Interesting article on Nike's pitch, or lack thereof, to Steph Curry back in 2013. Then Virginia Tech Men's Basketball Superstar Alum, Dell Curry himself, chimes in and makes you want to hide under the covers and scream into your pillow:
In the meeting, according to Dell, there was never a strong indication that Steph would become a signature athlete with Nike. "They have certain tiers of athletes," Dell says. "They have Kobe, LeBron and Durant, who were their three main guys. If he signed back with them, we're on that second tier."
Dell makes an analogy back to the past, when Dell's alma mater, Virginia Tech, offered his son the mere opportunity try out as a walk-on. This was familiar territory for a player who'd long prevailed over projections. "Wasn't highly recruited, wasn't highly respected, wasn't highly thought of," Dell says. "It was kind of like that, you know?"
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That's actually a pretty spot on comparison. Willing to bet Nike feels about like we do right now, especially since they're losing ground to UA.
Yeah, this does anything but make me want to scream. It reinforces the truth - Steph Curry has blown everyone away and everyone in the world missed the boat. Even Nike didn't see his potential or awesomeness. This just makes VT one in a very large crowd. The whole Steph Curry "what might have been" thing is honestly getting really old. The guy is a superstar. Good for him. No one, not D-1 college coaches, not professional athletic companies, saw that coming.
Exactly.
People can cry about Greenberg not offering him, but they also forget that he grew 3 inches after he graduated high school.
Who cares!? Steph Curry would've attended and graduated from Tech (& let's face it, in EVERY other alternate timeline and multiverse he did)!
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FTR, I truly believe if he went to Tech he could very well not be what he is today. He got all the freedom he could've hoped for at Davidson.
The complaints stem more from Dell singling us out because it makes you wonder where he stands with his alma mater and if Greenberg tarnished that or not. I don't believe so but again he could've simply referred to the recruitment process as a whole.
Yep, the reality is he proved everyone associated with basketball wrong except for Bob McKillop.
Well, I am not associated with basketball other than being a big Dell Curry and VT basketball fan, but I wasn't wrong when I got really pissed off with our dissing of Steph. OK, everybody else was wrong too is not enough to make me feel better about our alma mater not having enough foresight and respect for Dell to give Steph a scholarship. You'll never convince me we were right, did the right thing, whatever. We screwed the pooch, plain and simple and I'll never back down from my opinion on this matter, regardless of how many other coaches took the same pass. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, even my wife called this one. Stupid move and you'll never make me feel otherwise.
Lmao! I like your thoughts and agree with your sentiment on this 100%. Upleg!
There's a reason he ended up at Davidson instead of a power conference team.
Nobody gave him a scholarship offer. But lets ignore that tidbit, and continue the mantra that VT dropped the ball because only they didn't make the offer. In fact, if I remember correctly, our walk-on offer was still better than any offer he got from almost any other power conference program, but lets not let that get in the way of the narrative.
From what I remember, he only had 3 scholarship offers from D1 schools - Davidson, Winthrop and VCU.
Good thing he didn't go to VCU. We'd have to hear about this even more than we already do.
I like to think all the college rejection helped fuel his motivation to become the dominant player he is today. Is he the same player if he plays for VT or Kentucky or Duke? Maybe? I mean his brother played for Duke...I am happy for his current path in life for maybe an alternate timeline of Steph Curry playing at VT doesn't end the same way. With our basketball luck he would have been injured at Tech or something.
His brother also was not a star by any means. Just 6' 3", 2/3* by recruiting services. Steph was 6' 2" and was a 3*. Hindsight is 20/20, but you're right. He's likely not who he is today had he not taken the path that he did.
Seth was a great fit for Duke's offense but not necessarily a great fit for other teams. Undersized guy who can shoot but not good at much more. If he's your best scorer you're probably winning 10 games. But if he's a 3rd option? Perfectly fine.
Don't forget, his brother didn't start out at Duke. He transferred from Liberty to Duke.
What I don't understand is why Dell is so hellbent on continuing the narrative against VT. "Virginia Tech" didn't offer? No, Seth Greenberg didn't offer, and now no one wants him as a coach.
