“Just didn’t meet the eye test, want to go Duke, want to go to Virgina tech” - Steph Curry’s father admits Steph willing to join the ‘Blue Devils’ Duke, says his college coach trusted his ability at Davidson

2022 NBA Finals - Game Six
2022 NBA Finals - Game Six; Steph Curry going for a lay up

Steph Curry inquired about going to Duke just as a walk-on, but the team denied him entry as the coach cited that they were ‘full up’, and to come back next year.

Duke’s squad that year ended up in the NCAA tournament as the 6th seed, where they would lose in the first round to VCU.

An article written by Alex Kennedy of Basketball News outlines the comments that Dell Curry made regarding the situation. Dell Curry said:

“Just didn’t meet the eye test, want to go to Duke, want to go to Virginia Tech”

According to his father, Steph was not seen as a great contender from either school. That was when he ended up joining Davidson.

Curry on the other hand, ended up joining Davidson where he had a superb freshman season. Steph finished averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He shot 40.8% from 3-point range, averaging 3.6 3's per game.

Duke missed out on Steph Curry

Steph Curry played three seasons with Davidson before declaring for the draft. Needless to say, Duke arguably missed out. Rex Chapman said:

“At the end of that year, everybody in the country wanted Stephen.”

Duke almost immediately regretted their decision as they showed large interest in Steph after his first year in college. But it seems that Steph’s loyalty has run deep for a long time now, as he stayed at Davidson because of their trust in him.

Dell outlined what Steph told him:

“Dad, if they didn’t want me then, I don’t want them now. F*** ‘em, I’m staying at Davidson.”

Steph Curry was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Golden State Warriors and has remained with the franchise since then. Additionally, there has not even been any mention of Steph Curry playing elsewhere.

Both Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have also been with the Warriors for a long time. The dedication from the three players is a huge reason for their four championships together.

It looks like Steph Curry's long bred loyalty paid off. The four-time champion paved his own way in the league, becoming the all-time leader in 3 pointers made. Duke missed out.

However, they did not miss out entirely as they got Seth Curry, Steph's brother, in a transfer in 2009. Seth Curry played for Duke for three seasons and averaged 13.2 points per game in 106 games.

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Edited by Gautam Aggarwal