Curry article from Spartanburg Herald

Looks can be deceiving

By TODD SHANESY
Staff Writer

They call him Baby Face. Don't let that fool you. The kid is deadly.

Sure, he seems innocent enough at first. He looks like somebody's little brother who is out there just to give the teams an equal number of players.

Davidson College freshman Stephen Curry could pass for a tall 14-year-old. He's 6-feet-1, but might not be able to get into an R-rated movie without showing his driver's license.

"I've gotten some remarks from fans about how I'm not old enough to be on the court," Curry said.

No, he is not the ball boy.

No, he is not supposed to be in the pee-wee game at halftime.

Yes, his mother knows where he is.

Forget all that jazz.

Curry is already the man in Southern Conference basketball.

He is the league's second-leading scorer at 19.3 points per game, dropped 32 on Michigan in his second game, and was SoCon player of the month.

"It's beyond my imagination to see an 18-year-old guy at this point already," said Wofford head coach Mike Young, whose team has Baby Face in the crib tonight. "His is savvy beyond his years. He plays with great basketball intelligence. He's as good of a cutter and reads screens as well as any young guy I've seen since I've been coaching. And, obviously, he shoots the fire out of it."

Curry is the son of former NBA star Dell Curry, who played for the Charlotte Hornets and is now director of player development for the Charlotte Bobcats. His son wears uniform No. 30 as a tribute.

"Just watching him and having him around helped me progress as a player," the younger Curry said. "I found myself subconsciously picking up things that he used to do."

Curry, a Charlotte Christian product, had an off-night Wednesday at the Bi-Lo Center with six turnovers, but still helped lead Davidson to a 71-63 victory against Furman. He finished with 15 points, four assists, two steals, and pulled down a couple of key rebounds late in the game.

"Stephen (pronounced 'STEF-en') can do so much," Davidson head coach Bob McKillop said. "He can score, he can defend. He makes a mistake and he's not going to hang his head. That's pretty unusual for a freshman. He made a turnover and then goes down and draws a charge at the other end. That kind of resiliency is unusual."

Despite his slight frame (listed as 180 pounds), Curry is not afraid to take a charge or mix it up inside. He makes acrobatic moves to the basket and has pulled down double-digit rebounds. He doesn't play with a rattle, and he can't be rattled.

"I'm fearless. I can do it," he said. "I was always small growing up, so I've gotten used to playing with guys who are bigger than me."

For instance, when he was 10, Curry played on the same youth-league team with former Davidson standout Brendan Winters, who has graduated.

"There's not a soft bone in Steph's body," McKillop said. "He does need to get stronger. Once that happens, he'll have much greater control and will be able to finish more plays."