Where will Stephen Curry's little brother end up?
What about Northwestern? (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Liberty's season ended Monday, an 88-65 loss to the James Madison Dukes in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
The future of the basketball program ended Tuesday.
Seth Curry, the high-scoring, little brother of Davidson’s Stephen Curry announced his decision to transfer in order to face tougher competition during his college career.
Frankly, the fact that Liberty had this kid for a year is a shock in itself.
Everyone watched the elder Curry light up the league in his freshman season, averaging almost 22 points per game. Then he turned it on for his sophomore campaign, almost leading the Wildcats to the Final Four.
At that point, coaches across the country should have been scrambling to recruit Seth. Even if he were a bust, given the play of his brother, it would have been worth the risk.
It is almost like watching Archie Manning play in the NFL and Peyton tear up the SEC, and then not recruiting Eli.
The family has the genes.
So Liberty got its season of glory, even if that glory ended in the fourth best tournament in the country.
Now where does Seth go?
It is hard to say. As the AP so blandly wrote, “Coaches at other schools are not permitted to comment on potential transfers.”
That doesn’t mean everyone won’t be playing what if. Who wouldn’t want to add a prolific scorer to their roster?
They may not be able to expect 20 points per game. This will be tougher competition than the Big South after all.
But Curry proved he could do it against everyone. He dropped 26 on Virginia, 22 on George Mason and 24 on Clemson.
Still, Curry wasn’t consistent when playing up a level.
Saint Louis, for as average as Rick Majerus’s team is, held him to only eight points and put him in a whole load of foul trouble. James Madison advanced to the last four of the CIT by tripping him into 4 turnovers and stopping the bleeding at only eight points.
Hey, nobody is perfect. Even Stephen put up a goose egg against Loyola and he still went on to lead the country in scoring.
All of that is a long-winded way of saying, “Why not Northwestern?”
Curry could step in and start as soon as he is eligible. After all, Northwestern could sure use the scoring help. How many times did Northwestern’s cold streaks doom the ‘Cats?
For all the back cuts and passing in the Princeton offense, the Wildcats live and die by getting the clutch shots as the shot clock is expiring. That too is in the Curry genes.
Plus, Seth would take a lot of the pressure off Michael Thompson, next year's new frosh Drew Crawford and John Shurna. It would be the option extra option that was missing at times this season.
Most importantly, Curry could get Northwestern over the hump. This team is right on the verge of something special, historic even. Add in the attention that will certainly come with one of the hottest scorers in the country on their side, and Northwestern is suddenly a staple of primetime basketball on television.
Northwestern would be the country’s new darling. Who needs Cinderella when you have a big-time school that everyone can get behind?
That’s the upside. Unfortunately, there is a lot of downside.
It is hard to imagine Curry choosing any Big Ten team, let alone Northwestern. The big bruiser league doesn’t lend itself to shooting theatrics.
Think about how much of a change it was to have David Holston and Chicago State coming into Evanston. The fans didn’t know what to make of the playground-style ball that the Cougars brought north up the Red and Purple lines.
Curry just wouldn’t fit in with the style of play.
And it is doubtful that any coach will change their entire game plan, no matter how explosive Curry is.
That means the Big East is probably out. The Big XII wouldn’t work either.
Let’s be honest, Curry is likely angling to break in closer to home in the ACC anyway.
That league might be a stretch for Curry, so chances are he will break in with a mid-major somewhere in the area. So beware if your current rooting interest lies in the Colonial conference, or the MAAC, or even Conference USA.
And if you wear purple and white, well, it was nice to dream for 30 seconds.
Comments
Why would Curry transfer from Liberty just to go to another Mid-Major? I think you'll see him at an ACC school. He might not play 40 minutes a game, but he could be a solid contributor at VaTech.
I think you are going to find it hard to find an ACC school with a scholarship to offer him. I think if he went to a true mid-major program, not a low-major like Liberty, he would immediately have an impact on the profile of the team and the league it is in.
There is a major difference between the competition he sees at Liberty and what he would be up against in the CAA game after game. Just look at Liberty's results against the CAA teams they played this season (1-2).
The talent is much better in the CAA than the Big South and the CAA traditionally schedules tougher foes than Liberty could hope to.
Originally I had Curry only sitting out a semester if he came to Northwestern. Curry would have to sit out the NCAA-mandated one year. That would have him eligible in 2010-2011, which would be after Kevin Coble is gone. Curry would, instead of adding to Coble's prowess, make a great substitute for his scoring.
Too late...looks like the Dukies got him...
Andy Katz:
"Duke didn't waste any time sulking over its Sweet 16 loss to Villanova Thursday night in Boston. Instead, the Blue Devils picked up the most coveted transfer available when the nation's top scoring freshman, Seth Curry of Liberty, decided to transfer to Duke for next season.
Curry's father, Dell, told ESPN.com Sunday night after a visit to Durham earlier in the day that Seth was offered a scholarship by the Blue Devils and accepted."
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!