When Tyler Hansbrough returns from the injured list, the 2008 national player of the year will be the best player in the ACC but not in his own state.
That distinction belongs to Davidson guard Stephen Curry (left). Just in case you thought the four-game NCAA Tournament clinic Curry put on last March was a fluke, he put up 44 points at Oklahoma on Tuesday in an 82-78 loss.
Curry's not only the best shooter in college basketball, he finds his shot when everyone in the building knows he's going to shoot. And it's not like he's Michael Jordan. He's not 6-6 and he can't shoot over most players outside of the Southern Conference.
What he lacks in size, he's suspiciously listed at 6-2, 185 pounds, he makes up for with a ridiculously quick release and unbelievable ability to make seemingly every open shot he takes.
Unlike Hansbrough, a power forward, Curry does not get the benefit of garbage points, easy putbacks from under the basket, and unlike Hansbrough, Curry does not have the benefit of playing with Ty Lawson or Wayne Ellington.
Curry does more with less help against teams whose entire mission is stop him. They still can't.
Jason Richards was a great point guard in Davidson's system and did more of the heavy lifting in the tournament than he got credit for. But Richards is gone, which makes Tuesday's performance against a physical Oklahoma team even more impressive.
Let's be honest about Hansbrough — he's going to end his four-year career as the most productive player in ACC history. He will likely be the leading scorer in league and UNC history and the leading rebounder in UNC history.
He'll also go down as the best free-throw shooter in college basketball history.
But he's a limited college basketball player. The words "Cole" and "Aldrich" should squash any argument to the contrary.
Let's put it this way, Hansbrough has missed two games and UNC hasn't missed a beat. Where would Davidson be without Curry?
-- J.P. Giglio
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35 comments:
It is a joy to watch Stephan Curry play basketball. He makes it look sooo easy.
true dat!
Hansbrough is a great player, is a tremendously hard worker and should win a National Championship, but Curry is at a different level as a player and arguably works just as hard to create his own shots and without having McD's AA's around him (but Davidson does have a "team"). Your comment about picking up garbage point rings particularly true for Psycho T. Hopefully both have great seasons, but if Curry's play continues anywhere near where it is today, he is well deserving of NPOY honors.
This is a ridiculous blog. The two players are not comparable, they play different decisions. Curry gets a chance to shoot every time he gets up the court because he is Davidson's only player. In a different system his looks would be much more limited. One-sided argument here...
Stir the pot much?
Curry is absolutely phenomenal, but why compare apples to oranges? They're both 1st team AAs, one's a post player with about 10 other high school all-americans around him, the other seemingly is called on to score almost 50% of his team's points night-in and night-out. Hardly fair to make a comparison.
And yet, this pile of garbage you just posted
"Let's be honest about Hansbrough — he's going to end his four-year career as the most productive player in ACC history. He will likely be the leading scorer in league and UNC history and the leading rebounder in UNC history.
He'll also go down as the best free-throw shooter in college basketball history.
But he's a limited college basketball player. The words "Cole" and "Aldrich" should squash any argument to the contrary.
Let's put it this way, Hansbrough has missed two games and UNC hasn't missed a beat. Where would Davidson be without Curry?"
Let's break this down - you list some of Hansbrough's accolades, he's the reinging NPOY, and you then say "he's a limited college basketball player." That doesn't make sense.
If you're suggesting Curry will be a better pro, fine, why not just say that?
Then you point out Cole Alrich, who only played about 1/3 of the minutes in the Final Four game, and only guarded Tyler about 1/2 those minutes. And even if your point were valid, that's one game and I'd counter with - um, National Player of the Year. Tyler finished that game with 17 and 9 too and was hardly the reason Kansas whipped our butts. I'd say it was more about the fact UNC could not guard guys like Rush and offensively, we relied too heavily on jump shots after cutting the lead. That's the PGs fault, not Tyler's.
