Friday, March 27, 2009
Hokies will recruit Seth Curry till the end
More than 30 schools make inquiries
Doug Doughty
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Virginia Tech is one of five ACC schools that have requested and been granted permission to speak to Liberty University basketball standout Seth Curry.
Curry averaged 20.2 points this season and was the leading freshman scorer in Division I. He has an older brother, Stephen, a junior at Davidson whose 28.7-point average leads all Division I scorers.
The Curry brothers’ parents are Sonya and Dell Curry, both Virginia Tech graduates. The boys grew up as Tech fans and the Hokies’ failure to sign them has been an ongoing subplot during their careers.
There has been debate as to whether the Hokies offered Stephen Curry, but, clearly, they did not pursue him with the kind of zeal that would have prevented him from choosing Davidson.
Younger brother Seth picked Liberty so early in the recruiting process – the summer before his senior year – that neither Tech nor anybody else had gotten a good look at him.
The Hokies aren’t making the same mistake this time. They were among the first schools to make the obligatory call to Liberty in order to get permission to speak to Seth Curry and they didn’t hesitate to make an immediate scholarship offer.
Dell Curry, who starred at Tech in the 1980s, said in a Friday phone conversation that more than 30 Division I programs already have called to inquire about his younger son, “all of them high-major,” he said.
“I thought the response would be good, but it’s been overwhelming.”
Excuse the Currys for wondering where everybody was two years ago.
Dell Curry has remained in contact with Liberty coach Ritchie McKay and said that the response “has eased his feelings about losing a 20-point-per-game scorer,” he said.
“It’s like Ritchie told me, ‘He didn’t come in here as a McDonald’s All-America, but the interest he’s getting now is what you might expect for a McDonald’s All-American.’ ”
The ACC schools that have inquired about the younger Curry are Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina State.
Duke, if it offers, is seen as the team to beat. Clemson is another school that would be high on Seth Curry’s list.
When asked specificially about the Hokies, Dell Curry said, “I think we’re open to everyone. We’ve got to weigh all options.”
The Curry family has several decisions to make. Stephen said earlier this week that he has not decided whether he will return for his senior year at Davidson and that he will explore the possibility of turning pro.
Seth could have a little more time. The spring signing period for men’s basketball does not start until April 15, which will provide two weeks for teams to evaluate their 2009-2010 rosters and decide whether to take another signee or go for a transfer.
“We don’t have a timetable per se,” Dell Curry said. “The main thing is for Seth not to miss too much class time. He needs to be in good academic standing before he could transfer to another school.”
NCAA transfer rules would require Curry to sit out next season. He can practice with his new team next season, but he won't be able to play until the 2010-2011 season.
ONE SOURCE SAID that it wouldn’t be out of the question for Seth Curry to consider Virginia, his father’s second choice when he picked the Hokies more than 25 years ago.
Dell Curry played at Fort Defiance High School and announced his decision – my memory is a little hazy here – at a restaurant in Verona.
I was there, but it might have been Weyer’s Cave. I do know it was on the west side of I-81 and not the east side, where the Currys made their home in Grottoes.
(I know the Shenandoah Valley airport is east of I-81 and isn’t that supposed to be in Weyer’s Cave? But, I’m sorry. I digress).
Virginia doesn’t have a coach. Nor does it have any scholarships and I don’t think the Cavaliers want to lose either of their signees, Tristan Spurlock or Jontel Evans. Along the same lines, Virginia Tech doesn’t have any scholarships.
Readers of my columns will know that over-recruiting is a pet peeve of mine, but I don’t think the Hokies have any choice other than to pursue Seth Curry as doggedly as possible.
Whether the Hokies screwed up once or twice with the Currys is a matter of interpretation but Seth Greenberg needs to be able to say, “We made every effort the third time.”
NOTE: For more commentary on the UVa men’s basketball search, read Saturday’s print edition of The Roanoke Times).
