"The fruits of labor"- from hard work in the gym.

Ironically, I had blogged yesterday about our Shooting Camp class here at the Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy in Lisle and objectives covered in the class. Proper mechanics and techniques along with practice and confidence makes clutch shooters! Davidson's sophomore phenom Stephen Curry is the epitome of a clutch shooter. Davidson University played Duke University last night on ESPN. Duke defeated Davidson 79-67 lead by Jon Scheyer (Glenbrook North) and sophomore Kyle Singler with 22 points a piece for Blue Devils.

Davidson's Stephen Curry lead all scorers with 29 points. He scored 21 points in the second half and almost orchestrated a comeback for the Davidson Wildcats in Durham on Duke's home court. It was the most points Duke allowed any opposing player this season. What impressed me the most about his play was his poise, court awareness and ability to flat out shoot the basketball! Stephen did most of his scoring in the paint, mid-range areas and free-throw line. He did not shoot the three well last night though (he made one three-pointer). Stephen also had 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the game as well. His overall confidence and ability to shoot the basketball gives him an advantage over opponents in any game he plays in.

I first heard about Stephen Curry from my former college basketball coach at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Mack Mc Carthy. Coach Mc Carthy is currently the head men's basketball coach at East Carolina University. Coach Mack told me that Stephen Curry was a good as any college basketball player in the nation. Coach explained that his ability to score, footwork, ball handling, passing skills and overall basketball IQ was that of a professional basketball player.

Stephen's father is Dell Curry, former NBA basketball player. Dell attended Virginia Tech University and was a sharpshooter in the NBA for many years. I am sure Stephen has been the benefactor of being the son of an NBA player but here is the real story. When Stephen was 15 years old, he was 5-8 and skinny. His dad took him off of the AAU basketball circuit and kept him involved in individual workouts. He also worked on sports performance training while playing club basketball to apply the skills he was reinforcing. Stephen developed into a stellar player but was not highly recruited. He grew to 5-11 as junior and his skills were getting even better! Stephen still could not obtain a scholarship because he was not on the AAU circuit! He was better than most of the players that were being recruited by major college programs.

The summer of his senior high school season, Stephen grew to 6-3 but was still very skinny. His basketball skills and overall game was top-notch, but he still was not offered a scholarship to a major university. Virginia Tech, his dad's Alma mater offered Stephen and opportunity as a walk-on basketball player. He had scholarship offers from some mid-major division I and a cluster of division II and III schools. Stephen committed to Davidson University, a mid-major college in Davidson, North Carolina that has great academics. Davidson is the Southern Conference which is the same one that my Alma mater is in. As a freshman, Stephen took Davidson deep in the NCAA tourney last year. The Wildcats are 10-3 this year and they are almost guaranteed to represent the Southern Conference in the NCAA tournament this year as well.

In my opinion, Stephen Curry is currently the best basketball player on the collegiate level. He is only a sophomore, but I think he is ready for the NBA at the end of this college basketball season. He is the model for what can be achieved through having the talent but directing it the correct way to be the best player you can be. He was not highly recruited out of high school and went to a small college, but will be an NBA basketball player. The sky is the limit for him if he continues to implement the same work ethic and toughness that has helped him achieve his current status. It also helps that he is obedient, a hard worker and follows the direction of his parents, coaches and instructors.

Remember, basketball players are made in the gym!!

Yours in Basketball,


Larry Stewart