And then the icing on this steaming pile of manure is your closing point - since Davidson couldn't do without Curry, he must be better. Ummkay. Tyler should be penalized for having all-american talent around him. Do you honestly believe UNC can achieve their season's goals without Hansbrough? You say defenses are designed to stop Curry and still can't. Are you really saying opponents of UNC aren't gearing their D to stop Hansbrough? They are, and aren't stopping him either.
Don't even get me started about the "best free throw shooter" comment you made either, it's just plain wrong. Just b/c you make the most free throws doesn't mean you're the best free throw shooter. I have to wonder if English is your native language b/c your grasp of it seems limited.
Seriously man, I know you're just trying to stir the pot and since I've wasted all this time posting you've obviously baited me well, but you really need a logic editor b/c your rationale is absurd.
JP, go back to covering High School Soccer and writing about that because you have no clue what you are talking about. Hansbrough is the hands down best player in the nation and yes that includes the state of North Carolina. Stephan Curry is good but is no where near the most dominant player in North Carolina. You are a moron who I've never heard of. I hear UNCC has some open spots to cover women's basketball. You might should apply for that.
WRONG! Hansbrough is still the best player in the country (and state); Curry will continue to put up those kind of ppg numbers not only because he can but BECAUSE HE HAS TO. You SHOULD see T's points drop, look at the scorers who surround him? But he will continue to dominate the national and state scene! Tyler Hansbrough is A LOT more valuable than the points he puts on the board.
2-1
Curry is indeed the best
I've seen people stop Hansbrough...
I have NEVER seen anyone stop Curry. Period.
and I watch every UNC game and every Davidson game...
just you watch this year... them big boys at Clemson will stop Hansbrough... the Dookies will stop him
Curry CANNOT BE STOPPED!
Need I point out that Hansbrough only scored 2 against Davidson in the second half last year?
Thomas Sander shut him down.
UncleBass: Neither one of those teams has done it in the past three years- I wouldn't expect the fourth to change much.
Ok...so because Hansbrough has better teammates who can win and perform without him being there, that makes Curry the better player?
BTW, Curry didn't exactly light up that KU team that Tyler struggled with, he shot 9-25..whats so great about that? Not to bash Curry, he's a great player and I love watching him play, but its pretty ludicrous to make this argument before Tyler has even had a chance to step on the court this year.
Uncle Bass, you lost all credibility when you said the dookies will stop Hansbrough.
They never have and they never will. Remind us of how they stopped him on February 11th around 11pm, when he finishes his career 4-0 in Cameron.
Heck, Hansbrough even dominated Shelden Williams as a Frosh, when Williams was a SR AA. Who's stopping him this year - Zoubek? Singler? Plumlee?
LMAO, you dummy.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ARE YOU ON CRACK? These players are not comparable to each other. Stephen Curry is a great player and will be a great NBA player, but to say he is better than Tyler Hansbrough is ridiculous. Just because Curry is the most valuable player to his team does not mean he is the best out of the two. The fact that Carolina can win without Hansbrough is a testament to the strength of the rest of the team(a team with so many strong players it should be hard for one to stand out and yet Tyler does). I agree that they are the best players at their positions but to say Curry is better than Hansbrough is asinine.
I believe that blogs are meant to stir the pot, and that every one is entitled to their own opinion, but this is an absurd comment to base a theoretical arguement off of. Handsbrough hasn't even played this year, therefore someone else has to be the states best player.
Lets address this point by point. Stephen Curry is a great basketball player, he is the product of one of the greatest NC basketball families. His father Dell, and aunt both own records still. He's a great story. I liken him to a few other guards you might have forgotten about that never drew an ounce of player of the year honors. A hot headed kid from DeMatha Highschool in Maryland named Joe Forte used to drop 40 a game, and was ACC player of the year, but never made NPOY honors. A guy named Allen Iverson still drops about 34 a night in Detroit and was never honored. Guards score more because they have the ball in their hands every play. Yes he's talented, but doesn't play half as hard day in and day out in a dominant conference like the ACC. Who won the Davidson vs Carolina game last year?