I can understand Dell's disappointment with us not offering and why he is still focusing on that, because if you know your kid is going to be a star, and you were a star yourself, you'd hope more than anything that he would continue the family legacy at your alma mater, and it must have crushed him to not be given what he thought was a legit chance at VT.
That being said, UNC, Duke, NCSU, Wake, and UNC Charlotte (remember, Charlotte was in the dance fairly often back then) passed on him when they had decades worth of in-state scouting to see how good he was. Don't see anyone blaming those schools for their miss. Charlotte, of all places, would be the biggest WTH, because he lived in Charlotte and played for Charlotte Christian, so they had plenty of opportunity to see how good he was, and even they didn't offer a scholarship.
But nope... VT is the one who missed out on Steph.
FYI, just heard a rumor from a Pitt grad coworker a few minutes ago that Pitt may be looking his way
That's one way to ensure you got a poppin program for a while. In a bubblical sense, of course
Well played...well played
Wouldn't shock me to see it happen. And for Greenberg, I'm not sure there's a more ideal scenario. Especially after putting the most teams ever from one conference into the Sweet 16, jobs in the ACC will be premier destinations.
The Pitt job in particular is a good one. Great facilities, donor support, tradition and recruiting base - all things that are the VT program lacked when he inherited it (and still do to some extent).
Seth was right not to offer. We don't just throw out offers to someone because his dad was a great player for you. Especially bball where you have limited scholarships. He didn't have any other P5 offers either. Now, did Seth burn bridges with the Curry's with the way it was handled, I don't know. but being mad because he wasn't offered when nobody else thought he was a p5 worthy player, I don't see how that was greenburg's fault.
Somehow, I believe our illustrious AD (RIP) at the time had a hand in this.
Is Dell actually continuing that narrative? Maybe he is, but I don't read this quote in that way at all. Dell simply made the analogy to Steph being passed over in college recruiting. A lot of us are sensitive to the fact that we didn't offer Steph even though he was a legacy, but go back and read the actual quote again-- there's nothing that suggests Dell was singling us out or referring to us. The only mention of Virginia Tech is by the author.
some, non-expert opinions, like mine, put a ton of weight on what Dell did for VT. UNC missing on Steph will always be much less egregious than VT missing on Steph. Dell earned him that slot and maybe that's why it still stings with a lot of people, Dell included. As you can see from my username, I got to experience what Dell did for us first-hand. Not only was that worth his scholly, it was worth at least one more.
I'd still be pissed off too, if were Dell and Steph.
In basketball, you can't afford to give a charity scholarship on a chance that the player is good because of their pedigree like you can in football. They are much more valuable. Seth gave both Curry brothers a chance to prove they deserve a scholarship on their own accord. I don't know about you, but I'd rather know I've earned something than be given something because my daddy was important somewhere or to someone. Kinda marginalizes your abilities and accomplishments if the only reason you got somewhere, whether you were qualified or not, is because of connections your parents have.
yep. like I said, mine is the non-expert opinion. it's the family, loyalty, relationship opinion. regardless of how the Curry boys turned out, it would have been a good investment to get their old man more involved in the program.
I am quite sure Steph would have earned anything he got once in the program. On my daughter's application to VT, it asked if she is a legacy. She got into VT. I am sure the fact that her dad graduated from VT and has been contributor to the college of engineering influenced that decision but it did not marginalize anything about it. It's not like she's a B student and it's not like Steph couldn't dribble and shoot.
History has a way of repeating itself and that's why legacies exist. Just like it did with the Currys. It's a great lesson.
Just to play devil's advocate: isn't this the rationale behind putting up with Marcus's BS for so long?
preemptive xkcd rebuttal:
to beat a dead horse ... I don't see it as analogous. You could say it's analogous for Marcus to get a scholly (although Marcus had the stars on his own) but to put up with him squandering the opportunity is something completely different.
No no no, Div 1 basketball has such limits scholarships to give you CAN NOT give one to someone because of what their dad did.
