice. Kramer is not shying away from the assignment, in fact, he seems to be a bit excited. "People say he's one of the best three players in the country, so just getting the opportunity . . . to guard somebody like that and try to show the country how good of a defender you want to be . . ." Kramer said. "To be the best, you've got to play the best, and I want to be one of the best defenders in the country."I have to say, I'm kind of sad he stopped short of a Ric Flair reference. Look, we all know what Curry can do by now, after his electrifying NCAA tourney performance last season and his recent taking of Manhattan. It's tough for anyone to stop him for an entire game, even if he's not hitting shots for the first 35 minutes.Personally, though, I think Kramer is the kind of player who can. He's a pest to opposing offenses. He's a physical defender who brings high energy and shadows his man all over the court if he has to, often bumping and prodding to the point that his man becomes frustrated. 
As an example, last season Kramer held Eric Gordon to 4-12 shooting from the field in the only meeting between Purdue and Indiana. Gordon turned it over five times, while Kramer came away with three steals. Of course, Kramer also fouled out as Gordon was sent to the foul line 15 times. If he hasn't learned his lesson, Curry will have lots of free shots coming his way Saturday. One thing Kramer will focus on is wearing Curry down. He says he's been watching film on Davidson and he can't understand why teams allow Curry to simply walk the ball up the floor, allowing him to recharge his batteries. That's supposedly going to change Saturday. "That's nine or 10 seconds of rest for him (each possession)," Kramer said. "He's got to go 94 feet (to the basket), so I've got to get into him and make him work." When all is said and done, you can count on Curry getting tons of shots, and not many of them will be uncontested. He'll likely find his way to the line many times if he's aggressively penetrating, but he'll pay for it physically. His conditioning is sure to be tested by the scrappy Kramer, and we'll see how powerful the motor is that he has in that wiry frame.Either way, it's going to be fun to watch the proverbial battle within the battle.Purdue's Chris Kramer Ready to Measure his Defensive Skills Against Stephen Curry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:15:00 EST . .
Davidson-West Virginia was supposed to be the undercard for the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Not a chance this year. Not with the way Stephen Curry has come out from the start of the season. The Davidson guard has been electric and has been destination viewing, barely a month into the season. West Virginia, while having lots of young talent like Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones, was beaten up. Their starting point guard Joe Mazzula had a shoulder injury that limited him significantly. Alex Ruoff, the Mountaineers second leading scorer was out for the game with his own shoulder injury. This was, however, a Bob Huggins coached team. They made it a tough, defensive struggle. The Mountaineers crashed the boards, to get a slew of second chance opportunities. They trailed by double digits early in the second half, but fought to a tie and took the lead late in the game.Stephen Curry struggled miserably shooting for most of the game. He was solid on defense and dished out 10 assists, but the crowd and NBA scouts were not there to see that he is a complete player. The expectation was that Curry, like in the last NCAA Tournament, would rise on the big stage and media glare. Instead, it looked like he was going to have a horrible game. That was, until the final five minutes. Then Curry took the game over and he put down 13 of Davidson's final 15 points. He had been 5-22 with 14 points, but shot 4-5 including two 3-pointers and a couple free throws in the final five minutes. The performance not only pulled the win out for Davidson, but it furthers the monstrously increasing legend and aura of Stephen Curry as the best college player this year. In Curry's case, the gushing seems justified. He has such a beautiful shot. He does involve his teammates. Plays great defense. Plus, he makes those with whom he plays better.Stephen Curry Takes Manhattan originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:26:00 EST . .
We all went to the Garden tonight to see Stephen Curry put on a show. Sure, there were some West Virginia fans, but I bet even they were kind of hoping to see Curry go off while they still pulled out a win. The Villanova and Texas fans were certainly pulling for Davidson. There was a large contingent of Curry jerseys and bright red "Witness" hats and t-shirts in the crowd. It was one of the biggest crowds in the history of the Jimmie V Classic, largely just to see Curry. Everyone was excited - the spectacular scorer was coming to the big city to dazzle us.For the first 35 minutes of the game, as Curry deferred to his teammates and struggled to hit shots against the suffocating Mountaineer defense, it appeared we were going to be let down. I wasn't the only one starting to think that Curry was simply not capable of living up to the venue and the attention, that maybe being an unknown in the NCAA Tournament had been one thing, but being a star in the most famous arena in the world was just too much for him. As 3 after 3 clanked off the rim you could feel the frustration in the crowd - this wasn't the script for the evening. The Garden is where big time players put on shows for the fans, not where they go 1-13 from 3. Maybe New Yorkers are spoiled, but that's the expectation.And then he delivered for us. When he hit a 3 pointer with just under 5 minutes to go, the cheers started. When he drilled an impossibly difficult shot from the left elbow beyond the NBA line, the Garden exploded. This is what we wanted to see, and the fact that he was carrying his team from behind just made it more impressive. And then Curry hit the final 3 of the night to give Davidson a lead they wouldn't relinquish, a shot a mere mortal wouldn't have even gotten off, let alone buried without touching iron. Curry was more than redeemed.Some players just have a flair for the dramatic, and an ability to deliver on the big stage. Curry has that in spades. New Yorkers love players that live up to expectations, and the expectations are very high. I'm sure this won't be his last game in the Garden, and he'll have some that are better and some that are worse, but he won't have another chance to make a first impression - and nobody is going to remember the first 1-13 from 3, all we could talk about was the final 3-3. Curry earned his New York chops tonight.Fanhouse In The Stands: Curry Electrifies MSG originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:39:00 EST . .