CURRY IS A "BALL HOG". HE HAS NO IDEA OF THE TEAM CONCEPT AND THUS THE LOSS LAST YEAR IN THE TOURNAMENT. HE TRIED TO DO IT ALL ON HIS OWN. A TEAM CANNOT WIN WITH ONE PLAYER SCORING OVER 50% OF THE POINTS.
I like Steph just as much as the next guy... But c'mon! he was 12-29 from the field. 30 shots!?! Not to mention he only had 3 assists when his primary position is point. Curry wasn't even the best player in that game, in case you missed the 25 and 21 game that Blake Griffin put up. Your argument is just silly.
justin, I can not get to the stats, but I believe Duke beat UNC once during the last season. I think it was at Carolina, the first time the 2 played last season. Anyway, it is much better watching Curry than it is watching Hansbrough. Curry plays with such grace. Hansbrough looks like he is going to cry any minute.
Carolina fans: SHUT UP
Everyone -- and I do mean everyone -- hates you. Seriously.
I thought what your band did last year after Davidson knocked off G'town in the RBC Center was beyond classy. And I don't even particularly care for Davidson.
Where are those folks? I'd like to speak with them please. Maybe ask them why they're bumming around with you homers.
Stephan Curry is a great guard. Tyler Hansbrough is a great forward. They are two separate positions, yes, but Hansbrough is the better player overall. Curry shoots like 40 shots a game, which is why he scores so many points. Hansbrough gets his by being physical, fighting for boards, putting up shots in the lane, and hitting his free throws. For you to call these points garbage points, then I want to see you do what he does. He earns every point he scores. Curry shoots 3 after 3 after 3. Yes he hits a lot of them. Yes he's good. But Hansbrough is much better. Please know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
An interesting article; and people should appreciate that you're very much entitled to your opinion. Everyone should also be able to agree that both Hansbrough and Curry are GREAT PLAYERS -- not the same but equally great in the way they play their quite different positions! It seems childish and immature for a running debate to commence about whether one is better than the other or whether one team is better than the other. As for me, I prefer Curry because he's modest and unassuming while I think Hansbrough seems somewhat arrogant about his abilities and something of a bully. Perhaps I'm wrong; but guess what? I'm entitled to my opinion, too.
Both are great college players, but neither have that 6'8" agile frame of Superman that you have to have to star in the NBA. Who cares anyway, sit back & enjoy college basketball & watch these two lead their teams
"BALL HOG" comment: Seriously? If you remember, Davidson played Kansas much better than the "heralded" Carolina team. Of course Curry takes more shots - that is expected of him and he is a guard; thereby, the shots are also not as high percentage. He has never taken 40 shots (nor 30 shots for that matter). Yes, he had 3 assists - if you watched the game (guessing you didn't), you would have noticed that he put his teammates in position to score, but they did not convert the shots. Curry cannot be blamed for that. Curry' still currently averaging more assists than Lawson...
"CURRY IS A "BALL HOG". HE HAS NO IDEA OF THE TEAM CONCEPT AND THUS THE LOSS LAST YEAR IN THE TOURNAMENT. HE TRIED TO DO IT ALL ON HIS OWN. A TEAM CANNOT WIN WITH ONE PLAYER SCORING OVER 50% OF THE POINTS."
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Ignorant post of the year. Congrats!
I'm a Dookie and loathe, hate and despise UNC.
Howev, Davidson sucks. Quit acting like they matter. They don't. Curry is a great shooter, fine. But all he does is jack threes. I watched him last night - wasn't he like 11 for 30? That's bushleague.
Coach K will reign supreme.
