To have fun SLAM’s thirtieth anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential males’s school groups from our previous 30 years. Stats, data and chips aren’t the primary issue right here, it’s all about their contribution to the sport’s cultural cloth.
For the subsequent 30 days—Monday by way of Friday— we’ll be unveiling the full listing right here. We’ve additionally received an unique retro collegiate assortment, out now, that pays homage to every squad’s threads. Store right here.
It’s arduous to win a convention championship while you solely have two gamers who common in double figures, not to mention moving into the NCAA Match and making a deep run. Effectively, something is feasible when a kind of gamers is on his method to changing into one of the best shooter in basketball historical past.
Except you have been a university hoops junkie and somebody who adopted the mid-majors, there’s a superb probability you by no means even heard of Davidson Faculty earlier than March of ‘08–a liberal arts school with an enrollment of lower than 2,000 college students. A Cinderella story was being crafted all season lengthy in Davidson, North Carolina, a small city exterior of Charlotte.
Davidson was recent off a profitable season through which they received the SoCon (Southern Convention) common season and the SoCon Match. Regardless of a disappointing loss within the first spherical of the NCAA Match, they have been onto one thing particular. With just a bit extra time and synergy, possibly they might shock the world.
Any success they’d dream about having for the ‘08 marketing campaign was depending on Stephen Curry, the baby-faced murderer, their returning level guard, a thin 6-2 sophomore who’d been neglected his whole life as much as that time. He had simply come off a season the place he earned SoCon Freshman of the 12 months however was rarely talked about when folks mentioned the highest gamers in school basketball. As a small mid-major within the shadows of their fellow Carolina foes like Duke, UNC, NC State and others, Davidson and their gamers confronted an uphill battle to earn their warranted respect.
Their teaching workers figured taking part in an almost unattainable non-conference schedule was one of the simplest ways to earn that respect. Not solely would this put the nation and NCAA committee on discover, but when all went effectively, making it by way of their non-conference schedule alive can be simply the self-assurance Davidson wanted to know they might compete with anybody within the discipline.
They have been very aggressive in opposition to the high-majors on their schedule however struggled to drag out wins in opposition to them. They misplaced shut video games to No. 1 UNC, No. 7 Duke, No. 7 UCLA and NC State. Losses like these typically shake the boldness of younger groups, however that Davidson squad noticed the silver lining. They have been knocking on the door.
Since Davidson didn’t have any signature wins on their resume, they’d must run by way of the SoCon and win the convention event to earn a spot within the Massive Dance. They did precisely that, going a formidable 20-0 within the convention and securing a 10-seed. For many mid-major applications, this alone would represent the season a hit.
Their celebrity, Stephen, had a spectacular season that included a few 40-point performances, a bunch of 30 items and too many 20-point outbursts to depend. He was named SoCon Participant of the 12 months, First-team All-SoCon and AP second-team All-American, amongst many different accolades. However he nonetheless had larger fish to fry; he wasn’t carried out but. By some means, he was nonetheless flying below the radar. Might he do it in opposition to stronger and longer athletes? Might his model of play translate within the NCAA Match?
No person exterior of that program may have envisioned what would occur subsequent. Heck, most individuals inside this system in all probability couldn’t have envisioned it.
In three NCAA Match wins, Stephen scorched Gonzaga for 40 factors, erupted for 30 in opposition to Georgetown and blazed Wisconsin for 33. And these weren’t quiet performances; his taking pictures prowess was like nothing we’d seen earlier than, and positively not on the school stage. The truth that he did all of this whereas sporting a pink Davidson jersey and never certainly one of blueblood’s makes it rather more vital. They’d finally lose a heartbreaker by two factors within the Elite Eight to Kansas, who finally received the entire thing.
Stephen was clearly the primary ingredient to Davidson’s success that yr; let’s be clear, although–no one, and I imply no one, makes it to the Elite Eight by chance. There could not have been one other family identify on that roster, however Stephen’s supporting solid confirmed up when it mattered most. Specifically, their senior level guard Jason Richards was the one participant to common extra minutes per sport than Stephen and completed as the highest help man in school basketball that season. They have been a balanced workforce; everybody purchased into no matter it took to get the job carried out. No egos, no selfishness, no ulterior motives. Add a future hall-of-famer to the combination, and it’s a no brainer that they have been capable of obtain greatness.
Immediately, Stephen is acknowledged as one of many biggest basketball gamers within the historical past of the sport. His ‘08 season at Davidson was the start of the way forward for basketball. Inevitably, the ‘08 Davidson Wildcats go down as some of the impactful school basketball groups ever.
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