Steph Feels Different

Nearly 5,000 people packed into Belk Arena to witness Wardell Stephen Curry II's official graduation ceremony/Davidson College Athletic Hall of Fame induction/jersey retirement. The grand spectacle included several Curry highlight montages, a lever adorned with a basketball, and a night-night pose from Davidson College President Doug Hicks.

You might be thinking: Joe, this is great and all… but this ceremony happened months ago. Why write about it now? And you'd have a valid point. I'm not sure I have anything particularly profound to say, but I have an observation that I think is worth sharing.

Because, beyond the Pomp and Circumstance, one theme has lingered: Davidson is family. In Davidson circles, it has itself become cliche to describe the strength of the Davidson community as a cliche. But over and over again, the Curry for 3 ceremony put the Davidson family on display for the world to see.

A particular anecdote from Steph himself stands out for me to this day. As the deadline to declare for the NBA draft loomed, Steph was preoccupied with a deadline for a paper (I'm a procrastinator, too, Steph). He called his now wife Ayesha and, by his own admission, was "bawling, boohooing" about the prospect of leaving Davidson.

On its face, this doesn't make sense. To an outsider looking in, the prospect of leaving the small pond of Davidson to become a sure-fire NBA lottery pick would be a no-brainer. Why was it, according to Steph, "one of the hardest decisions [he] ever had to make"? Because Davidson is different. "It speaks to how much this place means to me, and the impact the community has had on me and my life," Steph explained.

A brief aside. This kind of conversation is from a different era of college basketball. Many programs feel like a one-and-done factory, pumping out professional players at an incredible rate. But, again, Davidson is different.

What makes Davidson different? We're a community held together by shared values: honor, honesty, and respect. We aren't perfect, but we hold each other — whether you're a new freshman on campus, the Director of Choral Activities, or the greatest shooter in NBA History — to an elevated standard.

Some folks might scoff at that and say it makes no sense. But as the kids these days are saying… If you know, you know.

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Davidson Men's Basketball has had perhaps the most turbulent offseason in its recent history. We're losing Bob McKillop, our legendary coach of 33 years; Luka Brajkovic, the reigning A-10 Player of the Year; Hyunjung Lee and Mike Jones, two elite perimeter shooting options who greased the wheels of our offense; and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, a consummate veteran presence who consistently provided a spark of energy and leadership when called upon.

Yet, despite the uncertainty, I still have a certain degree of confidence in Davidson this year. And that's mostly thanks to the values and culture we've developed. That same culture that had Stephen Curry agonizing over his decision to leave is as good a reason as any not to sleep on the Wildcats this year.