Wow! I could be the best player on a Crappy Davidson team, if I had the Green light to shoot everytime. Oklahoma blows...they are coached by a Ratboy Footsolider. There is a reason Curry plays for Davidson, because he is tiny. The dude couldn't make it through Jan 4th through March 8th playing the ACC schedule. He would get snapped like a twig, and get posterized like Paulus. I wouldn't even call what have said as "stirring the pot", i think it is more like you are a cybernerd who plays world of warcraft, and happened to catch the end of last nights game while your maps were downloading. Tyler 1, Steven(Stephon,Stephan,or what ever he goes by now) 0.
JUSTIN, it's your creditability on the line.
2/6/08 Duke 89 UNC 78
2/7/06 Duke 87 UNC 83
in the 2006 game Hansbro at center had 14 pts. Dockery at center for Duke had 14 pts. Williams at forward for Duke had 13 pts. Not a blow out. JJ Redick 35 pts. A BLOW OUT!!
2006 Duke won the ACC tournament.
DO NOT COUNT US OUT!! GO, DUKE!!
Hansbrough is garbage. Curry is a one-man team on a no-name team, whoopie. Go STATE!
I recall last year, when Carolina
was eliminated from tournament play. Do you recall a sub by the name Thomas for Carolina. Where is he now. If "psycho" doesnot develop
an outside game this years, he will never be a Joe Wolf. And, you will see the best player at the next level. Carolina can win without Hansbrough. Davidson(without Curry) in the top twenty-five, NOT.
Curry is a great story, nice player, one man show at a well coached Davidson. He's definately not the best player in North Carolina. He probably will be a career bench warmer in the NBA, that's if he makes a team. Why is he not at an ACC or Big East school? One word, Athleticism...Sure he has great ball skills, great shooter, but he's not athletic enough to be considered an elite player. If he had to man up against the country's best he would be exposed big time. Sorry, those are the harsh facts.
Curry can't be stopped? I saw him stopped last year at Winthrop when they held him to 12 points and he took like 20 shots to even get that.
Curry scores a lot because he shoots a lot. Sure, he has games where he goes off, but he also has games where he costs his team by taking ridiculous amounts of shots and missing most of them.
Hey dookie, the feeling's mutual. And I have to say, reading a dook fan degrading a fantastic player by saying "all he does is jack 3s" is rather ironic, dontcha think? Isn't that dook's entire offense?
And you are living in the past if you think Davidson is not relevant. They should have beaten a 36-3 UNC team last year, they played dook to the wire, and clearly had a far superior NCAA Tournament to the devils.
And this season, Davidson played toe to toe with a top 20 squad ON THE ROAD (a place your beloved coach won't even schedule non-conference games) and what have you done? Put forth an amazing comeback to beat....Rhode freaking Island AT HOME. Nice. dook's back, alright.
When's the last time your boys played in a regional final again? 2004? Davidson did so last year.
So how 'bout let's see your sorry squad at least get out of the SUB REGIONALS before you start running your mouth again, okay?
"Why is he not at an ACC or Big East school? One word..."
HewasblatantlyoverlookedbyRoyWilliams
Is that one word?
Scoutingonyourlaurels
Lackofcoachingvision
Idiocy
I know that's one word.
Ellington sits and UNC's entire offense is rethought if Steph plays for Chapel Hill. FACT.
Has nothing to do with being overlooked. For goodness sake, he played High School ball in Charlotte and his dad played in the NBA. Don't tell me he was overlooked, and by Roy Williams. Last time I check theres about 20+ other ACC and Big East teams, not to mention the SEC.
The biggest difference between kids that play major college vs kids at programs like Davidson is athletic ability. Thats why Ish Smith went to Wake Forest and not Elon or Davidson or APP St., etc,...
Athletic ability is your argument? Really?
Jumping high, running fast, that kind of thing?
Compelling stuff. I mean, if only Steph Curry were more athletic, he could torch major conference teams for 25-plus every time out.
Is the odd thing here that the only school to come close to shutting Curry down this/last season wasn't a Duke or a UNC, certainly not a Georgetown or a Wisconsin?
It was Winthrop. Winthrop. A team from a WEAKER conference.
Ask Michael Flowers what being "athletic" has to do with anything.
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