Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 12:27 pm  |  2 responses

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Stephen Curry Q+A

The Warriors point guard looks back fondly on his college days.

by Jonathan Santiago / @itsJONsantiago

Stephen Curry captured the attention of basketball fans across the nation when he carried his Davidson Wildcats to an Elite Eight appearance in 2008.  Remember his performances?

· Eight made threes en route to 40 points, to give the Wildcats their first NCAA Tournament victory in 39 years against Gonzaga in Round 1.

· 30 points, 25 of them coming in the second half, to rally Davidson from a 17 point deficit to upset number two seed Georgetown.

· 33 against Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteen, his third consecutive game with 30 or more points scored.

· Even in defeat, the starting Golden State Warriors point guard delivered 25 big points against the Kansas Jayhawks in a game that came down to its final possession.

We caught up with the second-year pro before tournament tip-off to get his thoughts on this year’s madness.

SLAM: Do you miss the college game?

SC: I did last year being my first year out of college and having that 2008 tournament still on my mind. (I’m) a little bit removed from it now.  Now I’m just a big brother and fan just watching my brother (Seth Curry of Duke) play.  I remember all the times at Davidson and what we accomplished in the tournament.  So it’s always a good time to reflect on what I was doing.

SLAM: What kind of advice do you give your younger brother Seth?

SC: Do the same thing that you did all season that got you to that point.  You don’t have to do anything special in the tournament.  (There’s) a lot of pressure for it being a one and done situation.  Stick to the system that’s gotten you that much success so far and keep playing.

SLAM: Do you fill out a tournament bracket?

SC: Not really, just some people on the team do the low-key bracket pool for bragging rights at the end of the tournament.

SLAM: How closely do you follow the college game now that you’re in the NBA?

SC: I basically lean on Sportscenter for most of it.  I follow my brother religiously.  I catch all the highlights I see on TV and I follow Davidson all year.  So, it’s either Davidson or Duke or either what I’ve seen on ESPN.

SLAM: What do you think of BYU’s Jimmer Freddette?  He’s a guy, who like you, has carried his small school to great success.

SC: He’s carrying a huge load with his team.  In the tournament, they’re in a different situation being a small school (that earned) a number 3 seed.  Someone said they’ll have an easier road.  But they’ll still have to win games. They’ll still have to play well.  I think they’ll be a fun team to watch once the tournament starts.  He’s played well all season putting up huge numbers, turning a lot of heads and I think he’s a senior now.  So it’s his last shot to make some noise in the tournament.

SLAM: So, have you picked your Final Four or NCAA Champion?

SC: Not yet, I’ll have to check the bracket and see how it plays out.

BONUS: Not every NBA star honed their talents in the NCAA Tournament like Curry. Dwight Howard jumped straight from high school to the pros. Does he ever wonder “what if” regarding the college career he didn’t have?