Nike Basketball News

WBF Blog: USAB Vegas Recap

tonyhellberg1 — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:07:07 GMT

Show up.

Nearly two-dozen of the NBA’s best did.

And for a week they battled in the scorching desert for a spot on America’s team.

Stretch. Practice. Learn.

Stretch. Scrimmage. Compete.

Cool down - and clown around - at photo sessions in between.

There were injuries. Utter frustrations. New friendships forged around scintillating intrasquad battles.

Vegas Week ended with the 2010 Showcase on ESPN: one last chance for the invitees to fight for the opportunity to advance to the next round of training camp in New York from August 9-16.

Kevin Durant’s tomahawk dunks stole the show; his 28 points helped earn Player of the Game honors.

Nikebasketball.com was there every step of the way - so check out the photo galleries for up-close Vegas action.

The architect: Jerry Colangelo.

The coach: Mike Krzyzewski.

The goal: FIBA World Championship Gold in Turkey.

The players: still TBD headed to NYC.

Get your tickets for the August 15 international basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden today by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or www.thegarden.com. Or call 1.800.4.NBA.TIX so you don’t miss one second on the USA Men’s National Team on display in New York!

WBF Blog: Stephen Curry

tonyhellberg1 — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:51:54 GMT

High school: all-conference, all-state, team MVP. Conference titles, state playoff appearances, school records.

Zero major college scholarship offers.

College: all-conference, All-America, Player of the Year. Conference titles, electric NCAA tournament appearances, school records.

Plenty of debate about his NBA Draft Lottery worthiness.

Steph’s 2010 answers:

• .885 free throw percentage
• .437 three point percentage
• 472 total assists
• 166 three pointers made
• 152 steals

Those totals landed Steph in the Top-10 league-wide; those 166 threes set a new rookie record. His fistful of 30-point, 10 assist games trailed only LBJ and D-Wade.

Rookie of the Year runner-up. A place on the 2010 All-Rookie 1st Team.

The record books remain the only thing in jeopardy.

Because Steph’s road ahead is formally without doubt.

He Shoots. You Lose.

hoffcobra — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:31:56 GMT

It starts with the legacy.

And it ends there, too.

It’s how Stephen Curry’s game is defined - and he’s reminded every time he shoots.

Because it starts with the stroke. A lighting rod jumper honed in the driveway, handed down from a father who started this whole hoops family thing.

Dell Curry’s basketball odyssey began when he broke his wrist as a child, forcing him to learn the correct way to shoot. One little kid’s broken bone served as the birthplace of his son’s near-perfect shooting form. Dell used that smooth stroke to make maximum impact every time he stepped on the floor, garnering All-American accolades at Virginia Tech before embarking on a 16-year NBA career.

The highlight? Being named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1994.

But Pops wasn’t the only hoop influence on young Steph. His mom, Sonya Curry, played some serious high school hoop in her own right. She transitioned to the volleyball court at Tech where she also met Dell - that family karma at work again.

Stephen turned what he learned from both parents into the launching pad for a decorated high school career spent raining triples and racking up conference championships - three if you’re counting - that should have put the world on notice.

But not even his illustrious family ties at Tech could help him land him a big-time college scholarship.

The reason?

Steph barely stood 6’0”. And he weighed in at 160lbs. - with a few soaking wet towels wrapped around his waist.

Enter: tiny Davidson College of the Southern Conference. A private liberal arts school located in Davidson, North Carolina (pop: 7,139) with just 1,700 undergraduate students.

But head basketball coach Bob McKillop envisioned a much bigger picture: he had no qualms about turning Steph’s scholarship sleight loose on the nation.

New extended family. Same stroke. Instant results: in his second career game on the road against Michigan, a new freshmen sensation was introduced to the nation as Steph nailed 5 three-pointers on his way to 32 points.

And for three years he never looked back.

Add it all up:

2,635 points. 414 threes (including an NCAA-record 162 in 2007-08). Outscoring an entire team in the first half of a game in 2007. That fabled Elite 8 run. The fourth player in NCAA history to score 30 or more points in his first four career NCAA Tournament games. The first player in 14 years to be named MVP of an NCAA Tournament Regional without even making the Final Four. Davidson’s first NCAA Tourney win(s) since 1969. A national scoring title.

Even props from the all-time winningest men’s NCAA basketball coach Bob Knight as “the best passer in college basketball.”

Funny how legacies can change.

In just three years, Steph went from unwanted to standing on the precipice of the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery.

He stands 6’3” now, with 25lbs. added to his sinewy frame. But that shot? If it’s changed at all, it’s only gotten faster.

Maybe even deeper - though how does one really measure unlimited range?

More confident. But really, when legendary hoop writer Scoop Jackson - who’s covered basketball and culture for high profile publications for more than 15 years - coins you “Babyface Killer” it’s hard to ever doubt that Steph was wanting in this category.

So on the eve of the biggest day in his basketball life, the only question left is this:

How high with Stephen Curry go in the 2009 NBA Draft?

And the answer doesn’t really even matter.

Because wherever Stephen Curry lands, he’ll simply be authoring the next real-time chapter of his own basketball odyssey - every time the ball leaves his hands.

Which NBA team would be the perfect fit for Steph Curry and why? Post your answer at facebook.com/nikebasketball.