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That time Steph Curry made the Elite Eight

By Carlos Murillo

Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry speaks at halftime after the student section was renamed honoring him during the game against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry speaks at halftime after the student section was renamed honoring him during the game against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors MVP guard Stephen Curry once made the Elite Eight in amazing fashion.

Everyone knows Stephen Curry is amazing. Before that, there was an injury-riddled season and his team’s struggles made people forget about him a bit. Before that, though, everyone knew that he was awesome.

Curry was the seventh pick in the 2009 NBA Draft because he was spectacular in college. Fans that don’t like him try to argue that he’s just catching lightning in a bottle and that his historic tear is a fluke. In reality, he’s been doing this for a long time now.

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The future superstar attended Davidson College because no other school wanted him. He was just the undersized son of a former NBA player. The world would soon know who he was though.

Curry led the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament during his freshman season. He scored 30 points, but he and his squad fell to Maryland, a four seed. That was just the beginning though.

The next year, he took them back to the Big Dance and this time they made some noise. Davidson entered the 2008 NCAA Tournament as a ten seed. He put the ball in the basket at a ridiculous rate. He scored 40 points to upset the seventh-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and scored 30 to shock the second-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in comeback fashion.

Then, in the Sweet Sixteen, he put on a show once again. Curry scored 33 points against the third-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. He became the fourth player to score at least 30 points in each of his first four tournament games.

Curry, once overlooked, now was cooking the top teams in the country with the lights on. He took a school that’s generally an afterthought in college basketball to the Elite Eight. He was magnificent.

The sharpshooter set the record for the most three-pointers in a single NCAA season against the Kansas Jayhawks. Curry scored 25 points against them, but the stacked squad was too much for the Wildcats and they won by two points. Davidson had a shot to win the game, but they couldn’t pull off the miracle and Kansas continued to win until they eventually won a national championship.

Curry didn’t just catch fire and have a few fluke seasons. His ridiculous shots aren’t lucky. He isn’t a product of a Golden State system that fits him well.

Steph Curry is a system on his own. His shooting isn’t your run-of-the-mill marksmanship. He sends defenses into a frenzy and stretches them out like no one else ever has.

He’s been doing this since he was 20 years old. He led a team that shouldn’t have sniffed the Elite Eight to being a basket away from the Final Four. That’s what greatness looks like.

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Curry has accomplished a lot on the basketball court, both at the collegiate and professional levels. Making the Elite Eight jumpstarted his path to greatness. It proved that he was ready to lead a team and he did some years later when he delivered a championship to the Golden State Warriors. College success doesn’t necessarily mean anything in the long run for an NBA player, but it’s nice.

If Curry and Davidson can do it, better point guards with the team that was a “guarantee” to win the national title should have been able to do it too.

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