What Dell did while he was at Tech didn't earn a scholly for Steph at Tech, but it did earn him the right to be heard. If I am coach at VT and Dell Curry tells me that any HS senior is going to help Tech back to being in the big dance, I am going to listen. The only reason Steph was not breaking his dad's records for 3 point shooting and overall scoring is because they did not have the 3 point shot in CBB when he played. The guy KNOWS how to shoot and if he says his son can do the same, you bet I listen. Seth for all his positives when he came here, did not assign that type of credence to what Dell Curry said. If an Beamer equivalent was in place as MBB coach, I would bet that the Curry clan would've been Hokies and imagine what might have transpired then..... just sayin.
And Steph could have come to Tech showed he had it and earned a scholly. Basketball gets so few scholarships to offer you can't give one to a kid you don't view as ready, and no coaches thought he was.
I like to make a positive spin on this. If Curry would have come and had as great a career as he did in Davidson then Greenburg would most likely still be the Head Coach and Buzz would never been an options. So in theory Seth not coming to VT was the greatest gift he could have given us.
Elite 8/Final 4 trips are a pretty nice gift.
and after curry leaves we are still stuck with greenburg
But we would've had Curry!!!
And then left with Greenburg and all his complaining, whining, and egocentric attitude.!!
That something that sucked. Remember the Jordan days, when the Bulls were at home, "and playing guard, from Noooorth Carolina, number 23 Michael Jordan!" How nice would that sound, from Viiiirginia Tech, Steph Cuuuuurrry" But again, that's not Greenburg's fault.
That just makes it hurt WORSE.
Honestly it really doesn't bother me that Virginia Tech passed over Steph Curry. A lot of other schools did too.
And you and all those schools were wrong.
I am wrong that it doesn't bother me? Try again buddy.
Not at all, your feelings were not mine to criticize. I hope you knew what I meant by my post, but if not, please accept my apologies.
Only if you think that Steph would still have developed into the player he is without the chip on his shoulder, drive, and motivation that he gained from everyone passing on him. I, like others have posted, firmly believe that being over-looked by all major schools made Steph who he is.
Yeah and uVa and uNC both passed on a Vick for QB because they wanted a different Curry..... how'd that work out for them?
Touche
Well this one time at a restaurant I passed on curry and later regretted it
Were we wrong to not offer Steph Curry a scholarship? No. It was the prevailing sentiment on the kid at the time, by both recruitniks and head coaches. But, as his father's alma mater, we are going to hear about it more than any other program that didn't offer. It is what it is. It gets you exactly as upset as you let it.
There are plenty of stars in pro football and pro basketball that were not highly recruited high school players. There is a huge physical transition that happens to some athletes in their college years in size and/or ability, and it isn't obvious which players will completely transform like that; the vast majority of players don't.
So yea, we missed on Steph Curry, but there is no point in worrying about it, because there just isn't any way to know which middle of the pack high school player is the next NBA superstar.
The ESPN staff writer wrote "Dell makes an analogy back to the past, when Dell's alma mater, Virginia Tech, offered his son the mere opportunity try out as a walk-on. This was familiar territory for a player who'd long prevailed over projections." Then he quotes Dell, "Wasn't highly recruited, wasn't highly respected, wasn't highly thought of. It was kind of like that, you know?"
Dell does't mention Tech, at least the writer didn't write that he did. The writer mentioned Tech. Maybe he assumed Dell was talking about Tech. But as it's been noted, nobody recruited Steph. Looks to me that Dell wasn't bitching about Tech or any other school for that matter. He was just stating facts and they have used that for motivation.
Does anyone know how Dell and the Currys' relationship is with Tech ever since we passed on both Curry brothers? They were huge Tech fans while Seth and Steph were growing up.
We didn't pass on second. After what happened with Steph, the family practically wouldn't let us talk to Seth.
Pretty sure they still support VT football.
The daughter plays volleyball for Elon whom Tech beat 3-0 in the third match of the season. http://www.hokiesports.com/volleyball/stats/showstats.html?17627
When Seth was on Duke and they played in Cassell it seemed Dell tried to remain neutral for the most part, but the students chanting "who's your daddy" at the Seth pissed the mom off quite a bit.